שבטה شبطا | |
 Shivta's southern church | |
  Shown within Israel | |
| Alternative name | possibly Shubitu (Nabataean), Sobota (ancient Greek), Subeita[1] and Isbeita[2] (Arabic). |
|---|---|
| Location | Southern District, Israel |
| Region | Negev |
| Coordinates | 30°53′N 34°38′E / 30.88°N 34.63°E |
| Type | Settlement |
| History | |
| Abandoned | 8th/9th century |
| Cultures | Nabataean, Byzantine |
| Site notes | |
| Excavation dates | 1933-1934 |
| Condition | In ruins |
| Official name | Incense Route - Desert Cities in the Negev (Haluza, Mamshit, Avdat and Shivta) |
| Type | Cultural |
| Criteria | iii, v |
| Designated | 2005 (29th session) |
| Reference no. | 1107 |
| Region | Europe and North America |
Shivta (Hebrew: שבטה), originally Sobata (Greek: Σόβατα) or Subeita (Arabic: شبطا), is an ancient city in the Negev Desert of Israel located 43 kilometers southwest of Beersheba.[3] Shivta was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in June 2005, as part of the Incense Route and the Desert Cities of the Negev, together with Haluza/Elusa, Avdat and Mamshit/Mampsis.[4][5]
The name Shivta is a modern Hebraization, given by the Negev Naming Committee in the early 1950s.[6][1] The Greek name Sobata was mentioned in the Nessana papyri.
- ^ a b Negev, Avraham; Gibson, Shimon (2001). Sobota; Shivta. New York and London: Continuum. p. 474. ISBN 0-8264-1316-1.
{{cite book}}:|work=ignored (help) - ^ Shivta (Subeita, Isbeita), Carta Digital Ltd, accessed 5 August 2020
- ^ Segal, Arthur (1985-01-01). "Shivta-A Byzantine Town in the Negev Desert". Journal of the Society of Architectural Historians. 44 (4): 317–328. doi:10.2307/990111. JSTOR 990111.
- ^ Röhl (2010), p. 18
- ^ Israel National Commission for UNESCO: Report on Activities 2004-2005, p. 30, accessed 6 August 2020
- ^ Beʼer-Shevaʻ. Ḳiryat-sefer. 1992. p. 61.
The Arabic name of the site is A-Sbaita and is associated with the Sobata mentioned in the Nessana papyri. A. Negev assumes that the name originated from the Nabatean name Shubitu . The Hebrew name, Shivta, was awarded by the Governmental Commission of Names.