AVDAT NATIONAL PARK

Avdat was the first Nabataean City in the Negev, founded in the th century BC. Its ruins are perched at the top of a highly strategic butte, at a point where the track was once crossed from Petra, Jordan, Egypt, and the track from Sheva to the Red Sea.

The city was named after King Nabatéen Oboda (from -96 to -85 BC), which was buried there. Avdat prospered under King Arétas IV (from -9 B.C. to 40 ha. ), but was destroyed by Arab tribes in the second half of the first century before our era. Later, the last king nabatéen, Rabbel (70 to 106 ha. ), rebuilt Avdat. In 106 ha. The Roman Empire took over the region, and Avdat continued to prosper until the Arab conquest of the th century. Avdat has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2005.