Negev in Wikipedia
The Negev (also Negeb; Hebrew: נֶּגֶב, Tiberian vocalization: Néḡeḇ, Turkish: Necef Çölü) is a desert and semidesert region of southern
Israel. The Arabs, including the native Bedouin population of the region refer to the desert as al-Naqab (Arabic: النقب). The origin
of the word Neghebh (or in Modern Hebrew Negev) is from the Hebrew root denoting 'dry'. In the Bible the word Neghebh is also used
for the direction 'south'.
Geography --
The Negev covers more than half of Israel, over some 13,000 km² (4,700 sq mi) or at least 55% of the country's land area. It forms an
inverted triangle shape whose western side is contiguous with the desert of the Sinai Peninsula, and whose eastern border is the
Arabah valley. The Negev has a number of interesting cultural and geological features. Among the latter are three enormous,
craterlike makhteshim (box canyons), which are unique to the region; Makhtesh Ramon, Makhtesh Gadol, and Makhtesh Katan.
The Negev is a rocky desert. It is a melange of brown, rocky, dusty mountains interrupted by wadis (dry riverbeds that bloom briefly
after rain) and deep craters. It can be split into five different ecological regions: northern, western, and central Negev, the high
plateau and the Arabah Valley. The northern Negev, or Mediterranean zone, receives 300 mm of rain annually and has fairly fertile
soils. The western Negev receives 250 mm of rain per year, with light and partially sandy soils. Sand dunes can reach heights of up
to 30 metres here. Home to the city of Beersheba, the central Negev has an annual precipitation of 200 mm and is characterized by
impervious soil, allowing minimum penetration of water with greater soil erosion and water runoff. The high plateau area of Ramat
HaNegev (Hebrew: רמת הנגב, The Negev Heights) stands between 370 metres and 520 metres above sea level with extreme temperatures in
summer and winter. The area gets 100 mm of rain per year, with inferior and partially salty soils. The Arabah Valley along the
Jordanian border stretches 180 km from Eilat in the south to the tip of the Dead Sea in the north. The Arabah Valley is very arid
with barely 50 mm of rain annually. It has inferior soils in which little can grow without irrigation and special soil additives.
History --
Nomads --
Nomadic life in the Negev dates back at least 4,000 years [2] and perhaps as much as 7,000 years.[3] The first urbanized settlements
were established by a combination of Canaanite, Amalekite, and Edomite groups circa 2000 BC.[2] Pharaonic Egypt is credited with
introducing copper mining and smelting in both the Negev and the Sinai between 1400 and 1300 BC.[2][4]
[edit]Biblical
According to the Hebrew Bible, the northern Negev was inhabited by the Tribe of Judah and the southern Negev by the Tribe of Shimon.
The Negev was later part of the Kingdom of Solomon and then part of the Kingdom of Judah.
In the 9th century BC, development and expansion of mining in both the Negev and Edom (modern Jordan) coincided with the rise of the
Assyrian Empire.[5] Beersheba was the region's capital and a center for trade in the 8th century BC.[5] Small settlements of
Israelites in the areas around the capital existed between 1020 and 928 BC.[5]
Nabateans --
The 4th century BC arrival of the Nabateans resulted in the development of irrigation systems that supported at least five new urban
centers: Avdat, Mamshit, Shivta, Haluza (Elusa), and Nitzana.[5] The Nabateans controlled the trade and spice route between their
capital Petra and the Gazan seaports. Nabatean currency and the remains of red and orange potsherds, identified as a trademark of
their civilization, have been found along the route, remnants of which are also still visible.[5]
Nabatean control of southern Palestine ended when the Roman empire annexed their lands in 106 AD.[5] The population, largely made up
of Arabian nomads and Nabateans, remained largely tribal and independent of Roman rule, with an animist belief system.[5]...
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