PEF Rock
“The Palestine Exploration Fund” (PEF) was established in the mid-19th century in Great Britain. Its official purpose was to research and map the Holy Land, but it also collected intelligence in the region, which was then under Ottoman rule. In 1900, PEF member R.A.S. Macalister found a suitable rock at the southern end of Ein Feshkha’s oasis, about 20 feet from Ein Feshkha oasis, about 20 feet above the water. With a stonemason from Jericho, he carved a benchmark and the initials of PEF beneath it. The mark was used for measurements until 1913 and was later forgotten. Rediscovered by Israeli geographer Ze’ev Vilnay after the Six-day War, It can be seen on road 90, about 2 miles south of Qumran. Today, the Dead Sea’s shoreline is approximately 130 feet lower than the PEF mark, dropping about 3 feet yearly.
A visit to the PEF rock can be combined with a guided day tour of the Dead Sea.