Negev Guardian

A 16-meter-tall environmental statue in

front Ramat-Hovav industrial zone, erected to protest the rampant pollution of the area, dominates the local desert landscape as a warning of the dangers of the polluted environment.

Negev Guardian

was erected by environmental sculptor Emilio Mogilner with contributions from the local communities. It is also goes by the names the holy Sambusak statue (Sambusak being a type of pastry) and Shimidura (roughly translated as “bless you” in Moroccan Arabic).

The statue is made out of thousands of tons of earth shaped into the ancient face of a guardian. It stands five stories high on a foundation made of iron and cement.