Erosion sites are a tricky topic. How unique or impressive must one be to have its own OUV? This is the question I ask when considering the makhteshim. I visited Makhtesh Ramon, the largest makhtesh, in May 2018. It was a few days after the flash floods, but when I got there, it was hazy from the dust. I couldn't see very far from the highway I was riding through, and the haze kept up when I reached the viewpoint from the visitor center in Mitzpe Ramon, on the cliffs forming the northern edge of the makhtesh. Despite this, it's not hard to see that it's a scenic site. It's almost like a canyon, but much wider and without a river. Although I didn't have time to engage in activities within the makhtesh due to time constraints, I had done prior research on what there was to do, in case I did have the time. What I found was quite interesting. 

Within the makhtesh is a multitude of geological localities. From the viewpoint in Mitzpe, one can see clearly that there are many volcanic features in the landscape. Indeed, within this single erosional wonder, one can find magmatic dikes, hexagonal columns, volcanic and plutonic zones, colorful clay hills, ammonite and other fossil localities, and various mineral deposits. Together, they tell the long story of this little slice of the crust that has been exposed to us by this already great geological oddity.

Yes, the makhteshim have been described as simply an oddity. It's unique, and it's scenic, but it may not necessarily contain OUV as it is. But that isn't what the makhteshim represent to me. They should be seen as a library of geological history. While interesting erosional features aren't rare, the sheer size means that the geological timeline isn't just on the vertical cliffside, but across the valley floor as well. The diversity in features is remarkable. This isn't just any oddity. It's literally an oddity of oddities, and it seems to be a perfect demonstration of Criterion 8. Now with regards to the cultural aspect, I find that the main tangible remains are of the incense route of the Nabataeans, which incidentally form the nearby inscribed, purely cultural WHS. With that in mind, maybe it would be wiser to simply expand the already inscribed site to include additional cultural properties along with the natural aspect all within the Makhteshim Country.