Avdat - station 62 on Rökelsevägen

Avdat in Israel used to be station number 62 on the trade route known as the Incense Road. The long camel caravans travelled from Oman and Yemen, through Petra in Jordan, and then on to Gaza. We came by car from Jerusalem instead, and we hardly thought we would make it before dark...

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Road trip in Israel

We started our road trip in Eilat and stayed at the Dead Sea, in Masada and in the Qumran on the way to Jerusalem. When we returned to Eilat the next day, we took a different route, stopping in Ein Avdat and Avdat, two places that are right next to each other.

An Avdat

If you think we always plan our trips perfectly, we can assure you that we do. not. We had a hard time leaving Jerusalem in the morning, so we arrived at Ein Avdat National Park at 16:15, fifteen minutes after they closed ...

We could walk around the area around David Ben-Gurion's cemetery, the tomb of Israel's first prime minister, but what we did not want to do was to walk around the cemetery. really we would have liked to see, we missed out. If you want, you can look at images from Google. Then you also understand why we felt a bit disappointed ... Would we now also miss the desert city?

The desert city of Avdat

When we pulled into the entrance to Avdat, we almost expected it to be closed, but it wasn't! Euphorically happy, we paid our ticket and drove the car all the way up the mountain. There was the desert city!

Avdat was founded by the Nabataean people 300 years before Christ, as station number 62 on the Incense Route. This was actually the most important city on this route, second only to Petra in Jordan.

Incense road

The 240-mile-long Incense Road ran from Oman and Yemen to Gaza on the Mediterranean Sea. Each camel caravan consisted of 10-20 camels carrying 150-200kg each of precious goods such as frankincense, myrrh, spices and precious metals. Each day's journey was 3.5 miles, after which the caravan needed protection from robbers and bandits.

Avdat was number 62 of these nocturnal shelters, while this was a desert town with palaces, an ancient wine press and later a church. Over time, the Incense Road lost its importance for trade, but the hilltop town remains as a reminder of a bygone era.

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