![]() Historically it developed because of the many wells, the most famous of it being "Abraham's Well".īiblically, the site of Beersheba is where Abraham and his son Isaac made oaths of non-aggression with the Philistines, represented by a king named Abimelech. Yet, an exciting feel of desert has remained, as Beer Sheva looks with one side right into the Negev desert.īeer Sheva's importance is its function as a central place for the entire Negev. Also, like Tel Aviv, a modern skyscraper city has been created out of virtually nothing. On the way down from the North, endless fields with agriculture have replaced desolate dessert as Isaiah prophesied: "Thirsty deserts will be glad barren lands will celebrate and blossom with flowers". In addition to that, Beer Sheva offers a vibrant student community - based around the University - which has developed a great nightlife one would never expect at first sight.īeer Sheva and its surroundings give a feel of Israel's strength. Today, the architectural and historical jewels, culinary highlights, highly welcoming people and the provincial atmosphere of Beer Sheva allow for the visitor to explore the "normal" and "unpretentious" Israel beyond Tel Aviv, Jerusalem and Haifa. The old Turkish town, as run down as it might be, has a very distinct feel and a is hugely underrated: it is the only planned Ottoman city in the entire region, erected in 1900 for strategic reasons in order to secure the Negev region and to control the restive Bedouin population. However, Beer Sheva can be of interest for any traveller who wishes to experience Israel off-the-beaten-track and there might be no better place to do this, since not even most Israelis are aware that Beer Sheva can be much more than only a stopover on the way to Eilat. As one enters the city, the oversized avenues and partially run down residential building blocks from the fifties and sixties make for an unwelcoming first impression. Today, this is found mostly in government and public buildings, including the Ben Gurion University and Soroka Hospital buildings.īeer Sheva is at first sight highly disappointing for any visitor. In Beer Sheva itself, some modern/experimental architecture was built in the 1960s. Some feature tribal attractions which are worth a visit, including Rahat, Tel Sheva, Hura and Laqiya. A few Bedouin villages surround the city as well. While Beer Sheva is mostly middle class, it does have three wealthy satellite suburbs with manicured landscapes, private villas and a Palm Springs feel to them: Omer, Metar and Lehavim. The city is spread out by Israeli standards, as there is no shortage of land in the desert, and there isn't much of a downtown, except for a few streets in the old Turkish quarter. It is the sixth largest city in the country and is very much the gateway to the Negev region of Israel. ![]() Currently it can be reached through eleven gates, ten reserved for Muslims and one for non-Muslims, with guard posts of Israeli police in the vicinity of each.Be'er Sheva (also spelled Beersheba, Hebrew באר שבע) is a desert city of approximately 200,000 inhabitants in southern Israel. Herodian walls and gates with additions dating back to the late Byzantine and early Islamic periods cut through the flanks of the Mount. ![]() The present site is dominated by three monumental structures from the early Umayyad period: the al-Aqsa Mosque, the Dome of the Rock and the Dome of the Chain, as well as four minarets. It has been venerated as a holy site for thousands of years by Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. The Temple Mount (Hebrew: הַר הַבַּיִת, Har HaBáyit, "Mount of the House "), known to Muslims as the Haram esh-Sharif (Arabic: الحرم الشريف, al-Ḥaram al-Šarīf, "the Noble Sanctuary", or الحرم القدسي الشريف, al-Ḥaram al-Qudsī al-Šarīf, "the Noble Sanctuary of Jerusalem"), a hill located in the Old City of Jerusalem, is one of the most important religious sites in the world. ![]()
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