Shivta

Also known as Sobata

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.

Key facts

Ancient site.name: Shivta
Ancient site.native_name: שבטהشبطا
Ancient site.alternate_name: possibly Shubitu (Nabataean), Sobota (ancient Greek), Subeita and Isbeita (Arabic).
Ancient site.image: Ruins of a church in Shivta in the Negev.jpg
Ancient site.caption: Shivta's southern church
Ancient site.map_type: Israel
Ancient site.map_size: 100
Ancient site.location: Southern District, Israel
Ancient site.region: Negev
Ancient site.type: Settlement
Ancient site.abandoned: 8th/9th century
Ancient site.cultures: Nabataean, Byzantine

Article

12 sections

Contents

History
Roman period
Byzantine period
Churches
Agriculture (wine)
Early Muslim period
The Armenian graffito from the Southern Church of Shivta
Excavation history
See also
References
Bibliography
External links

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.