Israeli archaeologists unveiled a 1,200 year-old mansion on Tuesday, broadening knowledge of the southern desert region where a mosque was recently discovered. Described as a 'luxurious rural estate' by the Israel Antiquities Authority, the home boasted a marble-paved hallway and walls decorated with frescoes. The first building of its kind to be found in the southern Negev Desert, according to the IAA, it contained vaulted rooms around a central courtyard. The remains of oil lamps were unearthed in storage rooms underground, along with a cistern. 'The luxurious estate and the unique impressive underground vaults are evidence of the owners' means,' said a statement from the archaeologists leading the excavations. 'Their high status and wealth allowed them to build a luxurious mansion that served as a residence and for entertaining,' added Oren Shmueli, Elena Kogan-Zehavi and Noe D. Michael. The site in the Bedouin city of Rahat is due to be opened to the public on Thursday. The estate is close to a rare mosque dating back to the same period, which Israeli archaeologists unveiled in June. A few dozens Muslims likely worshipped at the site at one time, the IAA said. The Muslim conquest of the region occurred in the first half of the seventh century.
