Timna Valley

The Timna Valley is located in southern Israel in the southwestern Arabah, approximately 30 kilometres  north of the Gulf of Aqaba and the town of Eilat. The area is rich in copper ore and has been mined since the 5th millennium BCE. There is controversy whether the mines where active during the Kingdom of Israel and the biblical King Solomon. A large section of the valley, containing ancient remnants of copper mining and ancient worship, is encompassed in an Israeli recreation park with an entrance fee. The park includes a visitors recreation area with an artificial lake and a 4D film light-and-sound show. The park is used as the location for open air concerts, cliff climbing events and a reconstructed tent of the tabernacle following the findings of a complete folded tabernacle along with ritual tools and ornate beads, a copper snake and its mold on the site. Because the park is not part of the national parks of Israel, there has been controversy over construction of hotels and a large tourist reserve in the area. In July 2011, the Israeli government approved the construction of an international airport, the Timna Airport, in the Timna valley.