Ir Ovot
Ir Ovot (, Ir Obot; lit. City of Oboth) is a small village in southern Israel. Located in the northeastern Arabah, it falls under the jurisdiction of Central Arava Regional Council. It operated as a kibbutz from 1967 until the 1980s. In 2019 it had a population of 54. It is the site of an extensive archaeological complex known as Tamar Fortress or Hatzevah Fortress () which dates to the 10th century BCE (United Monarchy/First Temple period). Geography Ir Ovot is located south of the Dead Sea and southeast of Dimona in the Arabah valley, an arid plain located below the Negev plateau and south of the Jordan Rift Valley within the larger Great Rift Valley. The settlement abuts the Ein Hatzeva bloc of agricultural villages on the opposite side of Highway 90 near the Jordanian border, and is within the boundaries of the Tamar Regional Council. The community is located close to the biblical site of Tamar, and is west of Hatzeva Junction. History Originally the site of the Ein Husub police station during the British Mandate of Palestine, the location was captured by the Israel Defense Forces in 1948. The village of Ir Ovot was founded in 1967,