powered by FreeFind	Mamshit (Kurnub) 269 pictures     4 minutes HQ video Mamshit situated about seven kilometers east of Dimona, Alongside the main road to Eilat. Within the Park, which covers an area of 150 hectares and includes Mamshit Stream and its antique dams, lies the ancient Roman-Nabatean city of Mamshit, with an area of four hectares. Mamshit Chronology of the City Mamshit - known to the Greeks as "Mampsis" and to the Arabs as "Kurnub" - is situated at the inter section of two timeworn roads leading from the Mediterranean shore to Mt. Hebron, then onward to the Arava and the Dead Sea, Petra and the Gulf of Eilat. At Mamshit the road from the west forked, one leg going to the Arava via Maale Akrabim ("Scorpion's ascent") and Thamara, the other to the Dead Sea. It appears in the ancient mosaic map of the Holy Land, located at Madaba in Jordan. The first permanent settlement arose here during the Middle Nabatean period, at the end of the first century A.D., apparently on top of the hill. Most of the buildings in the city were built during the Late Nabatean period, after 106 A.D., when the Nabatean kingdom came under Roman hegemony. During the Late Roman period the city was encompassed by a wall. During the Byzantine period, two churches were built, the western and the eastern, which continues to be used until the Arab conquest in the 7th century A.D., after which the city ceased to exist. In 1936, the British Mandate Government established the Desert Mounted Police, with the objective of supervising the movement of Beduins and Jews in the area of the Negev. The Gate Was built during the Late Roman period, at a time when the city was encompassed by a wall 900 meters long. The wall was reinforced during the Byzantine period. The gate was comprised of two towers and a roofed passageway; on its floor remain the grooves made by the wheels of the freight wagons passing through. The gate was burned and destroyed, apparently during the Arab conquest. This gate with its two towers appears on the Madaba map as a symbol of the city. The "House of the Affluent" This is a luxurious building with a rectangular courtyard in its center, surrounded by rooms. In the corner of the courtyard is a stairwell leading to the rooms on the second storey. The entrances to the rooms are flanked by characteristic Nabatean plinths and capitals, and in their walls were cubicles which were probably used as closets. The "Tower" The tower is a square structure which originally was three stories high. On the ground floor a room was found in which arches bore the weight of the stone slabs composing the ceiling. From the second floor, one may look out over the city and the Mamshit stream. The Western Church - the "Nilos Church" From the entrance court surrounded by pillars (Atrium) with a roofed cistern in the center, the worshippers entered the church through three doors. The nave is floored with a mosaic (temporarily covered) showing geometric forms, depictions of peacocks and other birds, and dedicatory inscriptions. The main one says in Greek: "Lord, save Thy servant Nilos, who created this building, and watch over his family". On the east, the bema closes off a semicircular niche for the alter (Apse), designating the direction faced by the worshippers. The Eastern Church - "Church of the Martyrs" Was part of a monastery complex. A flight of stairs brought the people arriving at the church into a courtyard surrounded by pillars (Atrium), built over a large cistern. From the atrium they entered the narthex and the nave of the basilica-like church through three doorways. A mosaic floor (temporarily covered) was discovered in the nave, in which two crosses were depicted. This dates the mosaic to some time before 427 A.D., from which time crosses were no longer incorporated into mosaics on church floors. The apse is at the eastern end of the church; in the unconnected rooms on both sides of the apse, cabinets were found which apparently were used for storing relics (bones of saints). The Market A street from the Nabatean period, with rows of rooms used as stores arranged on both sides. "Nabato House" is the largest house yet discovered in the city, with Nabatean architectural characteristics. It is approximately 1,600 square meters in area. As in other Nabatean buildings, it has interior courtyards and stairways leading to the upper stories. Alongside the commodious courtyard is a large stable, attesting the wealth of the owners. It is still possible to see capitals upon which are the head of a man and a bull cut in low relief. The walls of one room are painted in frescoes of figures from Greek mythology. In this house, a hoard of some 10,500 silver coins was discovered, struck between 222 and 275 A.D. Bathhouse From the Byzantine period was found next to the pool, the water from which supplied it. It comprised three bath chambers: the caldarium (hot), the tepidarium (lukewarm) and a sophisticated heating system. The ceramic pipes which carried the hot air may still be seen. The Mamshit Stream and the Dams In the city and its surroundings cisterns and dams were found, used for storing water. There were cisterns near the large buildings and the churches. Opposite the city, three large dams had been built across the Mamshit stream to create reservoirs for storing water. The lowest dam survived, and was repaired and reconditioned during the British Mandate period. An additional dam was also built during the same period. Back to Israel Index