En Gedi sits high atop the Dead Sea and is south of Qumran. It is 10 miles North of Masada one of our next stops.En Gedi was originally inhabited by the Amorites. The Song of Solomon mentions the "vineyards of En Gedi (1:14). Believe it or not there is a waterfall that has been there for thousands of years and the abundance of water from it creates a year-round oasis on the west coast of the Dead Sea. Because of the vast amount of water and the heat, it is a great place for growing crops.
It is also in this same area that David hid from King Saul and cut off Saul's garment (1Samuel 23:29-24;22). Jehoshaphat defeated his enemies at En Gedi (II Chronicles 20).
This lone tree is actually sitting on the top edge of a cliff overlooking the Dead Sea FAR below. From the park grounds we looked down at wildlife. I don't know if you can see the ibex in the mountain picture or not, but it was really cool. Looked like at deer or something. I'll have to check one of them out at the SD zoo next time I am there.
We left this location and headed down the hills to the Dead Sea, some 1300 feet below sea level!
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