A watering hole for Abraham's sheep has become, nearly 4,000
years later, an oasis of civilization in the surrounding desert. It stands as the
gateway to the Negev, straddling the roads leading south and those cutting
across-country from the Dead Sea to the coast.
This has made it the capital of the Negev and the obvious
choice for industrial plants processing minerals from the desert. It is also
perfectly positioned for tourists making stopovers on their way to and from
Elat and the Dead Sea. The Egyptian border is 70 km. west of the city.
Everything in Beer Sheva seems geared to modernization. The
Ben-Gurion University campus stands as proof of progress in the wilderness. All
around are flats for new immigrants, with finishing touches of stucco and paint
distinguishing them from the drab apartments of the fifties and sixties.
Beer Sheva nevertheless remains rooted in the past and tied
to the lore of the wilderness. The weekly Thursday morning Bedouin market is
the highlight of a visit. It heralds the appearance of robed and veiled nomads,
cutting across the skyline in a file of goats and camels laden with bales full
of wool, embroidered materials and trinkets. Remember to get there shortly
after sunrise, because within a few hours they and their camels disappear over
the hills from where they came.
A number of art galleries may be found on Rehov Smilansky in
the old city. Coffee and cakes are served in the courtyards of the old Arab
houses.
Location: on a plain 107 km. southeast of Tel Aviv, 286 km.
north of Elat, 62 km. west of Massada (or Dead Sea) and 60 km. east of Ashqelon
(or the Mediterranean Sea).
Climate: hot and dry, typical of the desert. The nights are
cool and sometimes even cold during summer. The low humidity is ideal for
persons suffering from asthma.
Population: about 165,000.
Tourist Information Office: 6a Rehov Ben-Zvi, opposite the
Central Bus Station