Highway 171 | |
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171 כביש | |
Route information | |
Length: | 33 km (21 mi) |
Major junctions | |
West end: | Highway 10 (Har Harif) |
East end: | Highway 40 (Mizpe Rimon) |
Location | |
Major cities: | Mitzpe Ramon |
Highway system | |
Highways |
Route 171 is a regional east-west road in southern Israel. It is the only east-west road in the Negev Mountains. It is 33 km long. It goes from Mount Harif (Hebrew: הר חריף) junction on Highway 10 adjacent to Israel's border with Egypt to HaRuhot junction with Highway 40 about 5 km north of Mitzpe Ramon. The road passes mostly along the northern edge of Makhtesh Ramon and along the flowing path of Wadi Nitzana . In its eastern portion it crosses HaRuhot Plain and passes by the Mitzpe Ramon Airport.
About 5 km northeast of Har Harif junction, 950 meters above mean sea level, are the Lots cisterns . This is a group of 17 water cisterns spread over an area of 2 square km, that were dug during the reign of Solomon in the 10th century BCE. 15 of the water-pits are still filled with water in the winter rainy season.