Ancient 2,000-Year-Old Ritual Bath Moved Intact in Negev Desert

An extraordinary engineering feat took place in Kiryat Gat, Israel, where a 2,000-year-old ritual bath, weighing approximately 25 tons, was successfully relocated. The ancient mikveh was unearthed during an archaeological salvage excavation by the Israel Antiquities Authority in the Carmei Gat neighborhood. The excavation, funded by the Israel Land Authority at a cost of about 28 million shekels, uncovered evidence of a previously unknown Jewish settlement from the Second Temple period.

This discovery provides the first tangible proof of a Jewish settlement in the region, situated at the transition zone between the Judean Foothills and the northern Negev, an area where no Jewish settlements from this era were previously known. Alongside the mikveh, stone measuring cups, which are exempt from ritual impurity according to Jewish law, were found, further supporting the Jewish identity of the inhabitants. Archaeologists believe the settlement was abandoned during the Bar Kokhba revolt and resettled about 500 years later during the Byzantine period.

To preserve the ancient structure from extensive development work in the new neighborhood, conservationists from the Antiquities Authority undertook an unprecedented operation to move the mikveh, measuring about 4 meters wide and weighing 25 tons, to state storage. This involved excavating around the mikveh, drilling beneath it, and inserting steel beams to detach the entire block from the ground. The ancient plaster on the walls was covered with gauze and adhesive materials to prevent crumbling, and the entire structure was wrapped and reinforced with foam material for shock absorption.

A massive 300-ton crane was used to carefully lift the mikveh onto a special trailer for oversized loads. Transporting the artifact to Beit Guvrin required closing roads and escorting by security vehicles. Eyal Kaho, a senior conservator at the Antiquities Authority who led the project, described the high stakes, noting that if the structure disintegrated during the lift, it would be lost forever.

Minister of Heritage, Amichai Eliyahu, praised the operation's success, stating that the mikveh's future integration into a public space in the neighborhood will allow residents and visitors to connect with a tangible piece of their ancestors' daily lives from 2,000 years ago. Once development work at the original site is complete, the mikveh will be returned to Carmei Gat and installed in the center of the neighborhood park.