Desert

Desert, love, and everything in between: The festival everyone’s talking about returns

The Tamar Regional Council invites you to a family festival on Nov 6-7 at Nahal Amatzia Park with Jimbo J, workshops, tours, attractions, and a stunning desert backdrop. Tickets at a symbolic price.

Sodom and Love Festival.
Israelis swim in the "Disappearing Lake" in Timna Park, in the southern Israeli desert, on September 9, 2017

Israeli desert microorganisms survive harsh climate, offer clues to life on Mars

A drone view of the mass grave site in the desert near the eastern Syrian town of Dhumair, February 27, 2025. A Reuters investigation found that the Assad government secretly trucked thousands of bodies there from an exposed mass grave in the Damascus suburb of Qutayfah from 2019-2021.

Assad government secretly moved mass grave to cover up killings, Reuters investigation finds

THE NANA WINERY visitor area.

Desert dreams: Nana Winery brings fine wine to Mitzpe Ramon


Traveling during Sukkot? A new trail system awaits your discovery

Tishrei holidays begin with a gift for hikers: A new trail system in Timna Park, circular routes for the whole family, the 24 km Timna Loop trail, and 70 km of cycling paths.

Timna Park.

Ancient life sized camel engravings on Saudi desert cliffs rewrite Arabian prehistory

Researchers say the monumental rock art marked scarce water sources and migration routes, serving as statements of presence and cultural identity roughly 12,000 years ago.

Ancient life sized camel engravings on Saudi desert cliffs rewrite Arabian prehistory.

AI-powered study uncovers 303 new Nazca Lines geoglyphs, doubling the known figures

"AI was able to process in months what would have taken us decades with traditional methods," stated Sakai, after the algorithm detected patterns later confirmed in the Peruvian desert.

A closeup of Nazca Lines, an ancient cryptic geoglyph in Peru.

From the Kinneret to the desert: The hotel chain continues to expand and surprise

While inbound tourism continues to stagnate, the Jacob chain is investing NIS 35 million in two new hotels – one on the Kinneret and one in the desert. Is this a new trend in Israeli tourism?

Jacob Ohalo Hotel.

From desert patrol to tomb guard: Ancient Egyptian police used bone whistles in Akhenaten’s capital

The discovery is the first known bone whistle from ancient Egypt and may have been used by Medjay police to supervise tomb workers, says a study in the international journal of osteoarcheology.

From desert patrol to tomb guard: How ancient Egyptian police used a bone whistle in Pharaoh Akhenaten’s capital.

Scientists found a 3.5-meter dolphin fossil in a desert that was once an ancient ocean

The fossil, discovered in July, measures three and a half meters and will undergo exhaustive analysis before public display.

Whale fossils in the Ocucaje desert, Peru.

180-million-year-old ‘crocodile’ fossil unearthed in Indian desert village

Jaisalmer district administration has fenced off the area to safeguard the fossil collection from damage.

Artist’s rendering of Phytosaurs

1,400-year-old Christian cross unearthed in UAE desert monastery

Stunning gypsum artifact reveals ancient faith, cultural exchange, and peaceful coexistence on Sir Bani Yas Island.

A Christian cross discovered on an island in Abu Dhabi.

14 desert pipes turned into Israel’s most unusual hotel – and the price? You decide

At Naot Farm, the Tzavta complex offers couples desert lodging in 14 recycled pipes with no set price. Guests pay what they choose, based on trust and belief in the “Beautiful Israeli.”

Tzavta Complex at Naot Farm

The strangest attraction you’ll encounter in the middle of the desert

It’s pink, solar-powered, waiting for you in the heart of a dry desert, and it’s packed with cold drinks – completely free. If that sounds like a mirage, wait until you hear who put it there.

 A man drinking water in the desert

Several walled oases uncovered in Saudi Arabia shed light on ancient community investment

Evidence suggests the walled oasis phenomenon began around 3000 BC at Tayma and Qurayyah and spread to the Harrat Khaybar region by the end of the third millennium BC.

 3D reconstruction of the Late Iron Age western enclosure in Dumat al-Jandal walled oasis