TEL NITZANA

Nitsana (Nitzana) was founded by the Nabataeans in the th century BC at the crossing of the Eilat-Gaza and Jerusalem routes, on the road of spices and incense. The fortified enclosure dates back to the Byzantine era. It is 85 m long, 35 m wide and has five square towers dating back to the th century. There is a tank in the south, as well as the remains of three churches (north, south and west) dated th century. The north wall, between the fortified enclosure and churches, dates back to the th century BC and was part of a smaller fortress. The site was gradually abandoned from the Arab conquest of the th century.

In Ottoman times, the stones were used for the construction of a station and a hospital whose ruins are still visible and relatively well conserved. Documents revealing important information about the Nabataean civilization were discovered between 1935 and 1937 during the British term. It was conquered by Egypt in May 1948, the zone occupied by Israel in December 1949. A military memorial (8 th Memorial Brigade) is located near the site. Excavations undertaken since 1986 have allowed for the release of residential buildings, the monumental staircase of access to the tel and the eastern chapel.