Jerusalem Wilderness
The Wilderness is a semi-arid, mountainous desert habitat. It is essentially a limestone plateau that is treeless, with thin, barren and highly eroded soil, traversed by a valley that flows towards the Dead Sea. It is situated in the rain shadow of the central highlands, and is classified as a hot region that receives very low annual rainfall (recently between 400 mm to 150 mm from west to east).
The unique geological formation, vital geographical location, and abundance of water from floods and permanent springs, have resulted in a natural diversity within this rare desert habitat, if not a unique one. The Wilderness is also rich in cultural heritage. Archaeological research has shown continuous habitation in different parts of it, dating back from the Lower Paleolithic period to the modern era. Evidence of very early prehistoric settlement (100,000 - 10,000 BCE) is particularly well-documented along the northern side of Wadi Khareitun, where there were three caves - Iraq al-Amir, Umm Qal'a, and Umm Qatafa - providing sheltered dwellings in a wooded landscape overlooking a river. Umm Qatafa, across the valley from ancient Mar Saba monastery, is the site where the earliest evidence of domestic fire use in Palestine was identified.
Throughout its history, the Wilderness has been a place of refuge, as Jesus himself experienced during his "forty days and forty nights". After the growth of Christianity, hermits began inhabiting the caves in the region, and constructed a series of monasteries that later formed a monastic center. During the Islamic era, a series of shrines were established in the area, including Al-Khader and the Shrine of the Prophet Moses. These sites are important stops along the Islamic pilgrimage route to Mecca.