The ancient incense route
The Negev Desert appears empty at first glance. Yet its ridges, wadis, and plateaus bear witness to one of the great trade networks of antiquity. For centuries, caravans laden with frankincense, myrrh, aromatics, and spices traversed this region between Arabia, Petra, and the Mediterranean ports.
The ancient Nabataean Incense Route in Israel was not simply a path through the sand. It was an organized system, with staging towns, fortresses, cisterns, agricultural terraces, and camel rest stops. It connected the desert to the Mediterranean markets, transforming arid areas into habitation sites.
Today, several sites in the Negev offer insights into this history. Avdat, Shivta, Mamshit, and Haluza are part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site known as the "Incense Route: Desert Cities in the Negev." Alongside them, forts and caravanserais like Moa and Saharonim tell the story of the travelers' harsher daily lives. To find out about UNESCO World Heritage sites in Israel, click here.
A trade born in the desert and oriented towards the Mediterranean
The Nabataean Incense Route in Israel was part of a much larger network. The goods came primarily from the southern Arabian Peninsula, from regions associated with frankincense and myrrh. Some goods also arrived via more distant maritime and land routes. Once gathered, the merchandise traveled north to Petra, a major caravan capital, then crossed the Negev before reaching the ports on the Mediterranean coast.
These products were highly valued. Frankincense was used in religious rites, funerals, public ceremonies, and the domestic life of the elite. Myrrh was used in perfumes, ointments, and certain ancient medicinal practices. Spices and aromatics met a growing demand in the Hellenistic and then Roman worlds.
The caravans moved slowly. They had to contend with the heat, the distances, the lack of water, and the sometimes steep terrain. The Nabataeans' strength lay in mastering these constraints. They knew how to capture runoff water, build cisterns, secure rest stops, and manage trade between nomads, merchants, and imperial authorities.
The desert was therefore not an obstacle. It became an advantage. Those who knew the water sources, the mountain passes, and the seasons controlled the flow of wealth.
How did the route work in the Negev?
Crossing the Negev relied on precise organization. The caravans did not set out haphazardly. They followed tried-and-tested routes, often dictated by the topography. The wadis (riverbeds) offered natural corridors. The higher ground allowed for surveillance. Springs, when they existed, became strategic points.
One can imagine a caravan advancing in stages. Camels carried the loads. Guides knew the distance between two stops. Guards protected the goods. Merchants negotiated taxes, passage fees, and local purchases.
The infrastructure met simple but vital needs:
Water
Cisters, canals, and basins collected the rare but sometimes torrential rains.
Security
Forts guarded the passes and protected the crossroads.
Rest
Caravanserais (khans) provided shelter for people, animals, and goods.
Trade
Desert towns served as markets, warehouses, and administrative centers.
The Incense Route, therefore, left not only spectacular ruins. It left the traces of a complete economy, adapted to an extreme environment.
Avdat, the Great Hilltop City of the Negev
Avdat, also known by its ancient name Oboda, is one of the most impressive sites along the route. Perched on a hill overlooking the surrounding valleys, the city controlled a key section of the passage between Petra and the Mediterranean.
The site is striking for its location. As you climb towards the acropolis, you quickly understand why the builders chose this spot. The view is far-reaching, the approaches are clear, and the plateau offers a defensible space. Avdat was first a caravan stop, then a more structured city, marked by the Nabataean, Roman, and Byzantine periods.
Among the features to observe, several tell the story of the site's evolution:
The remains of the caravanserai and residential quarters from various periods.
The wine presses, which demonstrate the importance of agricultural production during the Byzantine era.
The churches, evidence of the site's late Christianization, and its ancient pagan temple.
The water collection systems below.
Avdat illustrates a central theme of this route: the annexation of the Nabataean kingdom by the Roman Empire in 106 AD fostered sedentarization. From then on, a caravanserai could become a city. A fort could become an agricultural center. A road could attract artisans, soldiers, religious figures, and families.
