|Incense Route - Desert Cities in the Negev (Haluza, Mamshit,
Avdat and Shivta)| |Name as inscribed on the World Heritage
List| |UNESCO region||Europe and North America|
|Inscription||2005 (29th Session)| Mamshit (Hebrew: ממשית) is
the Nabataean city of Mampsis or Memphis. In the Nabataean
period, Mamshit was an important station on Incense Road,
running from the Idumean Mountains, through the Arabah and
Ma'ale Akrabim, and on to Beer-Sheva or to Hebron and Jerusalem.
The city covers 10 acres (40,000 m2) and is the smallest but
best restored city in the Negev Desert. The once-luxurious
houses feature unusual architecture not found in any other
Nabataean city. The reconstructed city gives the visitor a sense
of how Mamshit once looked. Entire streets have survived intact,
and there are also large groups of Nabataean buildings with open
rooms, courtyards, and terraces. The stones are carefully
chiseled and the arches that support the ceiling are remarkably
well constructed. Mamshit was built in 1st century BC a