Ancient 2,000-Year-Old Ritual Bath Lifted Whole to Preserve Israeli Heritage
The Israel Antiquities Authority moved an intact 2,000-year-old mikveh weighing about 25 tons from a Kiryat Gat construction site to a national storage facility.
An excavation in the Carmei Gat area of Kiryat Gat revealed a rare Second Temple-period mikveh, confirming a Jewish settlement in the Judean Lowlands-Negev border that was previously unknown. The Israel Antiquities Authority, with financing from the Israel Lands Authority, undertook a complex conservation effort, surrounding the 25-ton, 4-meter-wide pool with steel beams, foam and protective gauze before lifting it with a 300-ton crane.
The mikveh was then moved on a wide-load vehicle to the National Treasures Department’s storehouse in Beit Guvrin, requiring road closures and escort vehicles. Senior Conservator Eyal Kaho emphasized the high stakes of the operation, while Minister of Heritage Rabbi Amichai Eliyahu highlighted its importance for understanding Jewish life in the Second Temple era and its future role in the new neighborhood’s public space.