The site also reminds us that the Negev was not isolated. The architectural styles, inscriptions, and artifacts found in these cities reveal a multitude of influences, from Arabia to the Greco-Roman world and the Near East.
For more information on Avdat, read my dedicated article by clicking here.
Mamshit, a City of Refined Commerce
Mamshit, or Mampsis, offers a different experience. The site is more compact than Avdat, but its remains provide a very tangible picture of the prosperity that was possible in the desert. Streets, houses, courtyards, churches, and public buildings are all visible.
Mamshit was located on a branch of the road connecting the eastern Negev to the major caravan routes. Its past wealth is most evident in its dwellings. Some houses had numerous rooms, decorative elements (including one room adorned with sexually explicit frescoes), and spaces adapted to an organized urban life. This suggests a society that extended beyond the passage of caravans. It produced goods, stored them, administered them, and traded them. And Mamshit was a rich and prosperous city. Don't miss the Nabato House, dating from the 2nd century AD, which covers 1,600 square meters!
The site is known for the mosaics in its Byzantine churches and its clear urban plan. Walking through Mamshit gives the impression of entering a small, frozen city, with its streets and layout still easily understood.
One point deserves attention: the relationship between trade and livestock farming. Researchers associate Mamshit with activities related to horses and regional trade. Without reducing the city to this single function, this demonstrates the diversity of its economy. Desert cities did not live solely off incense and spices. They combined taxation, agriculture, livestock farming, crafts, and services for travelers.
Even today, the ancient site of Mamshit hosts a seasonal Bedouin market that is well worth a visit.
Shivta, the agricultural city without a permanent spring
Shivta, or Sobata, is surprising because of its location. Contrary to what one might expect in the desert, the city did not develop around a large, permanent spring. Its success relied on the careful management of rainwater, which is scarce in this desert region.
The site is remarkable for its churches, houses, streets, and agricultural structures. The inhabitants used seasonal floods and runoff to fill cisterns and irrigate their plots of land. Around the city, the remains of ancient terraces, canals, and dams demonstrate this hydraulic ingenuity.
Shivta offers insight into another facet of the Nabataean and Byzantine legacy in the Negev: the ability to transform scarce rainfall into sufficient resources. This doesn't mean the desert was easy to cultivate. Rather, it reveals a patient adaptation, based on observing the slopes, the soil, and rainfall patterns.
The city is also interesting for its atmosphere. Its ruins stretch out in a profound stillness. The outlines of the buildings remain visible, but the site gives less the impression of a fortress than of a community that settled over time. Instead of simply observing a trade route, one observes a local society.
Haluza, the great city buried beneath the sand
Haluza, or Elusa, was one of the most important cities of the ancient Negev. It was located in the western part of the region, on the routes leading to Gaza and the Mediterranean coast (to learn about the history of ancient Gaza, click here). Its role was therefore strategic for goods leaving the desert.
The site is less spectacular at first glance than Mamshit or Avdat, as much of the ruins remain leveled or buried. Yet, its historical importance is significant. Haluza was a major administrative, commercial, and religious center, especially during the Roman and Byzantine periods.
Ancient sources mention Elusa as a notable city. Excavations have revealed streets, public buildings, religious structures, and traces of widespread settlement. Its location made it a gateway between the desert world and the Mediterranean markets.
Haluza invites us to see things differently. Not all ancient sites captivate with high walls or well-preserved monuments. Some require a leap of imagination. In the case of Haluza, this effort is rewarded with a powerful insight: trade routes often ended in redistribution centers, where goods changed hands, languages, and destinations.
Forts and caravanserais made travel possible
Large cities tell only part of the story. Between them, the route depended on more modest but essential facilities. These sites served to control, shelter, and supply goods.
Moa, a stop at the heart of trade
Moa was located on an important thoroughfare in the Arava and Negev deserts. It was the first stop on the Incense Route after leaving Petra, the Nabataean capital (for more information on visiting Petra, click here). The site is associated with a caravanserai and a small fort. It serves as a reminder that each stop had to offer a minimum level of security.
