There is no water at Shivta, and yet a town of some size thrived here, in the middle of the Negev desert, for several centuries. Its people collected every drop of rain that fell on the surrounding hills and channelled it into cisterns, and they grew grapes, wheat and olives in the dry valleys around. Shivta began as a Nabataean settlement on the trade routes between Arabia and the Mediterranean, and it reached its peak in the Byzantine period, when it had three churches, houses, wine presses and streets of stone. It is part of the Incense Route listed by UNESCO, with the desert cities of Avdat, Haluza and Mamshit.
The ruins are remarkably complete. Walls stand to a good height, the churches still have their apses, some with traces of painted decoration, and you can walk through streets and courtyards as if the inhabitants had only just left. The site is isolated, in a military area near the Egyptian border, and visitors are few. The desert around is a wide expanse of brown hills, dry riverbeds and scattered acacia trees, with an extraordinary silence and a sky full of stars at night.
The riding to Shivta is an adventure. The access road leaves the main road from Beersheba to Nitzana and runs through the desert, with long straights and gentle bends. Surfaces are mostly sound, but there is sand on the road in places, and some routes cross military zones where you must not stop. Summer heat is extreme, so ride early in the morning or in the evening, and carry plenty of water. Winter is milder but can bring sudden rainstorms that flood the dry riverbeds.
The nearest services are limited. Midreshet Ben-Gurion, about fifteen kilometres away, is a small community with a field school and a few shops, near the grave of David Ben-Gurion, overlooking the Zin valley. For reliable fuel, Yeroham or the larger towns are safer. Israeli food in the desert means hummus, falafel, salads and strong coffee. Before travelling, read up on local safety and road access. When you arrive, take time to climb onto a wall or a rooftop, look across the ruins to the desert, and imagine the patience it took to make a life here.