Timna Valley Copper Mines
King Solomon's Mines · Nahal Timna · Mined Wadi Arabah
Chalcolithic to Iron Age (~4500 BCE – 800 BCE; peak New Kingdom Egyptian 14th–12th century BCE)·Egyptian New Kingdom, Midianite/Edomite and early Arabah nomadic·🇮🇱 Arava Valley, Southern District, Israel
About
About Timna Valley Copper Mines
Three-sided sandstone valley north of Eilat where 10,000 shafts and 1.5 million tonnes of slag mark one of the world's earliest industrial landscapes. Egyptian cartouches of Seti I and Ramesses III line the cliffs, and the rock-cut Hathor Temple – half Egyptian shrine with Egyptian-style pillars, half Midianite tent sanctuary with copper serpent figurines – reveals cultural syncretism. Solomon's Pillars are natural pillars erroneously linked to the biblical king.
Why it mattersThree-sided sandstone valley north of Eilat where 10,000 shafts and 1.5 million tonnes of slag mark one of the world's earliest industrial landscapes. Egyptian cartouches of Seti I and Ramesses III li
Open questions
Mysteries & theories
Mysteries
- 01Midianite serpent figurines in Hathor temple after Egyptian withdrawal – religious continuity?
- 02Scale of Iron Age resumption under nomadic Edomite control without state
Theories
- 01Egyptian imperial supply chain for bronze armies of New Kingdom
- 02Nomadic early Iron Age metallurgy challenging urban prerequisite for complexity
Theories are interpretations, not findings. The seal above tells you how much scholarly weight the place carries.
History
How it came to be
- Built
- c.1400–1150 BCE major Egyptian phase; earlier Chalcolithic pits 4500 BCE
- Period
- Chalcolithic to Iron Age (~4500 BCE – 800 BCE; peak New Kingdom Egyptian 14th–12th century BCE)
- Culture
- Egyptian New Kingdom, Midianite/Edomite and early Arabah nomadic
- Purpose
- Industrial copper mining, smelting and Hathor sanctuary
- Excavation
- Excavation ongoing
c.1400–1150 BCE major Egyptian phase; earlier Chalcolithic pits 4500 BCE
Initial construction
c. 1302 CE
Rediscovery
On the ground
Structures & features
29.7875° N · 34.9500° E · 300 m · 2 mapped features
Hathor Temple (Site 200)
templeRock-cut bipartite sanctuary with Egyptian-Hathor column and Midianite altar
29.7750° N · 34.9580° ESolomon's Pillars Smelting Camps
industrial siteSeverely slagged valley floor with shaft mounds and natural pillar screens
29.7875° N · 34.9500° E
Gallery