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{{Short description|City in Israel}}{{About|the city in Israel|}}{{Use mdy dates|date=October 2015}}

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name	Be’er-Sheva| native_name = {hide}Hlist

{edih}!rowspan=“2“| Metropolitan ring!rowspan=“2“| Localities!colspan=“4“| Population (2014 census)!rowspan=“2“| Population density(per km2)!rowspan=“2“| Annual Populationgrowth rate! Israeli Jews ! Israeli Arabs ! Others{{efn| name=note1 | Others includes non-Arab Christians and those not classified by religion.}}! Total

www.cbs.gov.il/reader/shnaton/templ_shnaton_e.html?num_tab=st02_25&CYear=2015," title="web.archive.org/web/20161012071948www.cbs.gov.il/reader/shnaton/templ_shnaton_e.html?num_tab=st02_25&CYear=2015,">web.archive.org/web/20161012071948www.cbs.gov.il/reader/shnaton/templ_shnaton_e.html?num_tab=st02_25&CYear=2015, live,

List of cities in Israel>City| translit_lang1 = Hebrew| translit_lang1_type3 = Also spelled	Be’er-Sheva (official)| Beer Sheva (unofficial) }}	{{Photomontage |photo1a = Beersheba City Hall 6.jpg |photo1b = BSNU.jpg |photo2a = PikiWiki Israel 10338 the negev art museum in beer sheva.jpg |photo2b = PikiWiki Israel 36687 Beersheba birds eye view.JPG |photo3e = Kikar Hamitnadvim, Beersheba.jpg |photo4e = Be’er Sheva at night.jpg |size = 280 |color = transparent |border = 0 }}}}| image_caption = From Upper left: Beersheba City Hall, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Negev Museum of Art, view of downtown, Volunteers square, Be’er Sheva at night	60px)| image_flag = File:Flag of Beersheba.png| pushpin_map_alt = | pushpin_map = Israel north negev#Israel| pushpin_mapsize = 250| pushpin_label_position = | pushpin_map_caption =	31	32	34	59	region:IL	display=inline,title}}	List of sovereign states>Country| subdivision_name = Israel| subdivision_type1 = | subdivision_name1 =	Districts of Israel>District	Southern District (Israel)>Southern| established_date = 4000 BC (Tel Be’er Sheva)1900 (The new city)| leader_title = Mayor| leader_name = Ruvik Danilovich| unit_pref = dunam	R}}	reference}}| population_total = 214,162| population_as_of = 2022| population_density_km2 = auto| elevation_m = 260| blank_name_sec1 = Name meaning	#Etymology>see also)	www.beer-sheva.muni.il/|beer-sheva.muni.il}}}}Beersheba ({{IPAc-en|b|ɪər|ˈ|ʃ|iː|b|É™}} {{respell|beer|SHEE|bÉ™}}), officially Be’er-ShevaWEB, Be’er Sheva Municipality,www.beer-sheva.muni.il/Eng/pages/default.aspx,web.archive.org/web/20210603035029/https://www.beer-sheva.muni.il/Eng/pages/default.aspx, 2021-06-03, dead, (usually spelled Beer Sheva; , {{IPA|he|ˈbe(Ê”)eʁ ˈʃeva(Ê•)|IPA|He-Beer Sheva.ogg}}; {{IPA|ar|biÊ”r‿as.sabÊ•}}; {{lit|Well of the Oath’ or ‘Well of the Seven}}), is the largest city in the Negev desert of southern Israel. Often referred to as the “Capital of the Negev”, it is the centre of the fourth-most populous metropolitan area in Israel, the eighth-most populous Israeli city with a population of {{Israel populations|Be’er Sheva}},{{Israel populations|reference}} and the second-largest city in area (after Jerusalem), with a total area of 117,500 dunams (45 mi2 / 117.5 km2).Human habitation near present-day Beersheba dates back to the fourth millennium BC. In the Bible, Beersheba marks the southern boundary of ancient Israel, as mentioned in the phrase “From Dan to Beersheba.” Initially assigned to the Tribe of Judah, Beersheba was later reassigned to Simeon. During the monarchic era, it functioned as a royal city but eventually faced destruction at the hands of the Assyrians.BOOK, Lemche, Niels Peter, Historical dictionary of ancient Israel, 2004, Scarecrow Press, 978-0-8108-4848-1, Historical dictionaries of ancient civilizations and historical eras, Lanham, Md., 78-79, The Biblical site of Beersheba is Tel Be’er Sheva, lying some 4 km distant from the modern city, which was established at the start of the 20th century by the Ottomans.JOURNAL, Mildred Berman, The Evolution of Beersheba as an Urban Center, Annals of the Association of American Geographers, 55, 2, 1965, 308–326, 10.1111/j.1467-8306.1965.tb00520.x, The city was captured by the British-led Australian Light Horse troops in the Battle of Beersheba during World War I.The population of the town was completely changed in 1948–49. Bir Seb’a (), as it was then known, had been almost entirely Muslim, and was designated to be part of the Arab state in the 1947 UN Partition Plan. It was occupied by the Egyptian army from May 1948 until October 1948 when it was captured by the Israel Defense Forces and part of Arab population fled, relocated or was expelled.Guide to Israel, Zev Vilnay, Hamakor Press, Jerusalem, 1972, pp.309–14 Today, the metropolitan area is composed of approximately equal Jewish and Arab populations, with a large portion of the Jewish population made up of the descendants of Sephardi Jews and Mizrahi Jews who fled, relocated or were expelled from Arab countries after Israel’s founding in 1948, as well as smaller communities of Bene Israel and Cochin Jews from India. Second and third waves of immigration have taken place since 1990, bringing Russian-speaking immigrants from the former Soviet Union as well as Beta Israel immigrants from Ethiopia. The Soviet immigrants have made the game of chess a major sport in Beersheba, and it is now Israel’s national chess center, with more chess grandmasters per capita than any other city in the world.“Beersheba Masters Kings, Knights, Pawns” {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170706042638articles.latimes.com/2005/jan/30/news/adfg-ichess30 |date=July 6, 2017 }}, Los Angeles Times, January 30, 2005Beersheba is home to Ben-Gurion University of the Negev. This city also serves as a center for Israel’s high-tech and developing technology industry.WEB,www.globes.co.il/en/article-beersheva-makes-mark-as-israels-hidden-hi-tech-hub-1001085859, Beersheva: Israel’s emerging high-tech hub - Globes English, December 4, 2015, December 4, 2015, December 8, 2015,www.globes.co.il/en/article-beersheva-makes-mark-as-israels-hidden-hi-tech-hub-1001085859," title="web.archive.org/web/20151208010313www.globes.co.il/en/article-beersheva-makes-mark-as-israels-hidden-hi-tech-hub-1001085859,">web.archive.org/web/20151208010313www.globes.co.il/en/article-beersheva-makes-mark-as-israels-hidden-hi-tech-hub-1001085859, live, The city has constructed over 250 roundabouts, earning its moniker as the “Roundabouts Capital of Israel” and the largest number of roundabouts in the world.WEB, Programs > Office of Global Affairs,wvuabroad.wvu.edu/index.cfm?FuseAction=Programs.ViewProgramAngular&id=10303, 2023-05-18, wvuabroad.wvu.edu, WEB, The world’s roundabout capital revealed,www.discovercars.com/blog/roundabouts, 2024-03-10, www.discovercars.com, {{failed verification|date=October 2023}} Etymology The Book of Genesis gives two etymologies for the name Be’er Sheba. (Genesis 21|Genesis 21:28-31) relates:Then Abraham set seven ewes apart. And Abimelech said to Abraham, “What mean these seven ewes, which you have set apart? And [Abraham] said, “That you are to take these seven (sheba) ewes from me, to be for me a witness that I have dug this well (bǝ’er).” Therefore the name of that place was Be’er Sheba, for there the two of them had sworn (nishbǝ’u).Genesis 26 relates:And Isaac redug the wells which had been dug in the days of Abraham his father, and which the Philistines had sealed after the death of Abraham, and he used the same names as had his father . . . And they arose in the morning, and they swore (wa-yishabǝ’u) each to his fellow, and Isaac sent them off, and they departed him in peace. On that same day, Isaac’s men came to him to tell him of the well which they had dug, and they said to him, “We found water.” And he called it Shib’a (“seven” normally, possibly “oath” or a proper noun); therefore the name of the city is Be’er Sheba to this day.The original Hebrew name could therefore relate to the oath of Abraham and Abimelech (’well of the oath’) or the seven ewes in that oath (’well of the seven’), as related in {{bibleverse||Genesis|21:31|HE}}, and/or to the oath of Isaac and Abimelech in {{bibleverse||Genesis|26:33|HE}}. Alternatively, Obadiah Sforno suggested that the well is called Seven because it was the seventh dug; the narrative of Genesis 26 includes three wells dug by Abraham which are reopened by Isaac (Esek, Sitnah, Rehoboth), for a total of six, after which Isaac goes to Beersheba, the seventh well.WEB, Sforno on Genesis 26:33:1,www.sefaria.org/Sforno_on_Genesis.26.33.1, 2022-06-15, www.sefaria.org, The double name of Shib’a and Beersheba is referenced again by the Masoretic Text in Joshua 19:2,David Kimhi and David Altschuler ad loc. usually translated “Beersheba or Sheba”; however the Septuagint reads “Beersheba and Samaa (Σαμαὰ)” which fits with MT 1 Chron. 