The Judaean Desert is a desert in Israel and the West Bank that lies east of Jerusalem and the Judean hills and west of the Jordan Valley and Dead Sea.
The Judaean Desert overlaps the Negev in the south, to many of its parts the West Bank and partly the Dead Sea region in the east. To avoid duplication of information (and work), and because accessibility to this region is rather based on the previous three areas, use those latter articles to find (and maybe contribute) information. Consider this article more as a park guide that concentrates on the features and sights of the Judaean as a desert region.
Notable cities and villages throughout the Judaean Desert:
Despite its desert climate, many streams flowing from the Judaean hills and the Jerusalem hills have carved beautiful canyons and ravines through the soft rocks in the region.
Most of the attractions and sites throughout the Judaean Desert are located along the western shores of the Dead Sea. In addition to information about the attractions and sites in the Judaean Desert, this article provides expanded details regarding the various hiking trails in the Judaean Desert.
Though hostile and arid, the Judaean Desert was settled since before recorded history. Jericho, which was founded over 11,000 years ago (around 9,000 BCE), is one of the oldest continuously-inhabited cities in the world, and it is the first city in the world that had walls built to protect it. Another notable place is Ein Gedi, a large oasis that had cities built around it for over 6,000 years. Inside the desert itself there are numerous isolated monasteries, many are still active to this day.
The Judaean Desert played an important role in the Jewish kingdoms in Israel during the biblical times, and also during the Greek and Roman times.
Due to its rough terrain and climate, the Judaean Desert was known as a hiding place for refugees and rebels. In one famous Biblical story, King David fled here with his soldiers after King Saul ordered to have him killed. During the Greek and Roman times, the Hasmonean dynasty and the roman client King Herod the Great built and fortified many forts, strongholds and even palaces in the Judaean Desert, most famously, Masada. During the Roman-Jewish wars, the Jewish rebels fled to the Judaean Desert and fortified in the strongholds there. The last free standing Jewish stronghold in Jewish history, prior to the establishment of the modern state of Israel, was Masada.
The coast of the Dead Sea offers many cold and hot springs.
The Judaean Desert has an average annual rainfall of 47mm. This is due to the fact that the rains in Israel, which comes from the Mediterranean Sea, are blocked by the Judaean mountains, creating a rainshadow desert over the eastern slopes of the mountains (the Judaean Desert), while the western slopes (the Shfela) receive an average annual rainfall of about 500mm. Because of that, the Judaean Desert contains a relatively large amount of oases, which are fed by the groundwater from the western slopes of the Judaean mountains.
Almost every year various travelers find themselves stuck in certain streams in the Judaean Desert when flash floods appear abruptly due to rain that occurred recently in the nearby Judaean hills and the Jerusalem hills. Some of these abrupt flash floods can be quite dangerous and even lead to deaths. Therefore, before hiking on the narrow streams in the Judaean desert, always make sure that no rain is expected to fall in the Judaean Desert or the nearby mountains.
The Judaean Desert is an array of hills and canyons, falling from the heights of around 1,000 meters in the Judean Mountains, to the Dead Sea which is, at -421 meters below sea level, the lowest place on earth. At its eastern edge, the Judaean Desert dramatically drops into the Dead Sea in cliffs of up to 500 meters, and waterfalls in the dry canyons fall in heights of 50-330 meters.
This cliff line was created as a result of the Great Rift Valley and the movement of the tectonic plates. The movement of the tectonic plates have created the valleys of the region, including the Dead Sea valley. This movement also created the sharp cliffs located at the eastern edge of the Judaean Desert, above the Dead Sea Valley.
The majority of the Judaean Desert is either in the Palestinian territories of Judea, or stretches along the Dead Sea. The only other civilized area is the town Arad.
Most of the Judaean Desert is undeveloped and inaccessible, consisting of either nature reserves or Israeli military firing zones. The very north end of the region can be accessed easily by Route 1 from Jerusalem to the Dead Sea. The very south, in Israel, can be accessed by roads 31 and 80 in the Negev. In between, access is restricted. You'll probably need permission from the Israeli military, and when you arrive there will be no paved roads, only jeep trails. Road 90 runs along the Dead Sea, but there is a cliff separating it from the rest of the Judaean Desert except in a couple locations.
Route 90 crosses the entire Dead Sea basin from the Lido junction in the north to the Arava junction down south, and passes through almost all settlements that are not in Palestinian territories.
From the north the route can be accessed by driving southwards on route 90, that begins in Qiryat Shemona and passes by Beth Shean.
From Jerusalem and the coastal plain it can be accessed by driving eastwards on route 1, the road that goes from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. Pass by Jerusalem following the road signs to the Dead Sea. In the Lido junction, turn right and you're on route 90, driving along the Dead Sea. Alternately, you can drive southwards towards Be'er Sheva on route 40 (or on the toll-road Route 6, which then connects to route 40), then take a left either on route 31 (going through Arad and connecting to route 90 in Zohar junction) or on route 25 (through Dimona to the Arava junction, on the southern end of the Judaean desert).
From the south, reach the Arava road (also part of route 90) and drive northwards, passing the Arava junction.
All following lines drive on route 90. All of them pass through the Ein Bokek hotel complex. The most frequent buses are from Jerusalem.
Best accessed by car, but some sites, especially along the western shore, can be reached with the bus.
Most tourist attractions in the Judaean Desert are located near the Dead Sea – look there for further information.
See hiking in the Judaean Desert as well as the Ein Gedi nature reserve. Hiking in the region is recommended all year long except for the summer season and the exceptionally hot days. In addition, it is important to keep up to date with the weather forecast in advance, and to be aware of any flood warnings issued for the Judaean Desert.
Arad has several accommodation options. Also Hebron, Bethlehem, Jerusalem and Jericho in the West Bank and at the border of the Judaean Desert offer a variety of places to stay.