Biblical Tamar Park WriteUp

By: Katerina Kitchen

Excavation at Biblical Tamar Park began to be of importance most recently in the 1970’s.  The site consists of many different structures from a variety of time periods, the oldest dating back to the time of King Solomon.  During this time period (mid-tenth century BCE) King Solomon had a fortress built which he named after his sister Tamar.  This is the first of four fortresses, three of great importance, that were built at the site.

The second fortress discovered was built during the period of the Judaean Kingdom (ninth century BCE).  This is referred to as the Middle Fortress and it is the largest fortress at the site.  There is still much of this fortress in tact.  Storerooms and its two granaries are still visible.  The Gate Complex is massive and extremely well preserved even to the untrained eye.  Within one of the granaries was found the remains of wheat and barley dating back to the same period as the fortress itself. 

The third and latest fortress was built in the seventh-sixth century BCE period. This is the smallest of the three fortresses, all of which date back to the First Temple Period.  It is not possible to know much about this fortress as not much of it has been preserved. 

The fourth and final fortress dates back to the third-fourth century BCE.  This fortress is from the late Roman period.  It is believed that this fortress was destroyed by an earthquake.  It is also believed that this fortress was part of a chain of many fortresses along the route through the Negev, the Arava and the Dead Sea region. 

Also found within the area are three other significant structures, the first of which is an Edomite Shrine.  This shrine is situated just outside one of the fortress walls and is believed to have been destroyed when a decree was put forth from King Josiah.  This probably took place within the same era as the Latest Fortress.  There were a vast number of idols and cult symbols found smashed within a pit in the area.  This was purposely done to rid the region of idolatry.

The second is a Roman Bathhouse.  The bathhouse had not only a cool room and a warm room, but also a sweat room and a hot room.  It was also equipped with a latrine.  The floors were made of stone, some of which can still be seen today.  Also visible are parts of the water heating system still very much intact.  Large amounts of Roman glass and Roman coins have been found at the site.

The third significant structure is an Israeli Four Room House that was excavated just outside the Middle Fortress Gates.  This is extremely important as it is the only one found in the area.  There are plans in affect to reconstruct the house just outside of where the dig sits.  The replication will be built to full scale.  When this is accomplished it will be open to the public. 

The site at Biblical Tamar Park has been inhabited by a large variety of different people during very different centuries.  However, it has been visited by many groups of people due to its location, which was on the Petra-Gaza section of the Spice Route.  More recent inhabitants of the site were the Ottomons and the British.  For this reason one can see the building that was used as a jail and the outside of an old British bomb shelter towards the center of the site. 

In short, the site at Biblical Tamar Park is as rich in history as it is in treasures, boasting the largest collection of artifacts from an archeological site in Israel at the Jerusalem Museum.  For this reason there is hope that a museum can be built at Biblical Tamar Park along with the replication of the Israeli Four Room House.  

Though there are magnificent and very meaningful historical finds at Biblical Tamar Park, the park is not limited to them.  In all, Biblical Tamar Park consists of 53 acres (208 dunams) of land.  Currently, the Israeli Antiquities Authority has named Blossoming Rose, a non-profit organization based in the United States, as curator of the Park.  Blossoming Rose works jointly with and Israeli based non-profit organization called For Blossoming Israel who holds a twenty-five year lease to the park.  Both Blossoming Rose and For blossoming Israel are highly dedicated to conserving, developing and protecting Biblical Tamar Park. 

For more information on Blossoming Rose, or to inquire about touring Biblical Tamar Park visit e-mail info@blossomingrose.org. 

The Arava

Chris Josephson

President of Bible Light International

            The weather had been chilly in Jerusalem, so it was a welcome change when my friend, Zev Kedem, drove me to Biblical Tamar Park in the Arava, a few miles south of the Dead Sea. It was sunny and warm and the Dead Sea was a deep blue/green with the Red Moab/Edom Mountains on the East side and magnificent formations on the west, left by ancient Dead Sea events! The exposed strata are a geologist’s dream!

