Lot's Cave

A cave and Byzantine monastic complex on a steep hillside near Ghor al-Safi, south of the Dead Sea in Jordan, traditionally identified as the refuge of the biblical Lot after the destruction of Sodom. Excavations led by Dr. Konstantinos Politis from 1986 revealed Early Bronze Age I burials (c. 3300-3000 BC) with pottery juglets, and Middle Bronze Age artifacts including a ceramic chalice and copper axe-head. A 5th-7th century triple-apsed basilica was built at the cave entrance, featuring mosaic pavements with Greek inscriptions dated to 606 AD and 691 AD that name clerics and a governor. The complex includes a pilgrim hostel, refectory, and a seven-metre-deep cistern.