Timnah
(Genesis 36:40)
“And these are the names of the chiefs that came of Esau, according to their families, after their places, by their names; chief Timnah, chief Alvah, chief Jetheth…”
Copper mine in the southern Arabah, 15.5 miles north of Elath. A mining company began operating on the site of ancient copper mines in 1955 and adopted the Biblical name Timnah which was the name of an Edomite chief.
West of the new mines are the ancient ones, popularly known as ‘King Solomon’s Mines.’ However, archaeological finds indicate that the mines were Egyptian, and were operated chiefly in the Late Bronze Age and in the Iron Age.
Surveys have uncovered mining tools, smelting and casting installations within a fortified camp, slag heaps, storerooms and remains of what was apparently a major town. Remains of a small fort, and two sanctuaries to the goddess of the earth and the mines – Hathor, were also found ; alongside King Solomon’s Pillars. The sanctuaries contained Egyptian implements and inscriptions from the 12th-11th century BCE. In the park is a natural rock formation in the shape of a mushroom, rock paintings and ‘Solomon’s Pillars.’