            The road runs along the sea that is visible most of the time. At a look out point, my friend pointed to a canal in the Dead Sea that carries mineral waters South to the Dead Sea Works. I learned that he was the engineer for that canal. It is a privilege to see Israel in the eyes of Israelis who have lived there a long time. Reconciliation between Christians and Israel is part of my work and this drive enriched Zev and me in pursuing common goals.

            Two weeks later, I went back to Tamar with my Bible Light people and spent time there. We have come to know and appreciate the Curator of Biblical Tamar Park, Dr. DeWayne Coxon of Blossoming Rose. DeWayne is a unique person who has the rare gift of bringing together people of diverse backgrounds, whose common interest is Israel and the restoration/reconciliation process going on there now.

            One reason for our interest in the 53-acre Park is that its earliest history dates to Abraham. Painstaking excavations reveal layer after layer of occupation. It was the crossroads of a main caravan route of ancient spice traders; Solomonic gates (constructed using Solomon’s design) to the fortification there are now exposed, and the Queen of Sheba spent her first night in Israel at Tamar. The largest natural spring in the desert is located there – the reason the jujube three (2,300 years old) still grows!

            Major tree planting, fence building, besides working on the excavations and general upkeep – give opportunity to people who wish to donate time to the Park. Blossoming Rose offers visitors an affordable tour of Israel, with sight-seeing trips while based in Tamar – along with opportunities to be a part of this fine project. You are invited to spend time there in the desert working and praying for Israel.

            A present project is building a fence around the entire park. $100 will build a section of the fence. You can also participate in planting trees adaptable to the heat and desert conditions of the region at $25 a tree. Send you gifts and inquiries of this project directly to: Dr. DeWayne Coxon, Blossoming Rose; PO Box X, Cedar Springs, MI  49319, or contact the Tour Director, Emil Mullins at 517-740-4498. (No strings attached, but tell them Chris sent you J).

Life at Tamar

By:  Rosemarie von Trapp

Editor’s Note:  Ten people from various parts of the United States and Europe live at Biblical Tamar Park for various periods of time to take care of the property and the tourists who visit between September and May.  One of these people is Rosmarie von Trapp, the daughter of the von Trapps who were made famous by the musical “The Sound of Music.”  Rosmarie spends the fall-winter-spring seasons at Tamar and does a variety of jobs, which also includes writing about the daily activities at Tamar. 

            March 18: In the evening Graham’s dad came to Tamar via the Galilee. Graham lives at Tamar as a volunteer worker from the Community of the Crucified One in Pittsburgh, and he takes care of our large  tractor and is also captain of the Park planting program. This morning he and Graham worked hard to bring a cement base for Asher’s caravan down from Ernst’s backyard. Now they are off to Masada and the Dead Sea and will be back around 7 p.m.

            March 20: Last night the sky over Prayer Mountain was filled with army flares. It looked like a Christmas tree; what a grand show we had for an hour.

            April 3: This morning four American bikers appeared with a request for a tour. They say that Tel Tamar is unknown to Israel, and indeed, very few busses have come here so far this year. The bikers came from Mt. Hermon on the throughway and they will go on to Eilat by tomorrow. What a trip it will be with temps rising. All the best to them. They were in a hurry to get going and so I never got their address.

             April 4: Every day I take Mimi our Park cat to the tel so she gets to know it. She likes it there. The dogs don’t go there much. Today she climbed all the way up to the top of the Old Tree. I left and she fell asleep for an hour. When I returned, she needed encouragement to get down as the tree is tall.

            The day isn’t over yet. Ernst and Dorothea, our volunteers from Germany, are getting ready to leave tomorrow, and the Swiss group is working at trees, flowers, and watering. They eat Diane’s fantastic cooking in the dining hall (Diane and Neil come from Michigan and he is in maintenance while she runs the dining hall). They went shopping in Beersheba today for groceries.

            Yes, it is hard for me to leave for the summer, as I have bonded so well with the animal’s care-taking project. Ruth Harris, my roommate, loves them so much, and this love has rubbed off on me, thank God.

