Tel Arad Archaeological Site

Address: Tel Arad Archaeological Park, Negev Desert, Israel

Website: https://www.parks.org.il (Israel Nature and Parks Authority)

Hours: Daily, daylight hours (no formal visitor center)

Admission: Site free; Israel National Parks Authority charges for guided archaeological site access sometimes (varies)

Tel Arad is an archaeological mound in the northern Negev of Israel, near the modern city of Arad. The site contains multi-period remains from Bronze Age urban settlements through an Iron Age fortress and temple complex.

Excavations have revealed a lower town area with domestic and defensive structures and an upper citadel that includes an Iron Age fortress and a small cultic building often described as a Judahite temple. Many sections have been excavated, conserved and presented for study.

The site was occupied in multiple phases spanning the Late Bronze Age and Iron Age, with archaeological work in the 20th century documenting urban layout, defensive works and cultic installations. Finds from Tel Arad have been central to discussions of urban and religious life in the southern Levant during the Iron Age.

Tel Arad is located west of the Dead Sea and north of the modern town of Arad, in Israel’s southern district, within the Negev desert landscape.

• Archaeological highlights: Contains a well-preserved Iron Age fortified citadel and a rare Israelite/ Judahite temple, making it important for studies of prehistoric and biblical-period settlement in the Negev.

What to See#

• Upper city (citadel): The upper city contains the Israelite fortress and a small cultic structure interpreted as a Judahite temple, both exposed and consolidated for visitors.

Tel Arad is about 25 km southwest of Beer Sheva. From Beer Sheva take Highway 40 south then local roads west toward Moshav Arad/ Tel Arad; signposted parking is adjacent to the site.

• Combine Tel Arad with a visit to nearby Beer Sheva (25 km) or the Negev for a full-day desert archaeology loop.
• Visit in the late afternoon for golden light on the mudbrick walls - photography is at its best then.
• Respect the fragile remains: avoid climbing on walls and heed onsite signs.