Avdat National Park protects the hilltop ruins of Avdat, named after the Nabatean monarch Obada (30 B.C.E. to 9 B.C.E.). The city was built in the 3rd century B.C.E. as a caravan stop on the route from Petra to the Mediterranean. The city was abandoned following an earthquake in 630 C.E. and the Muslim takeover of the Negev six years later. The 12-acre ruins include a Roman bathhouse, catacombs, several 4th-century churches, a pottery workshop, and a Byzantine winepress. Avdat is 10km south of Sde Boker.
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Last modified 29 June 2016