4:28.Abraham ibn Ezra and Samuel b. Meir suggest the two etymologies refer to two different cities.WEB, Ibn Ezra on Genesis 26:33:1,www.sefaria.org/Ibn_Ezra_on_Genesis.26.33.1?lang=he, 2022-06-15, www.sefaria.org, WEB, Rashbam on Genesis 26:33:1,www.sefaria.org/Rashbam_on_Genesis.26.33.1, 2022-06-15, www.sefaria.org, During the Ottoman administration, the city was referred as (Belediye Birüsseb).WEB, Writing to Sultan’s Household (Mabeyn-i Hümayun) about precautions will be taken for improving agriculture in Birüsseb District, undated - OpenJerusalem,www.archives.openjerusalem.org/index.php/writing-to-sultans-household-mabeyn-i-humayun-about-precautions-will-be-taken-for-improving-agriculture-in-birusseb-district-undated;isad?sf_culture=en, 2023-05-18, www.archives.openjerusalem.org, Hebrew Bible Beersheba{{dubious|The biblical site is at Tell Sheva/Tel Be’er Sheva, east of the modern city. Why discuss it here?|date=August 2020}} is mainly dealt with in the Hebrew Bible in connection with the Patriarchs Abraham and Isaac, who both dug a well and close peace treaties with King Abimelech of Gerar at the site. Hence it receives its name twice, first after Abraham’s dealings with Abimelech ({{bibleverse|Genesis|21:22–34}}), and again from Isaac who closes his own covenant with Abimelech of Gerar and whose servants also dig a well there ({{bibleverse|Genesis|26:23–33}}). The place is thus connected to two of the three Wife–sister narratives in the Book of Genesis.According to the Hebrew Bible, Beersheba was founded when Abraham and Abimelech settled their differences over a well of water and made a covenant (see {{bibleverse|Genesis|21:22–34}}). Abimelech’s men had taken the well from Abraham after he had previously dug it so Abraham brought sheep and cattle to Abimelech to get the well back. He set aside seven lambs to swear that it was he that had dug the well and no one else. Abimelech conceded that the well belonged to Abraham and, in the Bible, Beersheba means “Well of Seven” or “Well of the Oath”.BOOK, Freedman, David Noel, Myers, Allen C., Eerdmans Dictionary of the Bible, William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 2000, Beersheba is further mentioned in the following Bible passages: Isaac built an altar in Beersheba (Genesis 26:23–33). Jacob had his dream about a stairway to heaven after leaving Beersheba. (Genesis 28:10–15 and 46:1–7). Beersheba was the territory of the tribe of Simeon and Judah (Joshua 15:28 and 19:2). The sons of the prophet Samuel were judges in Beersheba (I Samuel 8:2). Saul, Israel’s first king, built a fort there for his campaign against the Amalekites (I Samuel 14:48 and 15:2–9). The prophet Elijah took refuge in Beersheba when Jezebel ordered him killed (I Kings 19:3). The prophet Amos mentions the city in regard to idolatry (Amos 5:5 and 8:14). Following the Babylonian conquest and subsequent enslavement of many Israelites, the town was abandoned. After the Israelite slaves returned from Babylon, they resettled the town. According to the Hebrew Bible, Beersheba was the southernmost city of the territories settled by Israelites, hence the expression “from Dan to Beersheba” to describe the whole kingdom.WEB,www.jewishmag.com/61mag/beersheva/beersheva.htm, Beer Sheva, Jewishmag.com, 2009-05-05,www.jewishmag.com/61mag/beersheva/beersheva.htm," title="web.archive.org/web/20090430054858www.jewishmag.com/61mag/beersheva/beersheva.htm,">web.archive.org/web/20090430054858www.jewishmag.com/61mag/beersheva/beersheva.htm, April 30, 2009, live, Zibiah, the (:wikt:consort|consort) of King Ahaziah of Judah and the mother of King Jehoash of Judah,2 Kings 12:1 was from Beersheba. History The city has been destroyed and rebuilt many times. Considered unimportant for centuries, Be’er Sheva regained notoriety under Byzantine rule (in the 4th–7th century), when it was a key point on the Limes Palestinae, a defense line built against the desert tribes; however, it fell to the Arabs in the 7th century and to the Turks in the 16th century.It long remained a watering place and small trade centre for the nomadic Bedouin tribes of the Negev, despite Turkish efforts at town planning and development around 1900. Its capture in 1917 by the British Army opened the way for their conquest of Palestine and Syria. After being taken by Israeli troops in October 1948, Beersheba was rapidly settled by new immigrants and has since developed as the administrative, cultural, and industrial centre of the Negev. It is one of the largest cities in Israel outside of metropolitan Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, and Haifa. Chalcolithic Human settlement in the area dates from the Copper Age. The inhabitants lived in caves, crafting metal tools and raising cattle.WEB,www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/vie/Beersheba.html, Beersheba, Jewishvirtuallibrary.org, October 21, 1948, 2013-08-08, June 29, 2015,web.archive.org/web/20150629171855/https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/vie/Beersheba.html, live, Findings unearthed at Tel Be’er Sheva, an archaeological site east of modern-day Beersheba, suggest the region has been inhabited since the 4th millennium BC (between 5000 and 6,000 years ago).Z. Herzog. Beer-sheba II: The Early Iron Age Settlements. Institute of Archaeology, Tel Aviv University and Ramot Publishing Co. Tel Aviv 1984 Iron Age Israelite town (File:Tel Be’er Sheva Overview 2007041.JPG|thumb|Tel Sheva archaeological site) Tel Be’er Sheva, an archaeological site containing the ruins of an ancient town believed to have been the Biblical Beersheba, lies a few kilometers east of the modern city. The town dates to the early Israelite period, around the 10th century BCE. The site was possibly chosen due to the abundance of water, as evidenced by the numerous wells in the area. According to the Hebrew Bible, the wells were dug by Abraham and Isaac when they arrived there. The streets were laid out in a grid, with separate areas for administrative, commercial, military, and residential use. It is believed to have been the first planned settlement in the region, and is also noteworthy for its elaborate water system; in particular, a huge cistern carved out of the rock beneath the town. Persian period During the Persian rule 539 BC–c. 332 BC Beersheba{{dubious|Where, at Tell Sheva/Tel Be’er Sheva, or where the modern city stands?|date=August 2020}} was at the south of Yehud Medinata autonomous province of the Persian Achaemenid Empire. During that era the city was rebuiltENCYCLOPEDIA, Be’er Sheva, ynet encyclopedia, and a citadel had been constructed.BOOK, מכורש עד אלכסנדר: תולדות ישראל בשלטון פרס, Open University of Israel, 196–198, Arial, Rapport, Archeological finds from between 359 and 338 BC have been made, finding pottery and an ostracon. Hellenistic period During the Hasmonean rule, the city{{dubious|Again: hete or at Tell Sheva/Tel Be’er Sheva?