During June 2006, a salvage excavation was conducted at the Nahal Tifrah site, southeast of the Eshel Ha-Nasi education institution (Permit No. A-4815; map ref. 17229–33/58125–9), prior to laying a railroad track. The excavation, undertaken on behalf of the Israel Antiquities Authority and underwritten by the Israel Railways Authority, was directed by V. Nikolsky-Carmel, with the assistance of H. Lavi (administration), A. Hajian (surveying and drafting), I. Lidski-Reznikov (pottery drawing) and laborers from Ashqelon.
Following the discovery of building remains and fragments of pottery vessels in probe trenches, an area (c. 184 sq m) was excavated and two buildings (1, 2) that dated to the Ottoman period were exposed
The two structures were built of roughly worked qirton blocks, founded on the bedrock.
Building 1 (8.0 × 12.5 m, preserved height c. 0.7 m; Figs. 1, 2) was located on a hilltop and bounded by walls (width 0.7 m). An entrance threshold (width 0.4 m) with a stone socket on the inside was discovered in the middle of the southeastern wall (W1). The interior of the building was found filled with stone collapse that overlaid a tamped-earth floor. Three stones arranged in a row, which apparently served as a column base, were exposed on the floor in the middle of the building.
A few potsherds of black Gaza ware that dated to the Ottoman period, including bowls (Fig. 3:1, 3, 4) and jars (Fig. 3:5, 6, 8, 9) and a fragment of a large limestone weight (Fig. 3:10) were discovered on the floor.
Building 2 (5 × 8 m, preserved height 1 m; Fig. 4), located at the foot of the hill, east of Building 1, was delimited by walls (width 0.6 m). An entrance (width 1.3 m) was set in the center of the southeastern wall (W3, W11) and two walls (W9, W10; width 0.3 m) descended toward it, forming a kind of corridor. A stone socket was found adjacent to the inside corner, formed by Walls 3 and 9. The qirton bedrock served as the floor of the building; sections of it were exposed between the walls of the corridor (Fig. 5) and next to the corner formed by Walls 7 and 8.
Fragments of black Gaza Ware, including bowls (Figs. 3:2) and a jar (Fig. 3:7), were discovered on the floor.
It seems that Building 1 was a residential structure and Building 2, mostly set below the surface, was probably used as a storeroom.