Route 90 – longest road in Israel

Route 90, the longest road in Israel at about 480 km (300 miles), cuts through the desert and passes by the Dead Sea as it travels from the northern to the southernmost point.

Built in the 1960s, the newest sections (to the north of the Dead Sea), are 50 years old, paved after the 1967 Six-Day War with the knowhow and resources of the late 1960’s, while the oldest is the northernmost section of the highway, from Tiberias to Metula, constructed during the Ottoman rule.

With only one lane in each direction and as a main travel route, it stretches from Metula and the northern border with Lebanon, along the western side of the Sea of Galilee, through the Jordan River Valley, along the western bank of the Dead Sea, through the Arabah valley until Eilat and the southern border with Egypt on the Red Sea.

The road was assigned the number 90, in the early 1980s.

The section where it passes the Dead Sea known as Dead Sea Highway is the lowest road in the world. Masada, Ein Gedi nature reserve, Qumran Caves and Ahava are located along this stretch of the road.

Split over three days, we travelled on different sections of Route 90 covering a distance of 412km in total. I found the drive interesting and very scenic with fantastic photo opportunities of the Dead Sea on one side and the high cliffs of the Arava desert and Masada on the other. The monotone nature of the desert landscape contrasts beautifully with the magnificent coastline.

1 – 2 December 2019
From Jordan, we crossed the Allenby Bridge to connect to Route 90, heading south to The Baptismal site of John The Baptist and Qumran Caves. The central section of the road passes near the city of Jericho, making it the ideal lunch-stop venue at ‘the oldest city in the world’ and to see its famed ancient tree.

An oasis surrounded by the wilderness of the Judean Desert, Jericho the “City of Palms” gets its name from the abundance of date palms in the area. The agriculture-rich town is like a huge plantation of dates, bananas and all kinds of vegetables. In winter, this oasis of greenery in a desert landscape is dominated by the bright yellow, orange and pink fruits of citrus trees.

Zacchaeus the Tax Collector and the Sycamore Tree
This ancient tree is one of the top tourist attractions in Jericho. According to the Gospel of Luke, a small man named Zacchaeus, ran ahead of the crowd and climbed this sycamore tree (top right) to get a better view of Jesus who was passing through Jericho on his way to Jeruselam.

We made sure to pick up some Jericho Medjoul dates before turning around and heading north again towards Tiberias and the Sea of Galilee. The next day, we continued north on Route 90 all the way to Capernaum.

6 December 2019
Departing early from Bethlehem, we headed east along Route 1 to where it intersects with Route 90, turned south and started the long drive to Egypt. Much of the southern road is a slender two-lane highway with lovely views on both sides. The road follows the winding curve of sheer cliffs towards Eilat, passing the evaporation pools of the salt factories (bottom left pic) along the Dead Sea shoreline.

Route 90 has two permanent checkpoints: the Beit She’an-Bardala checkpoint in the north, near Sdei Trumot, and one in the south just north of Ein Gedi. (right pic)

Lot’s Wife
“Escape for your life! Do not look behind you nor stay anywhere in the plain. Escape to the mountains, lest you be destroyed.” (Genesis 19:17)
That was the command given to Lot and his family when the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah were about to be destroyed.

But his wife looked back behind him, and she became a pillar of salt. (Genesis 19:26)
A column of salt-rich rock located near the Dead Sea at Mount Sodom is popularly known as Lot’s Wife who turned into a pillar of salt.

Eilat
After three hours on the road, we reached the outskirts of Eilat, passing the Ramon Airport which opened in January 2019, and the Port of Eilat beyond the town center. With its hot, dry summers and warm, almost rainless winters, the picturesque town is a popular beach and diving destination.

On a more sober note..
Route 90 is one of Israel's most dangerous highways. Between 2003-2018, there were over 2,250 road accidents on Route 90, in which 223 people were killed, over 6,450 people were hurt, 700 of them seriously.
Source : Wikipedia

Road widening works started in 2013, and as of 2020 the stretch from Eilat to Ketura to the intersection with Highway 40, is completed. Today, only 80 kilometers of this road are a modern, two lane, two-way highway, with quality asphalt and security railings.

Taba to Mt Sinai (3 hours)
After lunch, we crossed the border at Taba into Egypt. Located near the northern tip of the Gulf of Aqaba, Taba is Egypt’s busiest border crossing and the northernmost resort on the eastern coastline along the Red Sea.

It was an endless day of amazing scenery. The road took us past Fjord Bay – a rare coastal shark breeding site that is now closed to tourists, as part of its conservation efforts. I was befuddled to see numerous abandoned hotels, until I learnt they were ghost hotels built 20 years ago, and left empty since the Second Intifada of 2000.

My excitement picked up a notch when I glimpsed a castle on an island ahead. Later I found out that the fortress sitting atop the granite atoll is a medieval citadel reconstructed by Saladin in 1170.

The Island of Pharaoh aka Coral Island and its surrounding coral reefs is popular among divers wishing to explore the underwater world, from their base in Taba, Eilat and Aqaba.

Taba > Mt Sinai > Cairo
Shortly after the resort town of Nuweiba, we left the coast and headed onto the Sinai Desert, (the only part of Egypt that is in Asia) driving across vast sand plains, narrow canyons and bumpy wadi floors.

Though the forbidding landscape looks decidedly inhospitable, the rugged mountains and unique formations appear starkly beautiful.

We arrived at our hotel (literally in the middle of the desert) just in time for dinner, followed by a short rest before starting our climb to the top of Mt Sinai, where Moses received the Ten Commandments from God.

7 December
Back in time for breakfast after the midnight hike, we resumed our 7-hour journey to Cairo. Our lunch stop presented an opportunity to walk along the shoreline of the Red Sea. The final highlight was crossing the Suez Canal to Cairo.