67
30°46′33″N / 34°47′30″E
October 9, 2011. Remains of eroded terraces and water channels along a high ridge in the Ovdat/‛Abdāt range (see 69). The terraces at the top of the frame are constructed along the hillside by leveling sections of the land and bordering them with rocks placed at the perimeter to capture the heavy runoff from the slope. Over time, the terraces have started to shift down the hillside. The faint lines threading between the terraces have been made by goats and sheep moving over the land. Erosion has shifted some of the upper layer of the chert and limestone−which have a darkened patina from oxidation−and the chalk subsoil is revealed. The stone channels which lead down the slope from the terraces have been constructed to direct the rainfall to specific positions in a walled garden that lies at the base of the hill, optimizing water retention in this extremely arid region.