For a caravan, a stop like Moa could mean the difference between a successful crossing and a perilous expedition. Animals were rested there, loads were checked, and news was exchanged about the long journey ahead.
Saharonim, the gateway to the Ramon crater
The Saharonim caravanserai, near the source of Ein Saharonim in the Ramon crater, is one of the most evocative places for understanding caravan logistics. Its surroundings are spectacular, with mineral formations (particularly quartzite) and natural passages that channel travel.
The building served as a fortified rest stop. Its proximity to a seasonal stream and a water source enhanced its importance. In a desert, architecture often follows the water. The walls provide protection, but the cistern or spring explains the choice of location.
Saharonim also shows that the route was not a straight line. It adapted to the terrain, bypassed obstacles, and used the safest corridors.
Cisterns and terraces as invisible monuments
The most useful ruins are not always the tallest. In the Negev, cisterns, canals, small dams, and agricultural terraces are monuments of ingenuity.
They demonstrate an intimate understanding of the desert's seasonal rainfall. When the rain fell, it had to be slowed, channeled, and stored. This technique supported travelers, but also permanent residents.
These infrastructures explain why cities were able to flourish where a modern map seems to indicate only an arid zone.
A heritage between archaeology, memory, and silence
Visiting these sites is like following a multi-layered history. The Nabataean period, which lasted some 500 years, until the end of the 1st century AD, provided the initial impetus for trade. The Roman annexation altered the political balance and trade routes. The Byzantine era saw the development of cities, churches, and a more visible agriculture. Then, economic, political, and climatic changes gradually diminished the importance of these centers.
We must avoid oversimplification. The Incense Route did not disappear overnight. Trade routes change as empires transform, as ports gain or lose importance, as modes of transport evolve, and as security fluctuates. The desert preserves the traces of these transitions.
This heritage is invaluable because it connects several themes that remain highly relevant today:
The movement of goods over long distances.
Human adaptation to arid environments.
The role of trading posts in ancient global trade.
The fragility of water resources.
The encounter between cultures, languages, and religions.
Tips for better understanding the sites on site
Even without a specialized guide, a few key points can help you understand what you see.
First, look at the site's location. A town on a hill, a fort near a pass, a rest stop close to a water source: the location often provides the key.
Then, observe the hydraulic systems. In the Negev, water explains almost everything. A cistern, a canal, or an agricultural terrace tells as much of a story as a temple.
Also, compare the different periods. A single site can combine Nabataean, Roman, and Byzantine remains. The walls, churches, wine presses, and residential areas don't always date from the same time.
Finally, take time to appreciate the silence. These places don't reveal everything immediately. Their power often comes from the contrast between their current tranquility and the intensity of their past.
What the Incense Route Still Tells Us Today
The ancient Incense Route is not just a page of commercial history. It is a lesson in human geography. It shows how an ancient people, the Nabataeans, at the same time merchants and builders, transformed the constraints of the desert into a network of exchange.
Avdat impresses with its location and its role as a hilltop city. Mamshit reveals a refined urban prosperity. Shivta tells the story of the art of living without a permanent water source. Haluza reminds us of the importance of gateways to the Mediterranean. Moa, Saharonim, and the desert rest stops give substance to the arduous journeys of the caravans.
The journey between these sites changes our perspective on the Negev. What seemed empty becomes legible. A cistern becomes a promise of survival. A track becomes an international highway. A collapsed wall becomes the remnant of a connected world, where frankincense and spices carried with them ideas, beliefs, and fortunes.
To visit these archaeological sites, it's best to do so with a professional guide. Some of these sites require a 4x4 vehicle. You can contact me, or one of my colleagues, to arrange a tour.
Albert Benhamou
Private licensed tour guide in Israel
Heshvan 5787 - October 2026
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