Khirbat Safra Back to the key sites map

Khirbat Safra
Paul Gregor

Khirbat Safra is a 2.6 acre, triangle-shaped site, located 17 km southwest of Madaba,overlooking the Dead Sea. It is being excavated for the most part by the Institute of Archaeology at Andrews University in Berrien Springs, MI, USA. The site was originally surveyed in 2017, followed by two seasons of excavation in the summers of 2018 and 2019. The site is a well-preserved ruin, with remains dating from the Iron Age (ca. 1200 BC) and the Byzantine period (ca. AD 324-640). Khirbat Safra is surround by a casemate wall system, with a gate complex on its northern side, near which an incense burner and half of a cylinder seal have been found.Major finds:

  • Iron Age I-Early Iron Age II ‒ fortified agricultural settlement, with primarily agricultural and domestic-related tools
  • Byzantine period ‒ isolated “farmstead” building on the western side of the settlement

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