How Do You Move a 2,000-Year-Old, 25-Ton Mikveh?

In an extraordinary engineering and preservation operation, an ancient mikveh dating back some 2,000 years was carefully lifted from the ground and moved from the Carmey Gat neighborhood of Kiryat Gat.

The Second Temple-era ritual bath was temporarily relocated by the Israel Antiquities Authority to protect it during development work in the area. Once construction is complete, the mikveh is expected to return to the neighborhood and be displayed in a public space.

But moving a 25-ton ancient structure without damaging it was no simple task.

Evidence of a Jewish community 2,000 years ago

The mikveh was uncovered during an Israel Antiquities Authority excavation funded by the Israel Land Authority, which invested approximately 28 million shekels in salvage excavations throughout the neighborhood.

Archaeologists also discovered stone measuring vessels near the mikveh. According to halacha, stone vessels do not become ritually impure, making such finds particularly significant in identifying Jewish communities from this period.

Together, the discoveries point to the existence of a Jewish settlement at the site around 2,000 years ago.

According to excavation directors Elena Kogan Zehavi, Maayan Margolis, and Shira Lifshitz, the discovery is particularly significant because of its location.

“The Jewish settlement we discovered here is the first and only one known in this area. While many Jewish settlements from the Roman period are known in the Judean Lowlands, until now, no Jewish settlement had been known in the area between the Judean Lowlands and the northern Negev,” they said.

Based on the archaeological evidence, the settlement appears to have been abandoned around the time of the Bar Kokhba revolt. Approximately 500 years later, during the Byzantine period, the site was resettled by a population with a different cultural identity.

How do you move a 25-ton mikveh?

The ancient mikveh weighs approximately 25 tons and measures about four meters, or 13 feet, across.

Preparing it for the move took around two weeks.

Four conservators carefully excavated around the structure before drilling underneath it and inserting steel beams. These allowed the team to reinforce the mikveh and eventually separate it from the ground.

Protecting the ancient surfaces was another challenge. The plaster was covered with gauze and adhesive materials, while foam was used to reinforce the structure and reduce the risk of damage from vibrations during the move.

Even the crane presented a logistical challenge.

Because of the distance between the crane and the mikveh, the team needed a crane capable of lifting 300 tons. Its size required a specialized trailer, and the road to Beit Guvrin was temporarily closed while the ancient structure was transported under escort.

“There’s no turning back”

For the conservation team, the most nerve-racking moment came when the mikveh finally left the ground.

“The moment you lift a structure like this, there’s no turning back,” said Eyal Kacho, a senior conservator at the Israel Antiquities Authority who led the operation. “If it falls apart, we’ve lost the mikveh. That’s why you have to think through every detail in advance.”

Kacho said the pressure remains intense even after decades of experience.

“The day before an operation like this, you don’t sleep. You’re under pressure, because the responsibility is yours and there’s no price for mistakes. Even after 36 years at the Israel Antiquities Authority, the adrenaline rises again every time.”

The mikveh will eventually return home

For now, the ancient mikveh is being kept in Israel’s state archaeological collections while development work in Carmey Gat continues.

Once the work is complete, the plan is to bring the 2,000-year-old structure back to the neighborhood where it was discovered and place it on public display.

After surviving for roughly two millennia underground, the ancient mikveh will ultimately return to the same area, this time where the public can see it.