|date=August 2020}} was not attributed great importance as it was not mentioned when conquered from Edom or described in the Hasmonean wars.{{dubious|In the usual meaning of the terms, the Maccabees and their revolt precede the creation of the autonomous/independent Hasmonean kingdom and its wars. So what was it?|date=December 2019}} Roman and Byzantine periods Around 64-63 BC, the Roman general Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus made Beersheba, known as Birosaba, the southern part of the Judea province.BOOK, Avni, Gideon, The Byzantine-Islamic Transition in Palestine: An Archaeological Approach, 30 January 2014, OUP Oxford, 978-0-19-150734-2, 24, 258, 355,books.google.com/books?id=2aTFAgAAQBAJ, 3 April 2024, en, During the Herodian period there was a small settlement in Beersheba. Remains of a Jewish village dating back to the first century AD were discovered in the Harkapet neighborhood in the north of the city.NEWS, עדויות להתיישבות של יהודים בב“ש מלפני ×›-2,000 שנים התגלו בעיר,www.haaretz.co.il/science/archeology/2019-04-04/ty-article/0000017f-dfb9-d38f-a57f-fffbc1510000, 2024-01-04, הארץ, he, In the following years, the town served as front-line defence against Nabatean attacks and was on the limes belt, which in this region is attributed to the time of Vespasian (1st century AD).“The Origin of the Limes Palaestinae and the Major Phases in its Development”, in Studien zu den Militärgrenzen Roms, 1967 The city become the centre of an eparchy around 268. During the Roman and Byzantine periods, the city developed significantly and the burial grounds on the outskirts of the city became residential areas. The inhabitants, which consisted of Nabataeans, Jews and other ethnicities, spoke primarily Greek and lived from olive oil production, viticulture, agricultural and other trades.BOOK, Golan, Karni, Architectural Sculpture in the Byzantine Negev: Characterization and Meaning, 6 April 2020, Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co KG, 978-3-11-063176-0, 102–103,books.google.com/books?id=nrztDwAAQBAJ, 3 April 2024, en, After the reforms of Diocletian, the town became part of the province of Palaestina Tertia and grew to an approximate size of 60 hectares during its peak in the 6th century. Beersheba was described in the Madaba Map and Eusebius of Caesarea as a large village with a Roman garrison.“The Scripture Gazetteer: A Geographical, Historical, and Statistical Account of the Empires, Kingdoms, Countries, Provinces, Cities, Towns, Villages, Mountains, Valleys, Seas, Lakes, Rivers, &c Mentioned in the Old and New Testaments: Their Ancient History, Natural Productions, and Present State: with an Essay on the Importance and Advantage of the Study of Sacred Geography”, volume 1, 1883, p. 308 The camp was later identified in aerial photographs taken during the First World War and other structures associated with the camp, such as a bath house and dwellings, were found in later excavations.During the Byzantine period, at least six churches were built there, one of which is the largest church to have been excavated in the Negev. Some of the churches were still in use until the Umayyad period but it remains uncertain whether they continued beyond the early eight century. Monasticism is also attested in historical documents and one structure has been identified as a monastery. Barsanuphius of Gaza corresponded with a certain monk of Beersheba, John, who might be identified with John the Prophet, who between 525 and 527 moved to the monastery of Seridus and together with Barsanuphius wrote over 850 letters on spiritual direction.BOOK, Hevelone-Harper, Jennifer L., Sogno, Cristiana, Storin, Bradley K., Watts, Edward J., Late Antique Letter Collections: A Critical Introduction and Reference Guide, 19 November 2019, Univ of California Press, 978-0-520-30841-1, 424,books.google.com/books?id=sHSvDwAAQBAJ, 3 April 2024, en, The Letter Collection of Barsanuphius and John, Early Muslim period During the early Muslim period, some of the Byzantine buildings continued to be used, but there was a slow decline of the city, which was manifested in the demolition of the public buildings and their transformation into a source of raw material for secondary construction. In the second half of the 8th century, the city was apparently abandoned.באר שבע בתקופות הרומית עד האסלאמית הקדומה Mamluk period In 1483, during the late Mamluk era, the pilgrim Felix Fabri noted Beersheba as a city. Fabri also noted that Beersheba marked the southern-most border of “the Holy Land”.Fabri, 1893, pp. 489, 493 Ottoman period (File:השוק בבאר-שבע-JNF022332.jpeg|thumb|Beersheba in 1901)(File:EarlyBeersheba2.jpg|thumb|Beersheba from the south in 1902)(File:BersheebaWWI.jpg|thumb|Beersheba, 1917)The present-day city was built to serve as an administrative center by the Ottoman administration for the benefit of the Bedouin at the outset of the 20th century and was given the name of Bir al-Sabi (well of the seven). Until World War I, it was an overwhelmingly Muslim township with some 1,000 residents. Ben-David and Kressel have argued that the Bedouin traditional market was the cornerstone for the founding of Beersheba as capital of the Negev during this period,JOURNAL, Gideon M., Kressel, Joseph, Ben-David, Nomadic Peoples, 1996,cnp.nonuniv.ox.ac.uk/pdf/NP_journal_back_issues/the_bedouin_market_GM_Kressel_and_J_BenDavid.pdf, PDF, The Commission on Nomadic Peoples of the International Union of Anthropological and Ethnological Services (IUAES), Nomadic Peoples, 39, 3–28, {{rp|3}} and Negev Bedouin. Anthropologist and educationalist Aref Abu-Rabia, who worked for the Israeli Ministry of Education and Culture, described it as “the first Bedouin city”.BOOK, {{Google books, kEJKW1IaynwC, 7, yes, |first= Aref |last= Abu-Rabia |title= A Bedouin Century: Education and Development among the Negev Tribes in the 20th century |publisher=Berghahn Books |year= 2001 |access-date=2013-08-08}}{{rp|ix}}In June 1899, the Ottoman government ordered the creation of the Beersheba sub-district (kaza) of the district (mutasarrıflık) of Jerusalem, with Beersheba to be developed as its capital.JOURNAL, Yasemin Avcı, The application of Tanzimat in the desert: The Bedouins and the creation of a new town in Southern Palestine (1860–1914), Middle Eastern Studies, 2009, 45, 6, 969–983, 10.1080/00263200903268728, 144397381, Implementation was entrusted to a special bureau of the Ministry of the Interior. The British incorporation of Sinai into Egypt led to a need for the Ottomans to consolidate their hold on southern Palestine. There was also a desire to encourage the Bedouin to become sedentary, with a predicted increase of tranquility and tax revenue. The first governor (kaymakam), Isma’il Kamal Bey, lived in a tent lent by the local sheikh until the government house (Saraya) was built.BOOK, ‘Aref Abu-Rabi’a, A Bedouin Century, Berghahn Books, 2001, 8–10, Kamal was replaced by Muhammed Carullah Efendi in 1901, who in turn was replaced by Hamdi Bey in 1903. The governor in 1908 was promoted to ‘adjoint’ (mutassarrıf muavin) to the governor of the Jerusalem district, which placed him above the other sub-district governors.A visitor to Beersheba in May 1900 found only a ruin, a two-storey stone khan, and several tents.JOURNAL, George L. Robinson, The Wells of Beersheba, The Biblical World, 17, 4, 1901, 247–255, 10.1086/472788, 144714359, By the start of 1901 there was a barracks with a small garrison as well as other buildings.Palestine Exploration Fund, Quarterly Report for April 1901, p100. The Austro-Hungarian-Czech orientalistErnest Gellner, Anthropology and Politics: Revolutions in the Sacred Grove, Basil Blackwell, 1995 pp.212-228. Alois Musil noted in August 1902: Bir es-Seba grows from day to day; This year, instead of the tents, we found stately houses along a beautiful road from the Sarayah to the bed of the wadi. In the