Monday, February 27, 2012

BIKAT HA JARDEN - JORDAN VALLEY


The hills of the Jordan Valley are shaped beautifully, some round and soft, others sharp and ragged. They look barren from afar. But they are not bare of vegetation at all. If you leave your car and start getting in touch with them by walking around, like we did this Shabat, they reveal all their little wonders. The flowers are braving the winds and the rocky earth, and are low on the ground. They create islands of colors which mix with the silence in the air, disrupted only here and there with the shriek of a bird of prey.




The valley starts where the Jordan comes out of the Lake of Galilee till to where it flows into the Dead Sea, on a stretch of about 100 kilometers. As you follow it south, it will get more and more arid and become a desert, but further north it is very fertile, and the fields and fruit and palm gardens can be seen from up in the hills. The whole area lies well below sea level, the deepest point is at the Dead Sea.

The land seems peaceful under the wide sky. But if you listen you can hear the whispers of its history and its suffering, and the tales about the many different rulers,  people, cultures, and political disputes over thousands of years - stories are told from Biblical times till modern reality. Physical and spiritual evidence is to be found everywhere. But the land remained true to itself, patient and beautiful, carrying the seeds of flowers, trees and plants in its earth, waiting for the rains to sprout them forward - as it always did...
Photos by Uri Eshkar - click on them for enlargement.

14 comments:

Dawn of LaTouchables said...

I'm afraid if I went there, I would fall in love with the land and people and would never want to come back. I can feel the stillness and nature pure!

Anonymous said...

Mei bei diesen kleinen Wundern könnte ich mich bestimmt mehrere Stunden knipsend verweilen....
Ja frau kann es fast nicht glauben, dass in dieser zwar sehr schônen aber nicht gerade gastlichen Gegend solche Blüten treiben!!
Wünsche dir / euch einen WunderVollen Tag!
♥-lich Brigitte

zsazsazsu said...

what a joy for the eye again !
Thank you for showing us another little piece of our wunderful mother nature.

Bob Bushell said...

Beautiful is the word, it makes a superb photographs.

Bob Bushell said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
TarracoStyle said...

que fotos tan bonitas y las flores son únicas... me has hecho recordar mi viaje a Siria y Jordania y mi baño en el mar muerto!!!!
besos

mispapelicos said...

Thank you, my dear Yael for letting me travel to that land so far away from me, and nearly feel the air and touch the flowers.
Besos
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

- Yvonaut -
Das sind Raphael und Yvonne
said...

Wow Yael!
These pictures are great! Really wonderful landscape we would love to visit! Thanks for sharing!
Many greetings
Yvonne & Raphael

Unknown said...

Lovely pics - the wildflowers are BEAUTIFUL! Sarah xxx

glazedOver Pottery said...

Wow. Incredible photographic composition by Uri and such a poetic description on your part, Yael. I remember hiking around the Jordan Valley many years ago, but I did not see the glories that Uri managed to capture here. Very beautiful!

stardust said...

How beautiful! The wild flowers on the rocky ground are captured nicely. Only nature has witnessed prosperity and decline of rulers and the disrupting history. I enjoyed this tour with fascinating photography of your husband and your narrative. Have happy days ahead.

Yoko

Hope Adela Pasztor said...

Those flowers are so beautiful against the desolate desert landscape! =)

http://pinkchampagnefashion.blogspot.com/

Annuk said...

Pure poetry in words and images!!!!!
Thank you so much, dear Yael, for letting me take part in this touching Beauty!
xoxo

Hilde said...

Thanks for sharing the beauty of your country, Yael!
Love the photos :) It is fascinating how all those flowers grow and bloom in abundance on rocky ground.