The route is circular and begins at “The Arches” site.

Route Colour: Green

Suitable for children from the age of five. The tour includes climbing a ladder, walking on the edge of a cliff with a protective rail, therefore this route might not be suitable for those who are afraid of heights.

Duration – an hour and a half.

Park your car at “The Arches” site and walk back about three hundred meters until you see the green mark.

Descend a short sandstone gorge that leads to a small wadi. From here turn westward following the green signs (slightly to the left) and after a small ascent you will reach “The Plates Field”. More than 8,000 bright white circles with a diameter of about two meters, which proved a riddle for many researchers. At first, it was believed that these marks might be proof of tents, which were used for the workers’ quarters. This theory was eventually refuted, since no remains were found near these “tents” (campfires, pots etc.) as evidence to this theory. In addition, 8,000 plates means at least 16,000 mines, which is an unlikely number. Some claimed that it might be the remains of copper enrichment facilities. When we obtain copper ore, it is impure, and it is necessary to separate it from all the minerals that bind it. When they tried this theory of copper purification by crushing the ore but like wheat chaff, everything simply flew in the air, and so this theory was also discarded. German researchers claimed that these were copper purification facilities but not by separating in the air but by flooding with water. This theory was also difficult to accept as where does such a water source come from enough to feed 8,000 plates.  Finally, Mr. Ezra Cohen began digging the plates and discovered that each plate was actually the opening of a mineshaft, these 8,000 plates are the openings to a very complex system of mineshafts!

Continue hiking to “The Arches” observation point where you will see a beautiful view of the two arches. Carefully descend from here to the foot of the arch.

From this point descend, using the railing, in to the wadi channel and meet up with the red marked route that will lead you back to the parking lot.