government building a garden has been laid out, and all sorts of trees have been planted which are sure to prosper, for the few shrubs planted two years ago by the steam mill at the south-east end of the road have grown considerably. The lively construction activity is also causing a lively exploitation of the ruins.BOOK, Alois Musil, Arabia Petraea, 2, 66, Wien, 1908, A. Hölder,archive.org/stream/arabiapetraea00musigoog#page/n81/mode/2up, Bir es-Seba wächst von Tag zu Tag; heuer baut man bereits anstatt der Zelte stattliche Häuser, die eine schöne Straße vom Seräja zum Talbette bilden. Beim Regierungsgebäude hat man einen Garten angelegt und allerlei Bäume gesetzt, welche gewiß gut fortkommen werden, denn die wenigen vor zwei Jahren bei der Dampfmühle am Südostende der Straße gepflanzten Sträucher sind inzwischen stark gewachsen. Die rege Bautätigkeit verursacht auch hier eine rege Ausbeutung des Ruinenfeldes., By 1907, there was a large village, military post, a residence for the kaymakam and a large mosque.JOURNAL, George L. Robinson, Beersheba Revisited, The Biblical World, 31, 5, 1908, 322+327–335, 10.1086/474045, 222438761, The population increased from 300 to 800 between 1902 and 1911, and by 1914 there were 1,000 people living in 200 houses.A plan for the town in the form of a grid was developed by a Swiss and a German architect and two others.Abu Rabi’a (loc. cit.) names the other two as Palestinian Arabs Sa’id Effendi al-Nashashiby and his assistant, Ragheb Effendi al-Nashashiby.{{dubious|Don’t know what other tag to use. Is he identical with Raghib al-Nashashibi, for whom there is a WP article?|date=December 2019}} However, Biger (Ottoman Town Planning in Late 19thand early 20th Century Palestine, 3rd International Geography Symposium, 2013, 23–32) says that they were Turks educated in Germany.BOOK, Settlement of the Negev, 1900–1960, Basis of Beersheba City Planning, Gerdos, Yehuda, Na’or, Mordechai, Yad Yitzhak Ben-Zvi, Jerusalem, Israel, 1985, 167–177, he, The grid pattern can be seen today in Beersheba’s Old City. Most of the residents at the time were Arabs from Hebron and the Gaza area, although Jews also began settling in the city. Many Bedouin abandoned their nomadic lives and built homes in Beersheba.ENCYCLOPEDIA, Vilnai, Ze’ev, Be’er Sheva, Ariel Encyclopedia, 1, 473–515, Sifriyat HaSadeh, Tel Aviv, Israel, 1969, he, First World War and British Mandate (File:AN AERIAL VIEW OF BE’ER SHEVA. צילום אויר של באר שבע..jpg|thumb|Beersheba 1938)File:Turkishrailstation.jpg|thumb|Beersheba Turkish Railway StationBeersheba Turkish Railway StationDuring World War I, the Ottomans built a military railroad from the Hejaz line to Beersheba, inaugurating the station on October 30, 1915.BOOK, The Railways of Palestine and Israel, Cotterell, Paul, Tourret Publishing, Abingdon, UK, 978-0-905878-04-1, 1986, Chapter 3, 14–31, The celebration was attended by the Ottoman army commander Jamal Pasha and other senior government officials. The train line was captured by Allied forces in 1917, towards the end of the war. Today, it forms part of the Israeli railway network.{{citation needed|date=December 2020}}Beersheba played an important role in the Sinai and Palestine Campaign in World War I. The Battle of Beersheba was part of a wider British offensive in aimed at breaking the Turkish defensive line from Gaza to Beersheba. The Ottoman army engaged in three battles with the British forces near Gaza between March 26 and November 7, 1917.WEB, When we were defeated in Gaza, we lost Palestine,www.anews.com.tr/gallery/world/when-we-were-defeated-in-gaza-we-lost-palestine, 2023-10-16, A News, en, Having failed in the First and Second Battles of Gaza, the British succeeded in the Third Battle of Gaza. On October 31, 1917, three months after taking Rafah, General Allenby’s troops breached the line of Turkish defense between Gaza and Beersheba.An Empire in the Holy Land: Historical Geography of the British Administration in Palestine, 1917–1929, Gideon Biger, St. Martin’s Press, New York, Magnes Press, Jerusalem, 1994, pp. 23–24 Approximately five-hundred soldiers of the Australian 4th Light Horse Regiment and the 12th Light Horse Regiment of the 4th Light Horse Brigade, led by Brigadier General William Grant, with only horses and bayonets, charged the Turkish trenches, overran them and captured the wells in what has become known as the Battle of Beersheba, called the “last successful cavalry charge in British military history.“WEB, Senate Debates: 60th Anniversary of the State of Israel,www.openaustralia.org.au/senate/?id=2008-03-18.279.12, March 18, 2008, September 7, 2015, October 18, 2015,www.openaustralia.org.au/senate/?id=2008-03-18.279.12," title="web.archive.org/web/20151018050334www.openaustralia.org.au/senate/?id=2008-03-18.279.12,">web.archive.org/web/20151018050334www.openaustralia.org.au/senate/?id=2008-03-18.279.12, live, NEWS, Medlicott, Jeanne, Beersheba Lighthorse Anzac diorama unveiled in Narooma,www.naroomanewsonline.com.au/story/3025991/beersheba-lighthorse-diorama-unveiled-in-narooma/, Narooma News, April 21, 2015, September 7, 2015, August 16, 2015,www.naroomanewsonline.com.au/story/3025991/beersheba-lighthorse-diorama-unveiled-in-narooma/," title="web.archive.org/web/20150816230851www.naroomanewsonline.com.au/story/3025991/beersheba-lighthorse-diorama-unveiled-in-narooma/,">web.archive.org/web/20150816230851www.naroomanewsonline.com.au/story/3025991/beersheba-lighthorse-diorama-unveiled-in-narooma/, live, On the edge of Beersheba’s Old City is a Commonwealth War Graves Commission Cemetery containing the graves of Australian, New Zealand and British soldiers. The town also contains a memorial park dedicated to them.During the Palestine Mandate, Beersheba was a major administrative center. The British constructed a railway between Rafah and Beersheba in October 1917 which opened to the public in May 1918, serving the Negev and settlements south of Mount Hebron.Gideon Biger (1994), An Empire in the Holy Land, p. 119 In 1928, at the beginning of the tension between the Jews and the Arabs over control of Palestine and wide-scale rioting which left 133 Jews dead and 339 wounded, many Jews abandoned Beersheba, although some returned occasionally. After an Arab attack on a Jewish bus in 1936, which escalated into the 1936–39 Arab revolt in Palestine, the remaining Jews left.NEWS, Kark, Ruth, Frantzman, Seth J., The Negev: Land, Settlement, the Bedouin and Ottoman and British Policy 1871–1948, British Journal of Middle Eastern Studies, April 2012, At the time of the 1922 census of Palestine, Beersheba had a population of 2,356 (2,012 Muslims, 235 Christians, 98 Jews and 11 Druze).BOOK, J. B. Barron, Palestine: Report and General Abstracts of the Census of 1922, Government of Palestine, 1923, Table V, 11, At the time of the 1931 census, Beersheba had 545 occupied houses and a population of 2,959 (2,791 Muslims, 152 Christians, 11 Jews and five Baháʼí).BOOK, E. Mills, Census of Palestine 1931. Population of Villages, Towns and Administrative Areas, Government of Palestine, Jerusalem, 1932, 7, (online (pdf, 28 MB) The 1938 village survey did not cover Beersheba due to the area’s largely nomadic population and the Rural Property Tax Ordinance not being applied there.BOOK,users.cecs.anu.edu.au/~bdm/yabber/census/VillageStatistics1938orig.pdf, Village Statistics, 1938, 3, The 1945 village survey conducted by the Palestine Mandate government found 5,570 (5,360 Muslims, 200 Christians and 10 others).United Nations Conciliation Commission for Palestine, A/AC.25/Com.Tech/7/Add.1 {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140720232249unispal.un.org/UNISPAL.NSF/0/5FBCED3943293BBD0525656900654AA6 |date=July 20, 2014 }} (April 1949)(File:Beersheba 1945.jpg|thumb|Beersheba 1945 1:250,000)(File:Beersheba 1947.jpg|thumb|Beersheba 1947 1:20,000)File:Beersheba from the air.jpg|Beersheba, 1948File:Beersheba i.jpg|Beersheba police station. 