Ein Gedi

Declared in 1971, this reserve protects an oasis of freshwater springs in the middle of the Judaean desert, beside the Dead Sea, mentioned explicitly in the Hebrew Bible: the Song of Songs alludes to its vineyards, and the First Book of Samuel tells how the future King David hid in its caves while fleeing King Saul. Its waterfalls and freshwater pools, fed by springs rising straight out of the desert rock, create a stark contrast with the surrounding landscape, one of the most arid on the planet, and have been a site of unbroken human settlement for more than 5,000 years, documented in Copper Age archaeological remains found in the area.