The Negev

A TASTE OF ISRAEL

The Negev

The Negev is the arid southern half of Israel, running from Be'er Sheva to the Red Sea at Eilat. Nabataean traders once carried incense across it, and David Ben- Gurion saw settling it as essential to the country's future. The sites here range from the copper mines of the Pharaohs to a vast erosion crater, and from desert towns

to a coral reef.

Dead Sea

JORDAN

EGYPT

Eilat

Where red mountains meet the blue sea

Eilat is Israel's southernmost city, a resort on the Gulf of Aqaba at the head of the Red Sea, with mountains rising on every side and views across to Egypt and Jordan. Its coral reef, the only one in Israel, draws divers and snorkelers all year. Israeli forces reached the site in March 1949, at the end of the War of Independence, and raised the Ink Flag, a hand-drawn Israeli flag, to claim the shore. Eilat has since become both a port and a holiday town. Since 2023 it has also been in range of missiles fired from Yemen, most of them intercepted.

Glossary: Eilat

Timna Park

Ancient wonders in a surreal landscape

Timna Park lies in a desert valley north of Eilat, ringed by red sandstone cliffs and rock formations such as Solomon's Pillars. People mined copper here for thousands of years, and Egyptian expeditions worked the mines more than 3,000 years ago. Rock carvings of chariots, animals, and figures, some of them very old, cover the cliff faces. A reconstructed Egyptian shrine to the goddess Hathor stands near the pillars. Visitors can walk or cycle marked trails, look into ancient mine shafts, and make sand-bottle art at the visitor center.

Glossary: Timna Park

Avdat

The desert's hidden city and spring

Avdat was a Nabataean city on the Incense Route, along which caravans carried frankincense and myrrh from Arabia to the Mediterranean ports. It was named for the Nabataean king Obodas and grew under Roman and Byzantine rule. Its hilltop ruins include a Byzantine church, wine presses, and an acropolis. The city belongs to a UNESCO World Heritage listing for the Incense Route in the Negev. Nearby Ein Avdat canyon has a spring-fed pool and waterfalls among desert cliffs, and local vineyards now revive the ancient wine tradition.

Glossary: Avdat

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A TASTE OF ISRAEL

T H E N E G E V, CO N T I N U E D

Sde Boker

A nation-builder's desert dream

Sde Boker is a kibbutz in the heart of the Negev where David Ben-Gurion, Israel's first prime minister, made his home after he left office in 1953. He believed that settling the desert was essential to the country's future and urged young Israelis to do it. His modest hut is preserved as he left it, with his books and study. He and his wife Paula are buried nearby on a clifftop overlooking the Zin canyon. The Midreshet Ben-Gurion campus beside it now holds a research center and a field school.

Glossary: Sde Boker

Makhtesh Ramon

A crater carved by erosion

Makhtesh Ramon is a vast crater in the central Negev, about 40 kilometers long and up to 9 wide. Erosion formed it, not a meteor or a volcano, and its layered walls reveal bands of colored sandstone and fossils. A makhtesh is a landform found only in the Negev and nearby Sinai. Hikers and cyclists follow trails along the rim, ibex wander the cliffs, and the dry, dark sky makes the area popular for stargazing. The town of Mitzpe Ramon sits on the northern edge, where camel rides and a visitor center offer views across the crater.

Glossary: Makhtesh Ramon

Be'er Sheva

History meets innovation

Be'er Sheva, the Negev's largest city, is linked in Genesis to Abraham, who made a covenant with King Abimelech at its well. The modern city grew from an Ottoman administrative town, and in October 1917 British forces and Australian light horsemen took it in a cavalry charge that opened the way into Palestine. The old town still has Ottoman buildings and a railway station. Today the city is a center of technology and education, with Ben-Gurion University and a cyber park, and a Bedouin market where visitors can drink sweet coffee.

Glossary: Be'er Sheva

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