byzantine monastery mosaics in negeb desert

Byzantine Monastery with Vibrant Mosaics Discovered in the Northern Negev

Bible and archaeology news

Robin Ngo   •  04/02/2014

IAA excavations have uncovered a 1,500-year-old monastery with well-preserved mosaics in the northern Negev desert in Israel. Photo: Assaf Peretz, courtesy of the Israel Antiquities Authority.

In a recent press release, the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) announced the discovery of a Byzantine-period monastery with colorful, well-preserved mosaics near the Bedouin village of Hura in the northern Negev desert.

IAA archaeologists uncovered the monastery, measuring 65 by 115 feet with halls built along an east–west axis, during salvage excavations. The most impressive mosaics were found in the monastery’s dining room and prayer hall. Floral motifs, geometric decorations, amphorae, baskets and a pair of birds decorate the dining room’s mosaic floor. Blue, red, yellow and green mosaic leaf patterns adorn the prayer hall.
 

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