Watch: How a 2,000-year-old mikveh weighing 25 tons was airlifted

A complex engineering and conservation operation by the Israel Antiquities Authority moved a 2,000-year-old ritual bath (mikveh) from Kiryat Gat to a safe location. The mikveh, 4 meters wide and weighing 25 tons, was lifted into the air and transported on a dedicated trailer after meticulous planning. It will be returned to the site after development work is completed and displayed to the public.

A complex engineering and conservation operation by the Conservation Administration of the Israel Antiquities Authority moved a 2,000-year-old ritual bath (mikveh) from Kiryat Gat to a safe location. The mikveh, about 4 meters wide and weighing 25 tons, was lifted into the air and transported on a dedicated wide-load trailer. Four conservation workers spent about two weeks exposing the mikveh, reinforcing it with steel beams, and covering the ancient plaster with gauze and adhesives to prevent peeling. A giant crane with a lifting capacity of 300 tons was required to hoist the structure. The road was closed to traffic, and escort vehicles accompanied the truck. The mikveh was discovered in an excavation funded by the Israel Land Authority at a cost of about 28 million shekels, providing evidence of a Jewish settlement in the area 2,000 years ago. According to the excavation directors, this is the first and only known Jewish settlement in this region. The settlement was apparently abandoned during the Bar Kokhba revolt. The mikveh will be returned to the site after development work is completed and displayed to the public in the heart of the neighborhood.