Path to Peace (Derekh HaShalom) – following the Trigonella Arabica
Here you will embark on a unique tour of new settlements and construction efforts. The route takes travelers back to 1982, the evacuation of the Yamit Region settlements, following the signing of the peace accords with Egypt and the establishment of new settlements in the Shalom Region near the Egyptian border.
Getting there?
Those arriving via Road 232, the Gvulot Junction, drive east and pass Mivtahim Junction, Holit Junction and Avshalom Junction. At the Avshalom intersection, turn to Road 2211 and drive until you reach Moshav Yevul. Then, turn left on the asphalt road to the Peace Grove (marked in red). For those arriving from the Bsor Fields Road (Derech HaSadot): drive straight on Road 2200, and after 2.8 km, turn left into the grove.
Our route, in the heart of the desert region called Pitchat Shalom, begins in the Peace Grove, marked with blue trail markings. The grove offers a shaded picnic campground under the trees. From there, you are invited to walk along the Trigonella Arabica, named for the wild flower which covers the loess soil plains with white blossoms each February and March. After the short tour along the Trigonella Arabica path, you will return to your vehicles and take the asphalt road along the greenhouses, turning right to the dirt road marked in blue and continue for 1.5 km to the Ha-Plada Monument, commemorating Didivion 84 fighters who conquered Rafah during the Six-Day War.
The monument covers an area of 15,000 SQM, in the center of which there is a 25-meter-high tower surrounded by 295 concrete columns of different heights. Each column bears a part of an armored vehicle at its tip. Climb the stairs to the heart of the monument and enjoy the spectacular views of the surrounding area.
From the monument, continue along the Trigonella Arabica path towards “Yamit Walls,” where there is a well-signed exit to Road 232. The walls of houses from the city of Yamit were stacked there, with the thought that they would be used by settlers of the region. Keep north on road 232, then take a turn west to road 240. Drive for 1.4 km, turn right and pass Kibbutz Sufa, reaching Old Nirim (Dangour). Rabbi Shalom Dangor, who was born in Baghdad and served as a rabbi to the Jewish community in Egypt, purchased the land where Kibbutz Nirim was first built as part of the 11 settlements established in the Negev overnight on October 6, 1946, using the stockade and tower method.
There is a small parking lot and a monument that tells the story of Kibbutz Nirim members’ resistance against the attacking Egyptian army that invaded here on the day of the declaration of the State of Israel, May 15, 1948. The monument is designed as a spacious concrete Security House featuring a relief map of the battle, a memorial monument and walled communication trenches.
4×4 off-road vehicle owners are advised to drive south through the terrain to the Haluza Sands area and experience a spectacular desert trip to the ‘Great Dune.’