1948. Original building Ottoman with British Mandate addition.File:Beersheba ii.jpg|Beersheba mosque, 1948File:Beersheva mosque.jpg|A mosque in Be’ersheva photographed during Operation Yoav, 1948File:Beersheba iv.jpg|Harel Brigade assembling in Beersheba prior to Operation Horev, 25 December 1948File:Beersheba v.jpg|Nahal Beersheba in flood, 1948 State of Israel 1947–1949 war {{See also|Battle of Beersheba (1948)}}File:Beersheba in the Arab State in the UN Palestine Partition Versions 1947 (cropped).jpg|thumb|Beersheba was proposed to be in the Arab State in final version of the United Nations Partition Plan for PalestineUnited Nations Partition Plan for PalestineFile:IsraelPhil.jpg|thumb|Israel Philharmonic OrchestraIsrael Philharmonic OrchestraFile:Beersheba, Monument to Negev Brigade, Bunker 02.jpg|thumb|Monument to the Negev Brigade, Danny KaravanDanny KaravanIn 1947, the United Nations Special Committee on Palestine (UNSCOP) proposed that Beersheba be included within the Jewish state in their partition plan for Palestine.United Nations Special Committee on Palestine, Report to the General Assembly, September 3, 1947, Volume II, A/364, Add. 1 {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150910081252unispal.un.org/unispal.nsf/c17b3a9d4bfb04c985257b28006e4ea6/fb6dd3f0e9535815852572dd006cc607?OpenDocument|date=September 10, 2015}}. UNGA Resolution 181 (Nov 27, 1947).weblink {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170811055524unispal.un.org/maps/m0103_1b.gif|date=August 11, 2017}}. See boundaries (:File:UN Palestine Partition Versions 1947.jpg|here). However, when the UN’s Ad Hoc Committee revised the plan, they moved Beersheva to the Arab state on account of it being primarily Arab.Anita Shapira, Yigal Allon, Native Son: A Biography, {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201124073814books.google.com/books?id=3HkJCgAAQBAJ&pg=PA239 |date=November 24, 2020}} University of Pennsylvania Press, 2015 {{ISBN|978-0-812-20343-1}} p.239 Egyptian forces had been stationed at Beersheva since May 1948.After the Arab states rejected the partition plan for Palestine and declared war on the partition plan’s Jewish state of Israel, Yigal Allon proposed the conquest of Beersheba,Shapira, Yigal Allon p.245 which was approved by Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion. According to Israeli historian Benny Morris, Allon ordered the “conquest of Beersheba, occupation of outposts around it, [and] demolition of most of the town.“Morris, Benny. The Birth of the Palestinian Refugee Problem Revisited, Cambridge University Press, p. 467. The objective was to break the Egyptian blockade of Israeli convoys to the Negev. The Egyptian army did not expect an offensive and fled en masse.BOOK, {{Google books, iogKjVDKRW4C, 245, yes, |title=Yigal Allon: Native Son |first=Anita |last=Shapira |publisher=University of Pennsylvania Press |year=2007 |page=245 |access-date=2013-08-08}} Israel bombed the town on October 16.Alef Abu-Rabia, ‘Beersheva,’ in Michael Dumper, Bruce E. Stanley (eds.), Cities of the Middle East and North Africa: A Historical Encyclopedia, {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201016210037books.google.com/books?id=3SapTk5iGDkC&pg=PA80 |date=October 16, 2020}} ABC-CLIO, 2007 {{ISBN|978-1-576-07919-5}} p.80. At 4:00 am on October 21, the 8th Brigade’s 89th battalion and the Negev Brigade’s 7th and 9th battalions moved in. Some troops advanced from the Mishmar HaNegev junction, {{convert|20|km|mi}} north of Beersheba and others from the Turkish train station and Hatzerim. By 9:45, Beersheba was in Israeli hands. Around 120 Egyptian soldiers were taken prisoner. All of the Arab inhabitants who had resisted were expelled.Yitzhak Reiter, Contested Holy Places in Israel–Palestine: Sharing and Conflict Resolution, {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201102063649books.google.com/books?id=nzUlDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA209 |date=November 2, 2020}} Taylor & Francis, 2017 {{ISBN|978-1-351-99885-7}} p.209. The remaining Arab civilians, 200 men and 150 women and children, were taken to the police fort and, on October 25, the women, children, disabled and elderly were driven by truck to the Gaza border. The Egyptian soldiers were interned in POW camps. Some men lived in the local mosque and were put to work cleaning, however, when it was discovered that they were supplying information to the Egyptian army, they were also deported. The town was subject to large-scale looting by the Haganah, and by December, in one calculation, the total number of Arabs driven out from Beersheva and surrounding areas reached 30,000 with many ending up in Jordan as refugees.Simha Flapan, The Palestinian Exodus of 1948, {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181225225059www.jstor.org/stable/2536718 |date=December 25, 2018}} Journal of Palestine Studies, Vol. 16, No. 4 (Summer, 1987), pp. 3–26. Following Operation Yoav, a 10-kilometer radius exclusion zone around Beersheba was enforced into which no Bedouin were allowed.Morris, Benny (1987) The birth of the Palestinian refugee problem, 1947–1949. Cambridge University Press. {{ISBN|978-0-521-33028-2}}. p.245. In response, the United Nations Security Council passed two resolutions on the 4th and 16 November demanding that Israel withdraw from the area.Zeev Tzahor, ‘The 1949 Air Clash between the Israeli Air Force and the RAF,’ {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181225225037www.jstor.org/stable/260802 |date=December 25, 2018}} Journal of Contemporary History, Volume 28, No. 1 (January 1993), pp. 75-101, p.76 First four decades Following the conclusion of the war, the 1949 Armistice Agreements formally granted Beersheba to Israel. The town was then transformed into an Israeli city with only an exiguous Arab minority. Beersheba was deemed strategically important due to its location with a reliable water supply and at a major crossroads, northeast to Hebron and Jerusalem, east to the Dead Sea and al Karak, south to Aqaba, west to Gaza and southwest to Al-Auja and the border with Egypt.After a few months, the town’s war-damaged houses were repaired. As a post-independence wave of Jewish immigration to Israel began, Beersheba experienced a population boom as thousands of immigrants moved in. The city rapidly expanded beyond its core, which became known as the “Old City”, as new neighborhoods were built around it, complete with various housing projects such as apartment buildings and houses with auxiliary farms, as well as shopping centers and schools. The Old City was turned into a city center, with shops, restaurants, and government and utility offices. An industrial area and one of the largest cinemas in Israel were also built in the city. By 1956, Beersheba was a booming city of 22,000.WEB,news.google.com/newspapers?nid=883&dat=19551007&id=J_JOAAAAIBAJ&pg=3222,5341447, The Canadian Jewish Chronicle - Google News Archive Search, April 1, 2020, August 27, 2020,web.archive.org/web/20200827122232/https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=883&dat=19551007&id=J_JOAAAAIBAJ&pg=3222,5341447, live, WEB,news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1129&dat=19560310&id=9MVaAAAAIBAJ&pg=5992,2911747, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette - Google News Archive Search, April 1, 2020, October 9, 2020,web.archive.org/web/20201009054526/https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1129&dat=19560310&id=9MVaAAAAIBAJ&pg=5992,2911747, live, In 1959, during the Wadi Salib riots, riots spread quickly to other parts of the country, including Beersheba.Jeremy Allouche, The Oriental Communities in Israel, 1948-2003, weblink {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171224214338doczz.fr/doc/96608/the-oriental-communities-in-israel--1948-2003|date=December 