Leopards Temple, prehistoric open-air temple in the Negev, Israel

Leopards Temple is a prehistoric open-air temple in the Uvda Valley, east of the road to Shaharut. A roughly square courtyard about 12 metres on each side is enclosed by a double line of sunk stones, with four stone-lined altars set into the ground. On its west side lies an elongated cell holding 17 unworked standing stones, and east of the courtyard 16 small stone animal figures are arranged in a 15-metre row.

The site was found by chance when a tank passed nearby and was excavated by Ora Yogev and Uzi Avner for the Israel Antiquities Authority in 1980 and 1982. It was used for about 4,000 years, from the mid-6th millennium BCE to the first half of the 2nd millennium BCE. In 1988 army tanks damaged the temple and its animal figures during a drill; the nearby air force base helped restore them, and in 2011 the Israel Nature and Parks Authority prepared the site for visitors.

East of the courtyard stand 16 animal figures made of small stones driven into the ground in a 15-metre row. All but one are leopards, identified by raised tails and dark stones marking their spots; the single figure is a headless ram, read as prey and as death. The leopards face east, toward the winter sunrise, and are interpreted as female leopards representing fertility goddesses.

The temple is reachable via dirt roads leading into Uvda Valley, with cooler months offering more comfortable conditions for visiting. The colder season makes exploration and photography easier due to lower temperatures.

The site was found by chance when a tank drove past it, and Ora Yogev and Uzi Avner of the Israel Antiquities Authority excavated it in 1980 and 1982. Army tanks damaged the temple and its animal figures again in 1988 during an IDF exercise; the nearby air force base helped restore them, and the figures were completed with small, widely spaced stones so a visitor can tell original stones from reconstruction.