Tzukim

Tzukim צוּקִים‎
Tzukim under construction
Tzukim
Coordinates: 30°29′27.23″N 35°10′0.11″E / 30.4908972°N 35.1666972°ECoordinates: 30°29′27.23″N 35°10′0.11″E / 30.4908972°N 35.1666972°E
District	Southern
Council	Central Arava
Founded	2001
Population (2015)[1]	289
Name meaning	Cliffs

Tzukim (Hebrew: צוּקִים‎, lit. Cliffs), also Zuqim, is a communal settlement in southern Israel. Located in the Arava, 8 km south of Tzofar, it falls under jurisdiction of the Central Arava Regional Council. In 2015 it had a population of 289.

History

Tzukim was founded in 2001 on land vacated by the Bildad army camp. Bildad also served as a transit point for new settlement in the Arabah valley. The first settlement phase was supposed to begin in 2003, with fifty families.^[2] The first settles were people in their 40s from central Israel. Tzukim's economy is supposed to be based on tourism.^[3] 200 guest houses are planned here as well as restaurants and spas. By 2008, twelve rooms had been built and with 70 under construction.^[4]

References

1. "List of localities, in Alphabetical order" (PDF). Israel Central Bureau of Statistics. Retrieved 16 October 2016.
2. Mapa's concise gazetteer of Israel (in Hebrew). Yuval El'azari (ed.). Tel-Aviv: Mapa Publishing. 2005. p. 457. ISBN 965-7184-34-7.
3. Mamos, Ahuva (2007-04-03). "Tzukim: (not) A Little House in the Prairie". Ynet (in Hebrew). Retrieved 2009-03-11.
4. "Special Visits to Zuqim and Shomriya". The Jerusalem Post. 2008-05-22. Retrieved 2009-03-11.