Beer Sheva - The Capital of the Negev
(Getting Israel Together)
The city of Beer Sheva is mentioned numerous times in the Bible, starting
with Abraham, who is said to have dug wells and planted a tamarisk tree
there. The site, however, was gradually abandoned after the First Temple
period. During the British Mandate, it served only as an administrative
center for the Bedouin.
Since 1948, Beer Sheva has become one of Israel’s largest cities, with a
population of 120,000. Much of this population is made up of new
immigrants, including many Ethiopian and Soviet Jews who have arrived
recently. While incorporating older buildings d the British era, most of Beer
Sheva is brand new and is made up of many decentralized neighborhoods,
each having its own commercial center and public facilities.
The entire city as well as the surrounding areas, is served by a large
modern hospital, a Conservatory Music, a Municipal Theater company and
other cultural institutions. Beer Sheva is also the home of the Ben Gurion
University of the Negev, which grants undergraduate and advanced
degrees in a wide range of disciplines. Attached to the university is the
unique Arid Tone Research Center which conducts
studies on the desert and, in particular-, on means of utilizing this large
region productively. Finally, Beer Sheva has become a center for local
industry connected mainly with desert mining operations, and for the
shipment and marketing of agricultural produce from surrounding kibbutzim
and moshavim.