Kiryat Gat ritual bath relocated intact from construction site

Archaeologists from the Israel Antiquities Authority have successfully relocated a 2,000-year-old ritual bath, known as a mikveh, from a construction site in the Carmei Gat neighborhood of Kiryat Gat. The 25-ton structure was lifted intact using a 300-ton crane after being reinforced with steel beams, gauze, adhesives, and foam to protect its ancient plaster.

The discovery provides evidence of a previously unknown Jewish settlement located in the transition zone between the Judean Lowlands and the northern Negev. Excavations also uncovered stone measuring vessels used during the Second Temple period. Researchers believe the settlement was abandoned during the Bar Kokhba Revolt in the second century CE and later resettled by a different population during the Byzantine period.

The mikveh has been moved to the National Treasures Department in Beit Guvrin for safekeeping. Once construction in the neighborhood is complete, the structure is planned to be returned to the site and integrated into a public space.