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Location: In the northern part of the city, between the Kalaniyot Neighborhood and the MY Sderot in the Park Neighborhood.
Sderot was founded only 70 years ago, but it turns out that the location was settled during the Chalcolithic Age (approximately 3,000 B.C.E.). The residential area developed rapidly during the Byzantine Period, apparently first by Christians and then by Muslims. Archaeological excavations by the Antiquities Authority in the Khirbet Najd area in the northern part of the city, between the Kalaniyot Neighborhood and the avenues through the park, revealed remnants from the 3rd to the 11th centuries C.E. Indications are that the settlement reached its height during the Mishnaic and Talmudic period.
The remains of a large, rural settlement established on the eastern side of remains from the late Roman period (70-324), prior to the Byzantine period, were found in the excavations over an area of 1.4 acres. Remains of a large settlement were also found from the period of the Abbasid Caliphate, a Muslim Arab empire led by the Abbasid dynasty which had a broad presence across the Middle East from 750 to 1258.
Archaeologists who have conducted research at the site estimate that the settlement flourished to its heights in the 5th to 6th centuries A.D. The Byzantine settlement covered all of the area that was excavated, and it is highly likely that it extended over the entire area of the site. Churches, residences, facilities, storage, and industry were uncovered from the Byzantine period.
According to the report by the Antiquities Authority, the structures found include:
A massive structure upon which, later, during the Byzantine period, a church was built with a pool for raising fish with an industrial wine press east of it. Approximately 50 meters southeast of the structure, a sophisticated wine press was found. It has a stomping area with a hole in its center – and to the west, north, and south, fermentation cells were built, four of which have been preserved in their entirety. Lead pipes connected the cells to the stomping area. The cells were covered with plaster and the stomping ground with stone tiles.
To the east of the stomping ground, a pair of round collection vats were constructed. Their diameter is 3.15 meters each and they are at least 1.5 meters deep. They were covered with stone slabs. Smaller, round vats were dug at their center, and were also covered with stone.
The fish pool is a particularly rare finding with a 5.2 meter diameter. It was impressively preserved and its western and northern walls were preserved to quite a height. The findings indicate that via Gaza-Ashkelon jugs – trending water collecting vessels during the Roman period and through to the end of the Byzantine period, with a Galilean body – fish spawning cells were built, most likely as part of a factory for preserved fish. Only two other similar pools have been found in the Archaeology of the Land of Israel – and the one in Sderot is the only one not adjacent to the seashore.
During the Abbasid Caliphate period, the church was converted to a mosque, and simultaneously most of the stone wall tiles were taken from the residential structures.
In a rather rare way, the Gaza jugs were found stuck in a group, upside down and with their bases missing. Apparently, they were built as separation walls with extra jugs that were at the disposal of the local population. This assumption is reinforced by the remains of a clay pottery workshop.
A very large storage space – 41 X 11.5 meters – was found among the ruins. Its walls mostly survived, but most of the stone tiles were removed. While the external walls were built from chiseled sandstone, a special level of insulation (rolka) was built into the southern wall, preventing water from accumulating and penetrating the corners of the roof and the wall – in order to keep the contents of the storage room dry. The supporting pillars of the roof, placed 3 meters apart, are the main reminder remaining from the structure.
The settlement was abandoned in the 11th century. Subsequently, the buildings were disassembled in order to establish several other settlements in the region, during the Ottoman Period. A village like this, Najd, is located 1.5 km. away, towards Kibbutz Or HaNer (to the northeast). Its residents abandoned it during the War of Independence and some of its remnants can still be found in the grazing area belonging to the kibbutz. In the area of the abandoned village, clay vessels from the late Roman period and from the Byzantine period were found, as well as mosaic floors, statues, etc. – which were most likely taken from the anonymous settlement which is presently located amidst the northern neighborhoods of the developing city of Sderot.
While establishing its Tourism Department, the Sderot Foundation initiated the project to save and preserve all of the archaeological sites discovered in the city - and turn them into an appealing tourist site – together with a full range of tourist attractions that the city has to offer.
An exhibition will be established at a cost of almost ILS 3.5 million, with support pillars and cement walls. The site will be developed with watering systems, gardening, and seating throughout, with fences and railings, paved roads, sidewalks, and signage. Along the visitors' path, solar benches with solar charging stations and Internet hotspots will be situated at six focus spots, where media installations will make relevant and up-to-date content matter accessible. This will make it simple and easy to access interesting information without complicated technological means, based on a concept known as "Listen to a story."
Simultaneously, a website will be established for the physical archaeological site where visitors will be able to get the details of the experiences available – the findings in the park, the agricultural tools, etc. Using the website, the visitor will be able to reserve a local guided tour or a workshop, register for other programs, and find information about festivals. The site will be updated according to the seasons of the year. It will provide information about culinary options in ancient times, in the Mishnaic and Talmudic periods, and will include recipes, photos, audio files for self-guiding, and games.
The site will be connected to the Sderot Tourism site and visitors will be able to purchase combination tickets to all of the visitors' centers and attractions in the city at discounted prices.
Most of the site is exposed at the moment and filled with thick vegetation, thorns and flowers, including anemones in January and February.