Avdat

Highlights

Avdat is the best preserved Nabataean city in Israel and its archaeological sites are rich in detail. A very impressive view from its highest point of the acropolis meets the visitor, and emphasises the large size of the ancient city and brings home the centrality the city must have had in its glory days two millennia ago.

Background Information

Avdat was an important Nabataean trading town on the Spice Route from the 1st Century BC, connecting Petra with the harbour city of Gaza. The area of today's Israel was situated on the main trade routes of the time, connecting the Far East with Europe and North Africa, and connection points like Avdat were therefore of central importance. The Nabataeans converted to Christianity during the reign of Constantine and churches were built. The Nabataean Avdat was destroyed by an earthquake around the 5th Century and was rebuilt by the Byzantines, which again was destroyed by another earth quake in the 7th Century and the site was never resettled.

Travelujah Tips

Open every day. Admission fees. Good facilities for visitors. Not wheelchair accessible.

Nearby Places of Interest

Sde Boker, the Negev Desert

Articles

 Hours of Operation

Useful Links

http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/History/Early%20History%20-%20Archaeology/Avdat%20-%20A%20Nabatean%20City%20in%20the%20Negev

http://www.parks.org.il/ParksENG/company_card.php3?CNumber=421329

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avdat