|
Several
development towns dot the magnificent landscape of the Negev, including
the town of Mitzpe Ramon, which overlooks the Ramon Crater. The Ramon
crater is the largest crater in Israel and the colored sands mined from
the crater are sold, layered in bottles throughout Israel.
The descent
from the site of Mitzpe Ramon to the floor of the Ramon Crater is a treacherous
road with many switchbacks. Because it was the only link to
the city of Eliat form the north, during the War of Independence, it was
a site of many terrorist act designed to interrupt the flow of supplies
to Eliat.
There is a
marvelous marker at the site of one of these incidents, which bears the
inscription:
"Arava,
lama pa'art et peekh? Ha'im ra'avt, Arava?"
[Arava, why did
you open your mouth? Were you hungry, Arava?]
The Eliat
Mountains at the southern part of the Negev.
|
