Avdat

Avdat (Hebrew: עבדת‎, from Arabic: عبدات‎, Abdat), also known as Ovdat and Obodat, was the most important city on the Incense Route after Petra, between the 1st century BCE and the 7th century CE. It was founded in the 3rd century BCE, and inhabited by Nabataeans, Romans, and Byzantines. Avdat was a seasonal camping ground for Nabataean caravans travelling along the early Petra–Gaza road (Darb es-Sultan) in the 3rd–late 2nd century BCE. The city's original name was changed to Avdat in honor of Nabataean King Obodas II, who, according to tradition, was revered as a deity and was buried there.