More than 2,000 years ago, the ancient sites of Avdat and Shivta in the Israeli desert once flourished with culture and trade. The Nabateans, a nomadic tribe, settled there. They came from the Arab peninsula to Israel in the first century BC.

The Nabateans settled along the Incense Route to provide services to camel caravans coming from the Arab Peninsula en route to the Port of Gaza on the Mediterranean. From there, they were sent by ship to the Roman Empire.

[Ygal Granot, Sde Boker Institute]:
"The Nabateans succeeded in uniting all the nomadic tribes involved in carrying the perfumes, from the Saba kingdom in the south of the Arab peninsula to the Gaza strip, into one economic entity. From the Port of Gaza, the incenses were sent by sea to the Roman Empire."

Perfumes were very expensive because of the long route and the heavy taxes that caravans had to pay. Roman men even used to criticize women for spending around a million gold coins on perfumes every year.

Although they were nomads, the Nabateans possessed rich culture and technical knowledge.

[Ygal Granot, Sde Boker Institute]:
"The Nabateans had an advanced culture. They had a method of dry building, without using cement. They are famous for their system of collecting and distributing water."

In the ancient towns of Avdat and Shivta in the south of Israel, there is still evidence of a settlement from the Roman and the Byzantine periods.

[Ygal Granot, Sde Boker Institute]:
"The incense trade passed to Roman hands in 106 AD and the route moved north to Syria. The Nabateans became a part of the Roman province of Arabica and started living from agriculture."

The incense trade came to a halt during the Byzantine Empire. From that period, we can find symbols of Christian and pagan beliefs, like this Taurus and this cross in Christian churches.

Avdat and Shivta were abandoned during the 9th Century. The settlers couldn't survive on agriculture because of a drought.

But their story lives on, forever a part of history of ancient Israel.

Reporter: Aviva Grunpeter  

Photographer: Anat Markram

NTD, in the Negev Desert, Israel.