The Frankincense Route is an old, approximately 2,400-kilometer-long trade route from Oman and Yemen through Saudi Arabia and then through the Negev desert to the port of Gaza , from where goods were shipped to ancient Greece and the Roman Empire . On the route from the 3rd century BC. BC to the 2nd century AD in particular frankincense and myrrh were transported by caravans. The social and cultural exchange between the Orient and Occident ( Occident ) was also linked to trade .
The 10 places, desert cities, fortresses and caravanserais served the control of the northern route of the Frankincense Route from the Nabatean capital Petra to Gaza or Damascus by the Nabataeans , the supply of the caravans on the basis of large-scale agriculture and trade. In the extremely arid climate of the Negev desert , the extraordinary irrigation system of the Nabataeans, the so-called flash water agriculture , with dams, cisterns, water channels and water reservoirs, was of decisive importance for the supply of food and water . The ruins of the desert cities bear witness to the highly developed Nabatean town planning and an elevated prosperity based on trade and agriculture, as well as the cultural change during the spread of Christian culture at the end of the Roman and the beginning of the Byzantine times. After the spice trade became less profitable at the end of the 2nd century, the focus was placed on agriculture, in particular viticulture and horse breeding. After the Arab conquest in 636, the desert cities were abandoned.
Web links
Incense Route - Desert Cities in the Negev on the UNESCO World Heritage Center website ( English and French ).
Israel
