Rocks of Ages: Developing Rock Art Tourism in Israel

Rocks of Ages: Developing Rock Art Tourism in Israel presents the findings of an interdisciplinary project aimed at safeguarding the future of this unique resource. Cultural heritage in the Negev desert region of Israel is potentially under threat from a number of social, political and economic activities such as militarization, settlement and tourism, resulting in significant environmental change. The cultural heritage and archaeology extend back at least a quarter of a million years but also include a unique engraved rock art assemblage that dates to at least 3000 BCE. These engravings form a clear association with other relic monuments including prehistoric and protohistoric settlements, agricultural and irrigation regimes, and the remnants of a nomadic way of life. But how can this unique cultural heritage survive in the long-term? In December 2017, an international conference was held at Mitzpe Ramon attended by academics, heritage professionals and individuals from the tourism industry. The meeting centered on the dissemination of the findings from the Integrative Multilateral Planning to Advance Rock Art Tourism (IMPART) research project. Formed from an interdisciplinary team of Israeli-Italian scholars, the IMPART researchers collaborated to conduct archaeo-ecological and socio-touristic research with the goal of establishing an authoritative set of sustainable best practices for effectively valorizing Negev rock art. Based on the successful outcome of this research dynamic, the book is organized into 12 thought-provoking chapters that identify and analyze the cultural heritage, archaeology and tourism geographies that fill the multilayered Negev landscape. The focus throughout is to find ways to preserve this unique heritage for future generations while striking a balance between these fragile resources and the pressures for development of the desert.

Author Biography

Joshua Schmidt is a research fellow in the Zinman Institute of Archaeology at the University of Haifa and a visiting scholar in the Department of Geography at The Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Schmidt is a cultural anthropologist working in multiple fields across the Negev and was the IMPART project coordinator and primary investigator. ;

Natan Uriely is a Full Professor in the Department of Hotel and Tourism Management at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev. His research focuses on various issues within the sociology of tourism including tourist typologies, the tourist experience, guest-host interactions, tourism management, sustainable tourism development and public policy. ;

Davida Eisenberg-Degen is an inspector with the Southern District of the Israel Antiquities Authority and associated with the Archaeology, Bible and Near Eastern Department of Ben Gurion University of the Negev. She is a prominent expert in Israeli desert rock art with a particular focus on the Byzantine, Early Islamic Umayyad and Abbasid and Bedouin periods. ;

Sara Levi Sacerdotti is a specialist in the analysis and evaluation of public policies within various territorial settings. She currently oversees project development for the Fondazione 1563 per l’Arte e la Cultura, an academic-based cultural foundation specializing in the support for joint international research in the humanities. ;

George Nash is an Associate Professor. Based at the Geosciences Centre at IPT in Portugal, George has undertaken extensive research and fieldwork in the Negev region of southern Israel.