A five-minute drive on Highway 90 north from Eilat, right next to the customs checkpoint at the entrance to the city, is the Black River Quarry. On the left side of the road you will see a strange sight – beautiful acacia trees hanging on poles in an abandoned quarry. In the past, this was a successful operating quarry, supplying building materials which were used to build the city of Eilat. The huge pit on site, with its proximity to Highway 90, raised concerns of harming the road due to flooding during the winter, and the fate of the historic quarry was undetermined. In response, The Quarry Rehabilitation Fund initiated a restoration project which was completed in 2010.
And how did those acacias get on the poles you ask? Well in the past, the quarry operators were required to keep the trees intact, but after the bulldozers began to slowly nibble around them, only resilient acacia trees remained. Through the years, the acacias dried up and died, standing on top of the quarry, serving as a kind of unique and beautiful environmental sculpture. When the area is flooded, and the mine fills up with water, the only visible thing is the overhanging trees, making it a special sight you won't forget.
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