Shivta

Shivta or Sobota or Subeitah or Subaytah ( ), is an archaeological site in the Negev Desert of Israel , east of Nitzana . Until 1948, there was a Palestinian village of the same name, Subaytah , south of the archaeological site, which is now the Israeli Artillery Corps main training facility. Long considered a classic Nabataean town and terminal on the ancient spice route, archaeologists are now considering the possibility that the town was actually a Byzantine agricultural colony and a way station for pilgrims en route to the Santa Catarina, Egypt , located on the supposed site of Mount Sinai . The new assessment of Shivta is based on an analysis of the irrigation system found at the site, which bears parallels to Byzantine structures elsewhere. Until now, the preponderance of Byzantine ruins were believed to be the remains of a monastic community that established itself on the ruins of an earlier Nabataean town. The Shivta site contains three Byzantine churches, 2 wine-press, residential areas and administrative buildings. After the Arab conquest in the 7th Century CE, Shivta began to decline in population. It was finally abandoned in the 8th or 9th Century CE. Shivta was declared a world heritage site by UNESCO on June 2005.

Shivta ( , ), is an ancient city in the Negev Desert of Israel located 43 kilometers southwest of Beersheba . Shivta, A Byzantine town in the Negev Desert

Shivta ( , ) is an ancient city in the Negev Desert of Israel located 43 kilometers southwest of Beersheba .

Archeological site in Israel Shivta ( ), originally Sobata ( ) or Subeita ( ), is an ancient city in the Negev Desert of Israel located 43 kilometers southwest of Beersheba . Shivta was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in June 2005, as part of the Incense Route and the Desert Cities of the Negev , together with Haluza /Elusa, Avdat and Mamshit/ Mampsis . The name Shivta is a modern Hebraization, given by the Negev Naming Committee in the early 1950s . The Greek name Sobata was mentioned in the Nessana papyri. The Arabic name of the site is A-Sbaita and is associated with the Sobata mentioned in the Nessana papyri. Negev assumes that the name originated from the Nabatean name Shubitu . The Hebrew name, Shivta, was awarded by the Governmental Commission of Names.

Archeological site in Israel Shivta ( Hebrew : שבטה ), originally Sobata ( Greek : Σόβατα ) or Subeita ( Arabic : شبطا ), is an ancient city in the Negev Desert of Israel located 43 kilometers southwest of Beersheba . Shivta was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in June 2005, as part of the Incense Route and the Desert Cities of the Negev , together with Haluza /Elusa, Avdat and Mamshit/ Mampsis . The name Shivta is a modern Hebraization, given by the Negev Naming Committee in the early 1950s . The Greek name Sobata was mentioned in the Nessana papyri. The Arabic name of the site is A-Sbaita and is associated with the Sobata mentioned in the Nessana papyri. Negev assumes that the name originated from the Nabatean name Shubitu . The Hebrew name, Shivta, was awarded by the Governmental Commission of Names.