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Ein Gedi (kibbutz)
Encyclopedia
Ein Gedi is a kibbutz
on the western shore of the Dead Sea
in Israel
. Located on the edge of the Judean desert
at the site of historic Ein Gedi
, its municipal services are provided by Tamar Regional Council
. In 2011, the kibbutz had 213 members.
. Located on the edge of the Green Line
separating Israel from the Jordan
ian-held West Bank
, the kibbutz was completely isolated in the desert, the nearest Israeli village several hours away via a dirt road. After the 1967 Six-Day War
and Israel's capture of the West Bank from Jordan, a road was paved from Jerusalem via Jericho
and along the shore of the Dead Sea. This essentially ended the kibbutz's isolation and opened the door to its development. Today Kibbutz Ein Gedi is home to 650 persons, 240 of which are actual kibbutz members.
of the Ein Gedi spring
. The product is known as Ein Gedi Mineral Water
. This led to controversy regarding the reselling of a public resource.
(10 ha
, 24.7 acre
) botanical garden
housing over 900 plant species from around the world. It is the only populated botanical garden in the world, with 500 residents. The garden joined the register of the Botanic Gardens Conservation International
in 1994, and today is recognized by the National Geographic Society
as "the 11th wonder of the world." The garden includes Date palm
s and Arecaceae
, tropical and desert flora
.
Kibbutz
A kibbutz is a collective community in Israel that was traditionally based on agriculture. Today, farming has been partly supplanted by other economic branches, including industrial plants and high-tech enterprises. Kibbutzim began as utopian communities, a combination of socialism and Zionism...
on the western shore of the Dead Sea
Dead Sea
The Dead Sea , also called the Salt Sea, is a salt lake bordering Jordan to the east and Israel and the West Bank to the west. Its surface and shores are below sea level, the lowest elevation on the Earth's surface. The Dead Sea is deep, the deepest hypersaline lake in the world...
in Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
. Located on the edge of the Judean desert
Judean desert
The Judaean Desert is a desert in Israel and the West Bank that lies east of Jerusalem and descends to the Dead Sea. It stretches from the northeastern Negev to the east of Beit El, and is marked by terraces with escarpments. It ends in a steep escarpment dropping to the Dead Sea and the Jordan...
at the site of historic Ein Gedi
Ein Gedi
Ein Gedi is an oasis in Israel, located west of the Dead Sea, near Masada and the caves of Qumran.-Etymology:The name En-gedi is composed of two Hebrew words: ein means spring and gdi means goat-kid. En Gedi thus means "Kid spring."...
, its municipal services are provided by Tamar Regional Council
Tamar Regional Council
The Tamar Regional Council is a regional council in Israel's South District, on the south and western edges of the Dead Sea along the Arava valley. The council was established in 1955 with the opening of lodging at Sodom near the Dead Sea Works, and its jurisdiction covers an area of 1,650 km2.The...
. In 2011, the kibbutz had 213 members.
History
The kibbutz was founded in 1953 by graduates of Zionist youth movements and members of the NahalNahal
Nahal is an Israel Defense Forces infantry brigade. Historically, it refers to a program that combines military service and establishment of new agricultural settlements, often in outlying areas...
. Located on the edge of the Green Line
Green Line (Israel)
Green Line refers to the demarcation lines set out in the 1949 Armistice Agreements between Israel and its neighbours after the 1948 Arab-Israeli War...
separating Israel from the Jordan
Jordan
Jordan , officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan , Al-Mamlaka al-Urduniyya al-Hashemiyya) is a kingdom on the East Bank of the River Jordan. The country borders Saudi Arabia to the east and south-east, Iraq to the north-east, Syria to the north and the West Bank and Israel to the west, sharing...
ian-held West Bank
West Bank
The West Bank ) of the Jordan River is the landlocked geographical eastern part of the Palestinian territories located in Western Asia. To the west, north, and south, the West Bank shares borders with the state of Israel. To the east, across the Jordan River, lies the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan...