             The animals are getting fat and I must refrain from overfeeding. We want nimble critters around here that can take care of themselves. We are focusing on them being outdoor animals and they are responding well, but they do like their daily bread served on a platter.

            The hen is developing into a vigilant mother and the three chicks are growing daily, eating us out of house and home!

            A black netting, found among the melon fields, has become their outdoor veranda, so they enjoy coming out into the sunshine daily, and at night they are roosting in their cubby with the door shut for protection. The black tent is really fine; it keeps them cool, and there has been lots of wind so far.

            Yesterday there was another sand storm that kept us from tramping around much. Today it is sunny, warm and peaceful. I will return in the fall to my friends here at Tamar.

Occupying The Land In Israel

By DeWayne Coxon

There is a law in Israel, dating back to the Ottoman (Turkish) Empire times, that determined how a person could occupy land.  A person only needed to erect four walls and sleep inside the home one night and the property became the possession of the occupant.  Whatever land could be farmed around the building also because the possession of the family.

This law was part of the Turkish law.  The British Mandate laws would come later, and after that Israel developed then our laws.  This is the reason that no one is allowed to “squat” on land in Israel.  People are forcibly moved in order to protect the government rights to the Land.

It is much harder to get possession of land in Israel than in countries where land is sold to the highest bidder under an open market such as in the United States.  In Israel, ninety-eight percent of the land is owned by the State. In the middle Arava where Biblical Tamar Park is located, one hundred percent of the land is owned by the State.

Agreements to control and use the land are very difficult to obtain.  No individual can possess land in the Arava unless it is in a settlement area and then that person enters into a yearly lease.

It has taken Blossoming Rose four years of intensive work to complete a Lease agreement with the Middle Arava Regional Council.  They, in turn, had to obtain the consent of the Israeli Land Authority in Jerusalem to lease the Archaeology Dig and surrounding acreage.  These fifty-three acres sit within a 250,000 acre Nature Reserve.

Not only does consent need to be given by the Israel Land Authority, but also the Ministries of the Interior and of Finance before a lease can be issued.  Those approvals had to be preceded by other certificates and licenses required by the law, including the 1978, Act of Antiquities and the 1989, Act on the Administration of Antiquities, permissions that are extremely difficult to obtain.

The twenty-five year Agreement between “For Blossoming Israel” (our Israeli counterpart to Blossoming Rose) for the “establishment, funding, management, and operation” of Biblical Tamar Park could only be completed after all prerequisite legal agreements had been signed with the other Israeli agencies.

The final approval for possession of the property as stated in the Agreement in 4.1, “For Blossoming Israel” commits to establish, manage, and operate Biblical Tamar Park for the region development in conformity with the program and plans approved by the Council and all competent authorities, whose approval is required by the law, and based on the concepts specified in the Agreement.”

The prophet Isaiah foresaw the gentiles actually going to Israel to assist the Jewish people in restoring the land, rebuilding their ancient cities (Tamar), and planting vineyards and trees.  You can help us to do this at Tamar with your gifts for trees, security fence, and contributions to the ongoing costs of developing the Park.

Digging Over Solomon’s Gates

Dr. David Parks

            While digging the pit for our toilet, my shovel shot down into an empty space. We poked a long pole down and down until, about 10 feet into the dark, we finally heard it go “tunk, tunk” on something solid. “Good. This toilet pit will be plenty big.”

            In 1985, we first lived beside Tel Tamar in old beat up house trailers (“caravans” in Israeli English) and then in a building on the tel top. Archeologists had not yet started to dig, and Tamarisk and palo verde trees still covered it. It held Grandpa Harry and Grandma Rose’s caravan, three block buildings left by the British army, and a set of public toilets. Each building stood about 14’ x 32’, with cement block walls and a tin roof. Harry and Rose’s son, Simca, did synagogue rituals in one, we stored supplies in one, and we live in one.

