Avdat is a ruined Nabatean city perched on a hilltop in the central Negev, part of the Incense Route that carried frankincense and myrrh from southern Arabia to the Mediterranean. The Nabateans, an Arab people who thrived from the 4th century BCE to the 2nd century CE, were masters of desert survival, and Avdat is the most dramatically situated of their Negev cities, rising from the desert floor on a flat-topped hill with views stretching to the horizon in every direction.
Nabatean City
Avdat was named after the Nabatean king Obodas I (Avdat in Nabatean), who may be buried here. The city was founded as a way station on the incense trade route, providing water, food, and shelter for the caravans crossing the Negev. The Nabatean remains include a temple, a bathhouse, and the remarkable water-collection systems that made life possible in a region that receives less than 100 millimeters of rain per year.
Byzantine City
After the Roman annexation of the Nabatean kingdom in 106 CE, Avdat continued to flourish and reached its peak in the Byzantine period (4th-6th centuries CE). Two large churches were built on the acropolis, along with a monastery, a wine press, and residential quarters. The wine press is particularly significant: the Nabateans and their Byzantine successors grew grapes in the desert using elaborate runoff agriculture, and the wine they produced was exported across the Mediterranean. The wine press at Avdat, with its treading floor, collection vats, and storage areas, shows the full process.
Water System
The most impressive achievement at Avdat is the water system. The Nabateans developed techniques for capturing every drop of rain that fell on the surrounding hillsides. Channels carved into the rock directed runoff water into cisterns. Terraces on the slopes slowed the water and allowed it to seep into the soil. And dams across the wadis captured flash-flood water. The system was so effective that the Nabateans were able to grow crops, including grapes, in a landscape where modern agriculture without irrigation is impossible.
The View
The view from the top of the Avdat acropolis is one of the most sweeping in the Negev. The desert stretches in every direction, broken only by the road and the occasional Bedouin encampment. On a clear day, the horizon seems infinite. The isolation of the site, combined with the quality of the ruins, creates an atmosphere that is unlike any other archaeological site in Israel.
Visit with Hoshen Tours
Avdat is a highlight of any Negev itinerary. Hoshen Tours combines it with Sde Boker, Ein Avdat, and the Ramon Crater for a day that covers Nabatean engineering, desert nature, and the vision of Israel’s founding father.