Avdat

The magnificently preserved ruins of a 3rd-century BC Nabatean city are perched upon a hill, 1 lkm south of Sdeh Boker in Avdat. (The sizable oasis just below the ruins grows out of Israeli experimentation with ancient water techniques borrowed from the Nabateans.) At the intersection of caravan rotites from Petra and Eilat, Avdat once thrived as a stopping point for travelers and as a strategic base for the Nabateans’ notorious raids: from Avdat they could see caravans as far away as (present-day) Mitzpeh Ramon or Sdeh Boker. Romans captured the city in 106 AD and exploited the agricultural expertise of the region’s former rulers. The city flourished again during the Byzantine period, and most of the visible ruins date from this time.

7th-century Islamic marauders protected the Roman baths, but not much else. The most important Nabatean remains are a handsome esplanade on top of the hill, a winding staircase which led to a Nabatean temple, and a potter’s workshop; all date back to the first century AD. The best of the Byzantine remains include a 20-ft. high wall, a street, a monastery, two churches, and a baptistry, all from the 6th century AD. (In the 20th century AD, the site was resurrected on celluloid in the movie version of Jesus Christ Superstar.)
The park is open daily 6am-7pm (admission NIS5, students NIS4). Drinking water is available near the bathrooms. Bus #60, which also runs to Sdeh Boker, makes the one-hour trip from Be’er Sheva 12 times daily Sunday-Thursday and six times on Friday. Make it clear to the driver that you want to go to the archeoiogical site and not Ein Avdat, the mid-desert oasis. Near the bus stop is a gas station with restaurant (tel 55 09 54). Bring water for the 15-minute hike to the ruins; the summit is dry.