, the kibbutz was completely isolated in the desert, the nearest Israeli village several hours away via a dirt road. After the 1967 Six-Day War
Six-Day War
The Six-Day War , also known as the June War, 1967 Arab-Israeli War, or Third Arab-Israeli War, was fought between June 5 and 10, 1967, by Israel and the neighboring states of Egypt , Jordan, and Syria...
and Israel's capture of the West Bank from Jordan, a road was paved from Jerusalem via Jericho
Highway 1 (Israel)
Highway 1 , is the main highway connecting Tel Aviv with Jerusalem.-History:The section between Latrun and Jerusalem roughly follows an ancient path connecting Jaffa and Jerusalem...
and along the shore of the Dead Sea. This essentially ended the kibbutz's isolation and opened the door to its development. Today Kibbutz Ein Gedi is home to 650 persons, 240 of which are actual kibbutz members.
Economy
Kibbutz Ein Gedi is primarily involved with agriculture and tourism of the surrounding area and neighboring antiquities. In 1997, the kibbutz opened a facility to bottle the waterBottled water
Bottled water is drinking water packaged in plastic or glass water bottles. Bottled water may be carbonated or not...
of the Ein Gedi spring
Spring (hydrosphere)
A spring—also known as a rising or resurgence—is a component of the hydrosphere. Specifically, it is any natural situation where water flows to the surface of the earth from underground...
. The product is known as Ein Gedi Mineral Water
Ein Gedi Mineral Water
Ein Gedi Mineral Water is a brand of bottled water that has been in production since 1997. It is Israel's third most popular brand of bottled water, capturing 17% of the market in the country. The water used in its production comes from the Ein Gedi nature reserve.In the wake of a deal signed in...
. This led to controversy regarding the reselling of a public resource.
Botanical garden
The kibbutz operates a 100 dunamDunam
A dunam or dönüm, dunum, donum, dynym, dulum was a non-SI unit of land area used in the Ottoman Empire and representing the amount of land that can be plowed in a day; its value varied from 900–2500 m²...
(10 ha
Hectare
The hectare is a metric unit of area defined as 10,000 square metres , and primarily used in the measurement of land. In 1795, when the metric system was introduced, the are was defined as being 100 square metres and the hectare was thus 100 ares or 1/100 km2...
, 24.7 acre
Acre
The acre is a unit of area in a number of different systems, including the imperial and U.S. customary systems. The most commonly used acres today are the international acre and, in the United States, the survey acre. The most common use of the acre is to measure tracts of land.The acre is related...
) botanical garden
Botanical garden
A botanical garden The terms botanic and botanical, and garden or gardens are used more-or-less interchangeably, although the word botanic is generally reserved for the earlier, more traditional gardens. is a well-tended area displaying a wide range of plants labelled with their botanical names...
housing over 900 plant species from around the world. It is the only populated botanical garden in the world, with 500 residents. The garden joined the register of the Botanic Gardens Conservation International
Botanic Gardens Conservation International
Botanic Gardens Conservation International is a plant conservation charity based in London, England. It is a membership organisation, working with 800 botanic gardens in 118 countries, whose combined work forms the world's largest plant conservation network.Founded in 1987, BGCI is a registered...
in 1994, and today is recognized by the National Geographic Society
National Geographic Society
The National Geographic Society , headquartered in Washington, D.C. in the United States, is one of the largest non-profit scientific and educational institutions in the world. Its interests include geography, archaeology and natural science, the promotion of environmental and historical...
as "the 11th wonder of the world." The garden includes Date palm
Date Palm
The date palm is a palm in the genus Phoenix, cultivated for its edible sweet fruit. Although its place of origin is unknown because of long cultivation, it probably originated from lands around the Persian Gulf. It is a medium-sized plant, 15–25 m tall, growing singly or forming a clump with...
s and Arecaceae
Arecaceae
Arecaceae or Palmae , are a family of flowering plants, the only family in the monocot order Arecales. There are roughly 202 currently known genera with around 2600 species, most of which are restricted to tropical, subtropical, and warm temperate climates...
, tropical and desert flora
Flora
Flora is the plant life occurring in a particular region or time, generally the naturally occurring or indigenous—native plant life. The corresponding term for animals is fauna.-Etymology:...
.