Built and ruled by the Byzantines, Shivta National Park is one of the most celebrated heritage sites in Israel’s Negev desert. The ancient city, dating back 2000 years, features a sophisticated water management system more advanced than anything of its time.
Because of Shivta’s complex network of dams, canals and reservoirs that reveal an innovative and groundbreaking rainwater collection system, the town was considered a jewel in the middle of the desert. But due to decades of neglect, Shivta National Park was unmaintained, underfunded and left to fall into disrepair.