24, 2017}}, p.35]Soroka Hospital opened its doors in 1960. By 1968, the population had grown to 80,000.WEB,news.google.com/newspapers?nid=2206&dat=19680227&id=55AyAAAAIBAJ&pg=823,2776659, How Sea of Immigrants Tamed the Negev Wilderness, {{Dead link|date=August 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} The University of the Negev, which would later become Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, was established in 1969. The then Egyptian president Anwar Sadat visited Beersheba in 1979. In 1983, its population was more than 110,000. During the 1990s post-Soviet aliyah, the city’s population greatly increased as many immigrants from the former Soviet Union settled there. Urban development in the 21st century (File:מבט על העיר באר שבע, אמצע שנות השמונים.JPG|thumb|left|250px|Beersheba in the mid-1980s)As part of its Blueprint Negev project, the Jewish National Fund funded major redevelopment projects in Beersheba. One project was the Beersheba River Walk, a {{convert|900|acre|km2|adj=on|abbr=off}} riverfront district with green spaces, hiking trails, a 3,000-seat sports hall, a {{convert|15|acre|adj=on|abbr=off}} boating lake filled with recycled wastewater, promenades, restaurants, cafés, galleries, boat rentals, a 12,000-seat amphitheater, playgrounds, and a bridge along the route of the city’s Mekorot water pipes. At the official entrance to the river park is the Beit Eshel Park, which consists of a park built around a courtyard with historic remains from the settlement of Beit Eshel.“Beit Eshel Park, Beersheba” {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121103222825www.jpost.com/LocalIsrael/AroundIsrael/Article.aspx?id=175455 |date=November 3, 2012 }}, Blueprint Negev(File:Beer Sheva Aerial View.jpg|thumb|250px|Panorama of Beersheba)(File:PipesBridge.jpg|thumb|Pipes Bridge, 2012)(File:Beer Sheba Israel IMG 6789.JPG|thumb|Modern Beersheba)Four new shopping malls were also built. Among them is Kanyon Beersheba, a {{convert|115,000|m2|sqft|adj=mid|abbr=off}} ecologically planned mall with pools for collecting rainwater and lighting generated by solar panels on the roof. It will be situated next to an 8,000-meter park with bicycle paths.“Jewish National Fund plants an emissary in the Bay area” {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110811022547www.jweekly.com/article/full/34834/jewish-national-fund-plants-an-emissary-in-bay-area/ |date=August 11, 2011 }}, Jweekly.comWEB,www.jnf.org/menu-2/our-work/blueprint-negev/beersheba-river-park.html, 404 Error, www.jnf.org, May 18, 2019, May 18, 2019,web.archive.org/web/20190518115916/https://www.jnf.org/menu-2/our-work/blueprint-negev/beersheba-river-park.html, live, In addition, the first ever farmer’s market in Israel was established as an enclosed, circular complex with 400 spaces for vendors surrounded by parks and greenery.A new central bus station was built in the city. The station has a glass-enclosed complex also containing shops and cafés.Some $10.5  million was also invested in renovating Beersheba’s Old City, preserving historical buildings and upgrading infrastructure.“Upwelling of Renewal” {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151018050334www.timesofisrael.com/spending-time-at-the-well/?fb_comment_id=fbc_10150571598805779_20906899_10150576840115779 |date=October 18, 2015 }}, Times of Israel The Turkish Quarter was also redeveloped with newly cobbled streets, widened sidewalks, and the restoration of Turkish homes into areas for dining and shopping.WEB,www.jnf.org/work-we-do/blueprint-negev/beer-sheva-river-park.html, Jewish National Fund: Be’er Sheva River Park, Jnf.org, 2013-03-12, June 27, 2012,www.jnf.org/work-we-do/blueprint-negev/beer-sheva-river-park.html," title="web.archive.org/web/20120627015225www.jnf.org/work-we-do/blueprint-negev/beer-sheva-river-park.html,">web.archive.org/web/20120627015225www.jnf.org/work-we-do/blueprint-negev/beer-sheva-river-park.html, live, In 2011, city hall announced plans to turn Beersheba into the “water city” of Israel.NEWS, רועי צ’יקי ארד 8 July 2011 00:54 עודכן ב: 23:15,www.haaretz.co.il/news/education/1.1179790, שיגעון המים של בירת הנגב – חינוך וחברה – הארץ, הארץ, Haaretz.co.il, 2013-03-12, September 13, 2011,www.haaretz.co.il/news/education/1.1179790," title="web.archive.org/web/20110913075745www.haaretz.co.il/news/education/1.1179790,">web.archive.org/web/20110913075745www.haaretz.co.il/news/education/1.1179790, live, One of the projects, “Beersheva beach”, is a 7-dunam fountain opposite city hall.WEB,www.mynet.co.il/articles/0,7340,L-4196840,00.html, mynet באר שבע – תגידו, צריך חוף ים בבאר שבע?, Mynet.co.il, June 20, 1995, 2013-03-12,www.mynet.co.il/articles/0,7340,L-4196840,00.html," title="web.archive.org/web/20170126144258www.mynet.co.il/articles/0,7340,L-4196840,00.html,">web.archive.org/web/20170126144258www.mynet.co.il/articles/0,7340,L-4196840,00.html, January 26, 2017, dead, WEB,www.nrg.co.il/online/54/ART2/354/966.html?hp=54&cat=873&loc=63, מקומי – באר שבע nrg – ...דרעי עצבני: רב העיר ב“ש יוצא לקרב, Nrg.co.il, 2013-03-12, April 30, 2015,www.nrg.co.il/online/54/ART2/354/966.html?hp=54&cat=873&loc=63," title="web.archive.org/web/20150430220554www.nrg.co.il/online/54/ART2/354/966.html?hp=54&cat=873&loc=63,">web.archive.org/web/20150430220554www.nrg.co.il/online/54/ART2/354/966.html?hp=54&cat=873&loc=63, live, Other projects included fountains near the Soroka Medical Center and in front of the Shamoon College of Engineering.In the 1990s, as skyscrapers began to appear in Israel, the construction of high-rise buildings began in Beersheba.WEB,www.jweekly.com/article/full/2881/skyscrapers-dotting-tel-aviv-landscape/, Skyscrapers dotting Tel Aviv landscape | j. the Jewish news weekly of Northern California, Jweekly.com, March 29, 1996, 2013-03-12, October 12, 2013,www.jweekly.com/article/full/2881/skyscrapers-dotting-tel-aviv-landscape," title="web.archive.org/web/20131012062544www.jweekly.com/article/full/2881/skyscrapers-dotting-tel-aviv-landscape,">web.archive.org/web/20131012062544www.jweekly.com/article/full/2881/skyscrapers-dotting-tel-aviv-landscape, live, Today, downtown Beersheba has been described as a “clean, compact, and somewhat sterile-looking collection of high-rise office and residential towers.““Beersheba desert bloom” {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121105032445globaltravelerusa.com/mag/beer-sheva-desert-bloom |date=November 5, 2012 }}, Global Travel The city’s tallest building is Rambam Square 2, a 32-story apartment building.WEB,www.emporis.com/en/wm/bu/?id=rambamsquare2-beersheva-israel, Rambam Square 2, Beer Sheva, IL /, Emporis.com, July 21, 2003, 2013-08-08, February 11, 2007,www.emporis.com/en/wm/bu/?id=rambamsquare2-beersheva-israel," title="web.archive.org/web/20070211012605www.emporis.com/en/wm/bu/?id=rambamsquare2-beersheva-israel,">web.archive.org/web/20070211012605www.emporis.com/en/wm/bu/?id=rambamsquare2-beersheva-israel, dead, Many additional high-rise buildings are planned or are under construction, including skyscrapers.WEB,www.emporis.com/city/beersheva-israel/all-buildings, All buildings | Buildings, Emporis, July 21, 2003, 2013-03-12, May 29, 2021,web.archive.org/web/20210529125147/https://www.emporis.com/city/100283/beer-sheva-israel, dead, WEB,www.emporis.com/building/rambamsquare2-beersheva-israel, Rambam Square 2 | Buildings, IL /, Emporis, July 21, 2003, 2013-03-12, October 20, 2012,www.emporis.com/building/rambamsquare2-beersheva-israel," title="web.archive.org/web/20121020072342www.emporis.com/building/rambamsquare2-beersheva-israel,">web.archive.org/web/20121020072342www.emporis.com/building/rambamsquare2-beersheva-israel, dead, WEB,www.emporis.com/city/beersheva-israel/skyscrapers, skyscrapers | Buildings, Emporis, 2013-03-12, May 29, 2021,web.archive.org/web/20210529125148/https://www.emporis.com/city/100283/beer-sheva-israel, dead, There