Incense Route – Desert Cities in the Negev route in the Negev Region of Israel, which included towns, forts, caravanserai and the irrigation system in desertic areas with links to the Mediterranean, has been inscribed as a cultural heritage site of the UNESCO's World Heritage List under Criteria (iii) as confirmation of the economic, social and cultural importance of frankincense to the Hellenistic-Roman world, and Criteria (v) for development along the route in severe desert conditions. The site was inscribed on 15 July 2005 in the meeting of the World Heritage Committee of UNESCO. The network of the Incense Route consisted of trade routes that encompassed towns and
Incense Route – Desert Cities in the Negev caravanserai towards the west of the site. Soft clay stones and burnt clay bricks have been used in its construction. Apart from the living rooms, it has chambers for cooking, washing and workplaces. It is also in ruins with only about high walls. Large area of agricultural land formed in terraces surround this caravanserai. Agriculture practiced by the Nabateans in the arid desert conditions where the annual precipitation is of the order , is through a well developed irrigation system consisting of hundreds of small dams, channels, cisterns, and reservoirs which collect flood water. The agricultural fields have been noted