Tel Arad, in Arabic Tell 'Arad, is an archaeological tell, or mound, located west of the Dead Sea, about 10 kilometres west of the modern Israeli city of Arad in an area surrounded by mountain ridges which is known as the Arad Plain. The Tel overlooks an important crossroads from the Early Bronze Age to the present day. During the Iron Age, Arad defended the main road that went from Jerusalem, Hebron, the Arad Valley towards the ruins of Horvat Uza and the Dead Sea.
Aerial view of the Israelite fortress
Tell Arad in the PEF Survey of Palestine, 1880
Ceramic model of a house of the "Arad house" type, Tel Arad, c. 3,000–2,650 BCE. Israel Museum, Jerusalem.
Holy of holies of temple, with two incense pillars and two stele, one dedicated to Yahweh, and one most likely to Asherah
Arad is a city in the Southern District of Israel. It is located on the border of the Negev and the Judean Deserts, 25 kilometres west of the Dead Sea and 45 kilometres east of Beersheba. The city is home to a diverse population of 28,170, including Ashkenazi and Sephardi Jews, Bedouins and Black Hebrews, as well as new immigrants.
Arad, Israel
Tel Arad
Aerial view of Arad
Rotem neighborhood from the east