Nature authority begins restoration work at Shivta National Park

The Israel Nature and Parks Authority is undertaking restoration and development at the Shivta National Park in the Negev Desert, close to the border with Egypt.

Shivta forms part of the UNESCO-recognized Incense Route and Desert Cities of the Negev, along with Haluza, Avdat and Mamshit.

A central aim of the upgrade will be to explain how Shivta’s residents managed to survive in the harsh desert and harness water over 2,000 years ago.

During the first phase, preservation work will be carried out on an ancient residential building to tell the story of the city’s unique architecture, and on a water pool in the main square to illustrate the water motif.

The Colt delegation house – a stone building to the south of the parking lot, built by archeologists from New York University and Jerusalem’s British School of Archaeology between 1934 and 1936, will be turned into an entrance facility for the site.

After that, work will be carried out on the two magnificent Byzantine-era churches, the northern square and other features, including the campsite. The interpretation will be upgraded to give visitors a better grasp of life in what has been called the “Pompei of the Holy Land.”

Shivta was founded around the 1st century BCE and was home to a mixed population of Romans and Nabateans. It was abandoned, evidently without a fight, after the Muslim conquest and is relatively well preserved.

— Sue Surkes