Photos and videos by Igor Weizner & Assaf Nomis
Second week of August 2024, in the Friendly Negev Desert.
Usually, this time of year is full of Jeep tour invitations - But currently this country is undergoing very tense times, and the news headlines about a war, preventing any tourists from arriving.
Surprisingly, I got a phone call from Irina and Igor at the beginning of the week: “We are working for a magazine in Europe; We need you to take us to some places only accessible with a 4x4 vehicle”.
I was very happy to try and help them.
In the next few days we discussed multiple location options - All located along the old Nabatean “Incense Route” - And finally we chose two spots for this photographic expedition. The two spots chosen were Nekarot Fort, ;located outside the south-east cliffs of Makhtesh Ramon, and Sharonim Fort, in the east of Makhtesh Ramon.
Heading South before sunrise
Friday 8 August 2024, 5:00 AM - One hour before dawn - I’m picking Igor and Irena with the old Defender, and we head south.
We drive for about 30 minutes south, on the asphalt road, until we go offroad , east bound, into Wadi Khadav. From here on it is about 40 minutes of extreme offroading in breath taking landscapes - And we also enjoyed the soft light just before sunrise.
We cruised through the dry riverbed, between green desert bushes and Acacia trees, and came across some surprised Gazelles (Gazellas Dorcas).
As we drive, we were surrounded by high cliffs, exposing layers deformed by tectonic activity, and broken down by erosion; Huge chunks of rock, hanging after braking away from the cliffs. Feeling so small in front of these majestic nature features… Truly an awesome experience.
An old Nabatean fort in the desert
We arrived to Nekarot Fort just before the sun light came out from behind the mountain.
Perfect timing.
Shutting off the cars engine creates a great silence. You have to be there to understand how strong this silence is.
Igor and Irena, still excited from the drive, set off to start the photography session, walking away, up the hill to the Small Fort.
This is a great time for me to enjoy the desert silence. Standing next to my Defender 110 in this vast dry riverbed (Wadi Nekarot and Wadi Khadav confluence point), all around are white gravel and round stones, which were originally detached from the surrounding landscape - And since then, they are grinded down to dust, by the extreme force of water, a force carried out every winter by the mighty seasonal flashfloods.
After exploring my surroundings, looking for interesting random stones, I sat down in the shade to eat a fresh apple and watched some playful birds (Snunit+sal’it ) flying between the tall bushes around.
The two happy photographers finished their mission after a while, and we set our paste to our next destination on the Silk Road - Saharonim Fort, inside the Ramon Crater (Makhtesh Ramon)
Birds and flowers in the Saharonim Fort
After a long offroad drive, we arrived at our second destination. The photographers happily climbed down from the car, to go on with their second mission.
I took my time to enjoy the close area.
Saharonim Fort is named after a special plant that grows specifically near this spot - “Saharon Meshalshel” (Cocculus pendulus). The very moist soil in the area, effected by a nearby natural underground water, creates unique conditions that allow its growth.
in the next video I captured 2 beautiful scenes from the Saharonim area - It starts with two "Zanvan" birds (Turdoides squamiceps) cleaning each other, and ends with a close-up shot of the impressive flowers of the special bush.
The day ends with a new friendship
After a very successful photography session in the Saharonim fort, we were ready to conclude our day and go back to the starting point. The drive back, through the “Colors of Ramon Crater” national park, was beautiful.
In the few hours together, i feel i got to know very nice and warm people, a beautiful couple that are not only very professional - And working together in harmony - They also enjoy their work very much. Smiling, shouting of happiness for every desert animal we see or a impressive landscape we encounter… This was a very happy and fun day for me.
We hugged when we said goodbye, like old friends.
And hopefully we will see each other again.
Thank you, Igor and Irena!
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