Tuesday, March 31, 2009

Day 6






We wake up to a calmer desert this morning. However the day is cold, rainy and windy. Our first stop is Beersheva, a wonderfully preserved 8th Century BC city. The remains included circular city walls with the foundations of dwellings along the walls. Of course there is the remains of the city water system and another cistern to climb down into.

After a stop for coffee, tea and hot chocolate (like I said it was a cold desert day!), we went to the ancient Israelite city of Arad. There are extensive ruins here from several periods. There is a fortress with towers, an Israelite temple similar to the one Solomon built in Jerusalem.




We ended the touring with Terrance giving us a tour of the site at En Hazeva, Biblical Tamar, where we are staying. Here there are remains of a Roman fortress and Roman bath, fortresses from different times during the Iron Age, plus shrines and buildings.

Several of us help around the area for the next few hours. Some of the men help clean up several trees fthat were down after the storm. Several of the women help Kate fix dinner for the evening. Derrick shows us all how to make Bedouin Bread, a flat bread that is cooked on an iron pan over a campfire. Kate has made Tahine (sesame paste sauce) for us to dip the bread into. Very good!

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