01
Makhtesh Ramon
The Largest Erosion Crater on Earth
The largest erosion crater in the world, 40 kilometers long and 500 meters deep. Geological wonder, stargazing, and desert adventure.
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The Negev
The region
The Negev is Israel’s southern desert, reaching from Be’er Sheva, the biblical city of Abraham, all the way to Eilat on the Red Sea. It is a land of erosion craters — Makhtesh Ramon, the largest in the world, is 40 kilometers long and 500 meters deep — of spring-fed canyons like Ein Avdat, of red sandstone cliffs at Timna, where copper was mined some 6,000 years ago, and of night skies dark enough for some of the best stargazing in the country.
Between the 4th century BCE and the 2nd century CE, the Nabateans — Arab traders whose capital was Petra — carried frankincense and myrrh across this desert from Arabia to the Mediterranean. Their cities of Avdat, Mamshit, Shivta and Haluza are UNESCO-listed stations on the Incense Route, and their terraces, dams and cisterns let them grow wheat and grapes on less than 100 millimeters of rain a year. Today the Negev is home to Bedouin communities known for their hospitality, and to Sde Boker, where David Ben-Gurion, who dreamed of making the desert bloom, is buried above the Zin Valley.
Highlights
Where to begin
02
Avdat
A Nabatean City in the Desert
A UNESCO World Heritage Nabatean city on the Incense Route, where desert traders built a civilization in the wilderness.
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03
Ein Avdat
A Desert Canyon of Pools and Waterfalls
A spectacular desert canyon with year-round spring pools, waterfalls, ibex, and griffon vultures, at the foot of Ben-Gurion’s grave.
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04
Timna Park
Solomon’s Pillars and the Copper Mines
A desert valley of red sandstone cliffs, ancient copper mines, and geological formations that look like a set from a science fiction film.
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05
Eilat
The Red Sea
Israel’s southernmost city, on the shores of the Red Sea. Coral reefs, snorkeling, dolphins, and desert mountains.
Read more20 sites
Explore the region
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- Eilatand the Red SeaIsrael’s southernmost city, on the shores of the Red Sea. Coral reefs, snorkeling, dolphins, and desert mountains.→
- Ein AvdatA Desert Canyon of Pools and WaterfallsA spectacular desert canyon with year-round spring pools, waterfalls, ibex, and griffon vultures, at the foot of Ben-Gurion’s grave.→
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- Incense RouteNabatean Cities of the NegevThe UNESCO World Heritage trade route that carried frankincense and myrrh from Arabia to the Mediterranean, with four Nabatean cities in the Negev.→
- Ir OvotAn Ancient Crossroads in the AravaA desert crossroads where Nabatean, Roman, and early Islamic caravans stopped on the route between Petra and the Mediterranean.→
- Israeli Air Force Museumat HatzerimOne of the largest air force museums in the world, with over 160 aircraft telling the story of Israel’s aerial defense from independence to today.→
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- Makhtesh HaKatan and Makhtesh HaGadolTwo erosion craters in the Negev, smaller than the Ramon Crater but equally dramatic, and less visited.→
- Makhtesh RamonThe Largest Erosion Crater on EarthThe largest erosion crater in the world, 40 kilometers long and 500 meters deep. Geological wonder, stargazing, and desert adventure.→
- MamshitThe Best-Preserved Nabatean CityA UNESCO World Heritage Nabatean city with beautifully preserved buildings, mosaics, and a Nabatean dam that still holds water.→
- Mitzpe RamonThe Town on the EdgeA desert town perched on the rim of the world’s largest erosion crater, reinvented as a center for hiking, stargazing, and desert tourism.→
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- NabateansMasters of the DesertThe Arab traders who controlled the incense trade, built Petra, and created an empire in the desert that defied geography.→
- Negev BedouinDesert Hospitality and CultureThe Bedouin communities of the Negev, their traditions of hospitality, their challenges, and the desert culture that defines them.→
- Negev Brigade MemorialAndartat Hativat HaNegevAn iconic memorial near Be’er Sheva designed by Dani Karavan, honoring the brigade that fought for the Negev in 1948.→
- NitzanaA Desert Outpost on the Egyptian BorderA Nabatean-Byzantine city on the Egyptian border with well-preserved churches and a fascinating modern history.→
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- Sde BokerBen-Gurion’s Desert HomeThe Negev kibbutz where David Ben-Gurion spent his final years, with his grave overlooking the stunning Zin Valley.→
- ShivtaA Ghost City in the DesertA UNESCO World Heritage Nabatean-Byzantine city in the central Negev, abandoned 1,300 years ago and preserved by the desert.→
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- Tel AradA Bronze Age City and an Israelite TempleA remarkably preserved Bronze Age city and a rare Israelite temple with two standing stones.→
- Tel Be’er ShevaAbraham’s Well and the Horned AltarThe biblical city of Abraham and the gateway to Israel’s Negev desert: the Ottoman old city, the Bedouin market, and the ancient tel.→
- Timna ParkSolomon’s Pillars and the Copper MinesA desert valley of red sandstone cliffs, ancient copper mines, and geological formations that look like a set from a science fiction film.→
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