Ein Netafim is a water spring in the

Eilat Eilat ( , ; he, אֵילַת ; ar, إِيلَات, Īlāt) is Israel's southernmost city, with a population of , a busy port and popular resort at the northern tip of the Red Sea, on what is known in Israel as the Gulf of Eilat and in Jorda ...

mountains located near the Israeli border with Egypt. The spring is located about seven kilometers north of the city of Eilat, near the

Highway 12 Route 12 or Highway 12 can refer to: For a list of roads named A12, see A12 roads. International * Asian Highway 12 * European route E12 * European route E012 Argentina * National Route 12 Australia NSW * Western Sydney Airport Motorway ...

road which leads to Eilat. Ein Netafim is the only natural water source in the Eilat Mountains that is flowing all year round and serves as the main source of drinking water for the animals in its surrounding. During the evening and the night various animals tend to gather in the site in order to drink from the spring water. The more prevalent animals whom gather at the site are

gazelles A gazelle is one of many antelope species in the genus ''Gazella'' . This article also deals with the seven species included in two further genera, '' Eudorcas'' and '' Nanger'', which were formerly considered subgenera of ''Gazella''. A thir ...

goats The goat or domestic goat (''Capra hircus'') is a domesticated species of goat-antelope typically kept as livestock. It was domesticated from the wild goat (''C. aegagrus'') of Southwest Asia and Eastern Europe. The goat is a member of the a ...

rabbits Rabbits, also known as bunnies or bunny rabbits, are small mammals in the family Leporidae (which also contains the hares) of the order Lagomorpha (which also contains the pikas). ''Oryctolagus cuniculus'' includes the European rabbit spe ...

and

birds Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the laying of hard-shelled eggs, a high metabolic rate, a four-chambered heart, and a strong yet lightweig ...

History

In 1950 was Israel attempted to construct an agriculture settlement nearby which was eventually abandoned. Until the

Six-Day War The Six-Day War (, ; ar, النكسة, , or ) or June War, also known as the 1967 Arab–Israeli War or Third Arab–Israeli War, was fought between Israel and a coalition of Arab world, Arab states (primarily United Arab Republic, Egypt, S ...

an Israeli military post existed nearby Ein Netafim. The spring also influenced the determined of the boundary line between the British Empire and the Ottoman Empire, which is the border between Israel and Egypt today. The British built a

basin Basin may refer to: Geography and geology * Depression (geology) ** Back-arc basin, a submarine feature associated with island arcs and subduction zones ** Debris basin, designed to prevent damage from debris flow ** Drainage basin (hydrology), ...

at the site to collect the spring water. The basin was destroyed during a subsequent rock collapse. In 1965 the staff of the Eilat Field School constructed a new basin, but it was also destroyed in a flood. The most recent basin was built in 1968. The area of Ein Netafim on

was the site of two major terror attacks—one in 1990 and one in 2011.

External links

Ein Netafim - An Israel Desert Hike with Rami
– published on israelinsideout.com
Birding Sites in Israel : Ein-Netafim
– published on science.co.il {{Coord, 29.597014, N, 34.883171, E, type:landmark, display=title Springs of Israel