            Inside, Delphine hung curtains and pictures, and arranged flowers and pillows. Outside, I built our small toilet and a shower. That’s all the digging we had time for, but each day, we glanced at the set of grinding wheels that somebody had dug up when they built the public toilets.

            One day an archeologist stopped in and told us those wheels were volcanic basalt. He said the nearest basalt quarry was on the Golan, about 200 miles north. I only knew I couldn’t carry one of those stones 200 feet in any direction. They reminded me of Jesus’ warning that if I give a child (or a childlike believer) a hard time, I’d be better off dropped in the middle of the lake with one of these around my neck.

            Today the belly of the tel lies exposed. The trees, two of the buildings, the toilets, and Harry and Rose’s trailer are gone. Instead of visiting the hill where I used to live, I stumble over a complicated set of fortifications that eight civilizations took 2,600 years to build. In a few places, they rebuilt an old wall, but usually each new occupier tumbled the old walls over and laid stones to a new line.

            The result is a jumbled confusion of pits and parapets that at first glance I want to fill back in with sand. “Just cover it with acacia trees and picnic tables, OK?” But Brother Matthias takes us on a tour of the dig, explaining the Roman baths, the Nabataean pottery, Edom’s altar, and Solomon’s gates. When he’s done, we want to brace the weak points, put up informational plaques, and protect it with a roof.

RESTORATION AT BIBLICAL TAMAR PARK

(Four projects)

By DeWayne A. Coxon

The Sapir Regional Council in the Arava is the organization with whom Blossoming Rose works to make plans for the development and restoration of Biblical Tamar Park.  There are four specific areas on which Blossoming Rose will focus during the next three years.

According to Gil Slavin, of the Sapir Regional Council, there will be no funds available in Israel to help support the development of the Park for approximately three years.  In the meantime, Blossoming Rose will have to work on these four specific projects as funds are raised.

One of the first mandates from the Council is that a fence be erected to protect the buildings and archaeology site at Tamar.  The planner, Elon ben Joseph, met with Asher and me and showed us what type of fence would be acceptable.  It has to be a fence at least six foot tall and heavy enough to keep out thieves who not only steal from Blossoming Rose but who may steal treasures from the dig or destroy property.

An engineer friend, John Dryer, will design and supervise the building of the fence.  Mr. Dryer has gone to Israel with me five times and he is willing to share his expertise with us to build and/or install the required fence. 

The estimate that we have for the cost of the fence is $100 for a six-foot section.  The fence will be built in a perfect circle around Tamar, including all of the housing both east and west of the dining hall.  So a contribution of $100 will permit us to build six feet of fence. 

The rest of the acreage will have trees to mark the Park boundaries.  Blossoming Rose has already planted 175 trees and there are many, many more that can be planted on this 50 acre park.  Planting trees is one of the four specific things that we are doing to develop the area.  Contributions for trees have totaled nearly $5,000 so far.  It takes a contribution of $25 to get a tree planted.

The third large project at Tamar is the restoration of housing.  Blossoming Rose has been working for the past three years to restore caravans and purchase new beds for the caravans.  There are fifteen buildings and/or caravans.  Many of them are still in need of the skilled labor of many people who go to Israel with me to do more than site-see.  They go to share their gifts and talents.  These gifts and talents, when used in hands-on projects, help us restore this important historical site in Israel and the result is that we all have a place to stay while we work.

Some do plumbing, some electrical, some build, while others cook, clean, landscape, plant trees, and in the end, Biblical Tamar Park becomes the “Park” that it that has the potential to become.

Finally, the fourth big project is the dig, itself.  We can all work on the dig, but it does take the supervision and work of experts to do the most significant historical excavations.  That is the reason that we have Tali Erickson, from Israel, overseeing the work and it is also the reason that we have invited some university professors, experts in archeology, to develop educational programs and work at the dig.  The Israelite house that will be built is a very significant part of this work.

Blossoming Rose, not only needs your hands and feet to work on the land, but we need significant financial contributions.  We need trees, sections of fence, building materials, and funds to support the dig.  Whatever you can do to help will be greatly appreciated.