are further plans to build luxury residential towers in the city.NEWS,www.ynet.co.il/articles/0,7340,L-4227281,00.html, ynet מגדלים בלב המדבר: תנופת הבנייה מגיעה לב“ש – כלכלה, Ynet, May 12, 2012, Ynet.co.il, 2013-03-12, May 23, 2013,www.ynet.co.il/articles/0,7340,L-4227281,00.html," title="web.archive.org/web/20130523205850www.ynet.co.il/articles/0,7340,L-4227281,00.html,">web.archive.org/web/20130523205850www.ynet.co.il/articles/0,7340,L-4227281,00.html, live, קוריאל, אילנה, In December 2012, a plan to build 16,000 new housing units in the Ramot Gimel neighborhood was scrapped in favor of creating a new urban forest, which spans {{convert|1360|acres|0|abbr=on}} and serves as the area’s “green lung”, as part of the plans to develop a “green band” around the city. The forest includes designated picnic areas, biking trails, and walking trails. According to Mayor Ruvik Danilovich, Beersheba still has an abundance of open, underdeveloped spaces that can be used for urban development.NEWS,www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4316990,00.html, Beersheba opts for trees over urban sprawl – Israel Environment, Ynetnews, Ynetnews, Ynetnews.com, June 20, 1995, 2013-03-12, January 2, 2013,www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4316990,00.html," title="web.archive.org/web/20130102160432www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4316990,00.html,">web.archive.org/web/20130102160432www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4316990,00.html, live, Curiel, Ilana, In 2017, a new urban building plan was approved for the city, designed to raise the city’s population to 340,000 by 2030. Under the plan, 13,000 more housing units will be built, along with industrial and business developments occupying a total of four million square meters. A second public hospital is also planned. Planning for the Beersheba Light Rail also began.WEB,www.beer-sheva.muni.il/Eng/Lists/List2/DispForm.aspx?ID=165, Planning of Be’er-Sheva’s New Light Rail Begins, City of Beer Sheva, September 27, 2020, October 9, 2018,www.beer-sheva.muni.il/En" title="web.archive.org/web/20181009063659www.beer-sheva.muni.il/En">web.archive.org/web/20181009063659www.beer-sheva.muni.il/EnLists/List2/DispForm.aspx?ID=165, live, In 2019, the construction of a new public hospital, which will be named after Shimon Peres, was approved. The hospital will be a {{convert|345|acre|0|adj=on}} complex that will feature 1,900 beds, commerce, hotel, alternative medicine, and paramedical services, and research centers, with the possibility of apartment units for medical faculty employees, students, and senior housing. It will be linked to the rest of the city by a light rail system.WEB, https:www.jpost.com/israel-news/new-hospital-approved-for-beersheba-to-enhance-healthcare-to-periphery-609765, New hospital approved for Beersheba to enhance healthcare to periphery, The Jerusalem Post | JPost.com, December 3, 2019, September 27, 2020, May 29, 2021,web.archive.org/web/20210529125145/https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/new-hospital-approved-for-beersheba-to-enhance-healthcare-to-periphery-609765, live, In 2021, an outline plan was approved for the construction of 34,000 housing units in the city, the plan will lead to an increase in the number of residents living in the city to 400,000.NEWS, נרדי, גיא, 2021-12-19, אושרה תוכנית המתאר של באר שבע: תוספת של 400 אלף תושבים,www.globes.co.il/news/article.aspx?did=1001395049, 2024-01-04, Globes, Security incidents in the city On October 19, 1998, sixty-four people were wounded in a grenade attack.NEWS,www.globes.co.il/news/article.aspx?did=69085, 64 פצועים, מהם שניים קשה ושלושה בינוני, בפיגוע בתחנה המרכזית בבאר שבע, October 20, 1998, Globes, May 18, 2019, May 2, 2019,web.archive.org/web/20190502001222/https://www.globes.co.il/news/article.aspx?did=69085, live, גולן, מאת גדי, On August 31, 2004, sixteen people were killed in two suicide bombings on commuter buses in Beersheba for which Hamas claimed responsibility. On August 28, 2005, another suicide bomber attacked the central bus station, seriously injuring two security guards and 45 bystanders.“Palestinian Bomber Kills Only Himself Near Israeli Bus Station” {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130518231233www.nytimes.com/2005/08/29/international/middleeast/29mideast.html |date=May 18, 2013 }}, New York Times During Operation Cast Lead, which began on December 27, 2008, and lasted until the ceasefire on January 18, 2009, Hamas fired 2,378 rockets (such as Grad rockets) and mortars, from Gaza into southern Israel, including Beersheba. The rocket attacks have continued, but have been only partially effective since the introduction of the Iron Dome rocket defense system.WEB,www.nrg.co.il/online/1/ART2/300/858.html, חדשות – צבא וביטחון nrg – ...כיפת ברזל יירטה שתי רקטות, Nrg.co.il, October 31, 2011, 2013-03-12, February 3, 2012,www.nrg.co.il/online/1/ART2/300/858.html," title="web.archive.org/web/20120203061623www.nrg.co.il/online/1/ART2/300/858.html,">web.archive.org/web/20120203061623www.nrg.co.il/online/1/ART2/300/858.html, live, NEWS,www.ynet.co.il/articles/0,7340,L-4109451,00.html, ynet גראד דוחה מחאה? “גם ספטמבר לא ×™×–×™×– אותנו” – חדשות, Ynet, August 16, 2011, Ynet.co.il, 2013-03-12, May 23, 2013,www.ynet.co.il/articles/0,7340,L-4109451,00.html," title="web.archive.org/web/20130523101009www.ynet.co.il/articles/0,7340,L-4109451,00.html,">web.archive.org/web/20130523101009www.ynet.co.il/articles/0,7340,L-4109451,00.html, live, קוריאל, אילנה, WEB,www.nrg.co.il/online/1/ART2/271/094.html, חדשות – צבא וביטחון nrg – ...רקטה התפוצצה בבאר שבע; חיל, Nrg.co.il, 2013-03-12, April 17, 2015,www.nrg.co.il/online/1/ART2/271/094.html," title="web.archive.org/web/20150417044638www.nrg.co.il/online/1/ART2/271/094.html,">web.archive.org/web/20150417044638www.nrg.co.il/online/1/ART2/271/094.html, live, WEB,www.nrg.co.il/online/1/ART2/272/910.html, חדשות – צבא וביטחון nrg – ...הרוג ושישה פצועים בפגיעות, Nrg.co.il, 2013-03-12, April 17, 2015,www.nrg.co.il/online/1/ART2/272/910.html," title="web.archive.org/web/20150417044848www.nrg.co.il/online/1/ART2/272/910.html,">web.archive.org/web/20150417044848www.nrg.co.il/online/1/ART2/272/910.html, live, In 2010, an Arab attacked and injured two people with an axe.WEB,www.hageula.com/news/israel/6890.html, פיגוע בבאר-שבע: ערבי תקף בגרזן ופצע שניים | שלימות הארץ | חדשות, Hageula.com, June 27, 2011, 2013-03-12, dead,www.hageula.com/news/israel/6890.html," title="web.archive.org/web/20130516073356www.hageula.com/news/israel/6890.html,">web.archive.org/web/20130516073356www.hageula.com/news/israel/6890.html, May 16, 2013, mdy-all, WEB,news.walla.co.il/?w=/10/1835762, באר שבע: כוחות גדולים במצוד אחר “התוקף בפטיש” – וואלה! חדשות, June 28, 2011, News.walla.co.il, 2013-03-12, May 29, 2021,web.archive.org/web/20210529125146/https://news.walla.co.il/item/1835762, live, WEB,news.walla.co.il/?w=/1/1835677, אלמוני תקף שני גברים בפטיש ליד עיריית באר שבע – וואלה! חדשות, June 28, 2011, News.walla.co.il, 2013-03-12, August 31, 2011,news.walla.co.il/?w=%2F1%2F1835677," title="web.archive.org/web/20110831205235news.walla.co.il/?w=%2F1%2F1835677,">web.archive.org/web/20110831205235news.walla.co.il/?w=%2F1%2F1835677, live, In 2012, a Palestinian from Jenin was stopped before a stabbing attack in a “safe house”.WEB,news.nana10.co.il/Article/?ArticleID=856797, × ×¢× ×¢10 – סוכל ניסיון פיגוע בבאר שבע: פלסטיני שתכנן לבצע פיגוע דקירה נעצר בדירת מסתור בעיר – חדשות, News.nana10.co.il, June 17, 2009, 2013-03-12, February 4, 2012,news.nana10.co.il/Article/?ArticleID=856797," title="web.archive.org/web/20120204000033news.nana10.co.il/Article/?ArticleID=856797,">web.archive.org/web/20120204000033news.nana10.co.il/Article/?ArticleID=856797, live, WEB,www.mako.co.il/news-military/security/Article-676211d39b7a431017.htm, חדשות 2 – סוכל