Hatzeva ( he, חֲצֵבָה) is a

moshav A moshav ( he, מוֹשָׁב, plural ', lit. ''settlement, village'') is a type of Israeli town or settlement, in particular a type of cooperative agricultural community of individual farms pioneered by the Labour Zionists between 1904 an ...

in southern Israel. Located in the Arava, 12 km north of

Ein Yahav Ein Yahav ( he, עֵין יַהַב) is a moshav in Israel. Located 100 m below sea level in the northern Arava, 12 km south of Hatzeva and between the Yahav and Nikrot streams, it falls under the jurisdiction of the Central Arava Regional ...

, it falls under the jurisdiction of

Central Arava Regional Council The Central Arava Regional Council ( he, מועצה אזורית הערבה התיכונה) is a Regional Council in the South District of Israel. It encompasses eight settlements near the eastern border of Israel, south of the Dead Sea. All se ...

. In it had a population of . Hatzeva 0908

History

Antiquity

Hatzeva was a fort and caravanserai established beside Ein Hatzeva, a rare water source in the region. It is identified with the biblical site Tamar (1 Kings 9:17-18). According to the Bible, it was a Judean fort, but Edomite idols were also discovered there, now on display at the

Israel Museum The Israel Museum ( he, מוזיאון ישראל, ''Muze'on Yisrael'') is an art and archaeological museum in Jerusalem. It was established in 1965 as Israel's largest and foremost cultural institution, and one of the world’s leading encyclopa ...

. In the Nabatean period, Hatzeva was a caravanserai along the northern path of the incense route. Later it became a Roman fort, part of the Roman southern security zone (The ‘Limes’). The Roman Scorpion Ascent that connects Hazteva and

Mamshit Mampsis (Medieval Greek: Μάμψις) or Memphis (Ancient Greek: Μέμφις), today Mamshit ( he, ממשית), Arabic Kurnub, is a former Nabataean caravan stop and Byzantine city. In the Nabataean period, Mampsis was an important station on th ...

is believed to date from that time. The site was excavated in the 1980s and yielded finds in six stratified layers.

State of Israel

Hatzeva was founded in 1965 as a

Nahal settlement Nahal settlements ( he, היאחזות נח"ל, ''Heahzut Nahal'') were settlements established by Nahal soldiers in Israel and Israeli-occupied territories Israeli-occupied territories are the lands that were captured and occupied by Isra ...

near the

Arava Road Arava, Aravah or Arabah may refer to: Places *Arava, Estonia, a village in Anija Commune, Harju County, Estonia *Arava(h) (Hebrew) or Arabah (Arabic), a section of the Great Rift Valley between the Dead Sea and the Gulf of Aqaba in Israel and Jord ...

and became a moshav in 1968. It was named after the nearby

Hatzeva Fortress Ir Ovot ( he, עִיר אֹבֹת ,עיר אובות, ''Ir Obot''; ''lit.'' City of Oboth) is a small village in southern Israel. Located in the northeastern Arabah, it falls under the jurisdiction of Central Arava Regional Council. It operated as ...

. In 1971 its location changed slightly. Near the moshav's access road lies the Hatzeva field school (Gidron), located where the moshav was until 1971. Hashomer Hachadash is a grassroots movement in Hatzeva established to help Israeli farmers and ranchers safeguard their land.Desert school uses legacy of Israel's farming pioneers to instill values
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References

{{Central Arava Regional Council Central Arava Regional Council Moshavim Nahal settlements Populated places in Southern District (Israel) Populated places established in 1968 1968 establishments in Israel