Arad

Located on the border between the Negev and the Judean deserts, the dry climate and unpolluted, pollen-free air of the appropriately named Arad attract asthma sufferers from all over the country. Founded as a small residential settlement in I960 for laborers from the Dead Sea Works, Arad has grown rapidly (population now over 15,000, including writer Amos Oz, an illustrious recent arrival). The discovery of a nearby natural gas field has made Arad an important industrial area as well.

At ancient Arad (Tel Arad), about 10km west of the modem town, two archeo-logical sites have been partly reconstructed: a 5000-year-old Canaanite city and an Israelite fortress dating from King Solomon’s era, with a sanctuary resembling the Temple in Jerusalem. Although the area has been inhabited constantly through the ages, this incarnation of Arad was essentially destroyed in 701 BC by Sanherib the Assur. (Open Sun.-Thurs. 8am-5pm, Fri. 8am-3pm; Oct.-March Sun.-Thurs. 8am-4pm, Fri. 8am-2pm. Admission N1S5, students NIS2.50. Take the Be’er Sheva bus (#388) to Tel Arad-tell the bus driver-then walk 1.5km to the site; get information on tours from the Visitors Center in Arad.)

The best time to visit Arad (or to avoid it if you hate crowds or kids or crowds of kids) is in mid-July during the annual music festival. Originally a more folksy “celebration of Hebrew song,” the Rock and Roll element has taken over, at least in popular perception; Israelis now talk about Festival Arad as the local annual Woodstock. Almost every Israeli rock star (see Music in the Israel introduction) performs during this unique week; therefore, every Israeli kid with any self-respect shows up, and tens of thousands line the streets, crowding free public campgrounds and telephone booths.

The area around the commercial center fills with milling mobs of merry teenagers. The concerts and other cultural events take place in and around Arad, with some also dramatically staged at Masada jast before dawn (special buses run for ticket holders only). Bring a sleeping bag and join the throngs in the campgrounds and elsewhere. Food sellers abound, and restaurants often offer special prices. (Tickets to the opening day concert cost NIS30; prices vary for other concerts in the festival. Available at ticket offices throughout the country.)

Beside the festival, Arad is a convenient base for desert excursions in the eastern Negev and the Dead Sea.