פיגוע דקירה בבאר שבע: מחבל נעצר בדירת מסתור, January 4, 2012, Mako.co.il, 2013-03-12, April 18, 2012,www.mako.co.il/news-military/security/Article-676211d39b7a431017.htm," title="web.archive.org/web/20120418064017www.mako.co.il/news-military/security/Article-676211d39b7a431017.htm,">web.archive.org/web/20120418064017www.mako.co.il/news-military/security/Article-676211d39b7a431017.htm, live, On October 18, 2015, a lone gunman shot and killed a soldier guarding the Beersheva bus station before being gunned down by police.WEB,www.timesofisrael.com/terrorists-open-fire-at-beersheba-bus-station-injuring-six/, Terrorist opens fire at Beersheba bus station, kills one, wounds 11, Adiv, Sterman, Judah Ari, Gross, www.timesofisrael.com, May 18, 2019, May 27, 2019,www.timesofisrael.com/terrorists-open-fire-at-beersheba-bus-station-injuring-six/," title="web.archive.org/web/20190527084009www.timesofisrael.com/terrorists-open-fire-at-beersheba-bus-station-injuring-six/,">web.archive.org/web/20190527084009www.timesofisrael.com/terrorists-open-fire-at-beersheba-bus-station-injuring-six/, live, In September 2016, the Shin Bet thwarted a Palestinian Islamic Jihad terror attack at a wedding hall in Beersheba.WEB,www.bicom.org.uk/news/islamic-jihad-terror-attacks-beer-sheva-thwarted/, Islamic Jihad terror attacks in Beer Sheva thwarted, BICOM, October 21, 2016, January 1, 2018, January 1, 2018,www.bicom.org.uk/news/islamic-jihad-terror-attacks-beer-sheva-thwarted/," title="web.archive.org/web/20180101194209www.bicom.org.uk/news/islamic-jihad-terror-attacks-beer-sheva-thwarted/,">web.archive.org/web/20180101194209www.bicom.org.uk/news/islamic-jihad-terror-attacks-beer-sheva-thwarted/, live, WEB,www.i24news.tv/en/news/israel/diplomacy-defense/128137-161020-israeli-security-services-uncover-islamic-jihad-cell-planning-mass-terror-attack, i24NEWS, www.i24news.tv, May 18, 2019, May 18, 2019,web.archive.org/web/20190518115912/https://www.i24news.tv/en/news/israel/diplomacy-defense/128137-161020-israeli-security-services-uncover-islamic-jihad-cell-planning-mass-terror-attack, live, On March 22, 2022, a convicted Islamic State supporter carried out a stabbing and vehicle-ramming attack, killing four people and injuring two others.WEB,www.timesofisrael.com/assailant-in-deadly-beersheba-attack-identified-as-terror-convict-who-backed-is/, Assailant in deadly Beersheba attack was terror convict who backed Islamic State, T. O. I., staff, www.timesofisrael.com, During the 2023 Israel–Hamas war, the city became the target of several rocket attacks.WEB, Fabian, Emanuel, Rocket sirens sound in Beersheba; Hamas claims responsibility,www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/rocket-sirens-sound-in-beersheba-hamas-claims-responsibility/, 2023-10-15, www.timesofisrael.com, en-US, Emblem of Beersheba (File:Beer_Sheva_COA_stamp_1965.png|thumb|80px|Beersheva emblem on a 1965 stamp)Since 1950, Beersheba has changed its municipal emblem several times. The 1950 emblem, designed by Abraham Khalili, featured a tamarix tree, a factory and water flowing from a pipeline.WEB,www.beer-sheva.muni.il/City/OnTheCity/Pages/CitySymbol.aspx, סמל העיר, עיריית באר שבע, May 18, 2019, April 26, 2019,web.archive.org/web/20190426164134/https://www.beer-sheva.muni.il/City/OnTheCity/Pages/CitySymbol.aspx, live, In 1972 the emblem was modernized with the symbolic representation of the Twelve Tribes and a tower. Words from the Bible are inscribed: Abraham “planted a tamarisk tree in Beersheba.” (Genesis 21:33) Since 2012, it has incorporated the number seven as part of the city rebranding. Geography (File:NahalashanS.jpg|thumb|Dry riverbed in Nahal Ashan park)Beersheba is located on the northern edge of the Negev desert {{convert|115|km|mi}} south-east of Tel Aviv and {{convert|120|km|mi}} south-west of Jerusalem. The city is located on the main route from the center and north of the country to Eilat in the far south. The Beersheba Valley has been populated for thousands of years, as it has available water, which flows from the Hebron hills in the winter and is stored underground in vast quantities.WEB,www.geocities.com/thetropics/harbor/7883/bs-climt.htm, The climate of Beer Sheva, 2008-02-24,www.geocities.com/thetropics/harbor/7883/bs-climt.htm," title="web.archive.org/web/20080325061505www.geocities.com/thetropics/harbor/7883/bs-climt.htm,">web.archive.org/web/20080325061505www.geocities.com/thetropics/harbor/7883/bs-climt.htm, March 25, 2008, dead, mdy, The main river in Beersheba is Nahal Beersheva, a wadi that floods in the winter. The Kovshim and Katef streams are other important wadis that pass through the city. Beersheba is surrounded by several satellite towns, including Omer, Lehavim, and Meitar, and the Bedouin localities of Rahat, Tel as-Sabi, and Lakiya. Just northwest of the city (near Ramot neighborhood) is a region called Goral hills (heb:גבעות גורל lit: hills of fate), the area has hills with up to {{convert|500|m|ft|abbr=off}} above sea level and low as {{convert|300|m|ft|abbr=off}} above sea level.JOURNAL,www.themarker.com/misc/1.562670, כל חייל שניווט פעם בגבעות גורל ישמח לשמוע שאת ×”×’’בלאות החשופות החליפו וילות עם גינות פורחות, אמיר, טייג, March 29, 2010, TheMarker, June 20, 2016, August 6, 2016,www.themarker.com/misc/1.562670," title="web.archive.org/web/20160806180205www.themarker.com/misc/1.562670,">web.archive.org/web/20160806180205www.themarker.com/misc/1.562670, live, Due to heavy construction the flora unique to the area is endangered.Northeast of the city (north to the Neve Menahem neighborhood) there are Loess plains and dry river bands. Climate Beersheba has a hot semi arid (Köppen climate classification BSh) with Mediterranean influences. The city has both characteristics of Mediterranean and desert climates. Summers are hot and dry, and winters are mild. Rainfall is highly concentrated in the winter season. In summer, the temperatures are high in daytime and nighttime with an average high of {{convert|34.7|°C|°F|sigfig=2}} and an average low of {{convert|21.4|°C|°F|sigfig=2}}. Winters have an average high of {{convert|17.7|°C|°F|sigfig=2}} and average low of {{convert|7.1|°C|°F|sigfig=2}}. Snow is very rare; a snowfall on February 20, 2015, was the first such occurrence in the city since 2000.NEWS,www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4628929,00.html, Be’er Sheva rejoices after rare snowfall, Ynetnews, February 20, 2015, June 8, 2015, July 2, 2018,web.archive.org/web/20180702181240/https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4628929,00.html, live, Raved, Ahiya, NEWS, Christine Hauser, Snow falls in Israel’s Negev Desert,www.irishtimes.com/news/snow-falls-in-israel-s-negev-desert-1.239093, 24 June 2021, The Irish Times, January 29, 2000, Precipitation in summer is rare, most rainfalls come in winter between September and May, but the annual amount is low, averaging {{convert|195.1|mm|in|sp=us|1}} per year. There are sandstorms in summer. Haze and fog are common in winter, as a result of high humidity.{{Weather box|location = Beersheba|metric first = yes|single line = yes|collapsed = yes|Jan record high C = 31.5|Feb record high C = 35.2|Mar record high C = 38.4|Apr record high C = 43.8|May record high C = 44.8|Jun record high C = 46.0|Jul record high C = 42.0|Aug record high C = 43.8|Sep record high C = 44.0|Oct record high C = 41.7|Nov record high C = 38.3|Dec record high C = 32.5|year record high C =|Jan avg record high C= 24.6|Feb avg record high C= 27.3|Mar avg record high C= 32.0|Apr avg record high C= 37.5|May avg record high C= 38.7|Jun avg record high C= 39.6|Jul avg record high C= 39.3|Aug avg record high C= 38.3|Sep avg record high C= 38.7|Oct avg record high C= 36.8|Nov avg record high C= 31.9|Dec avg record high C= 26.9|Jan high C = 17.7|Feb high C = 18.7|Mar high C = 22.0|Apr high C = 26.5|May high C = 30.5|Jun high C = 33.1|Jul high C = 34.7|Aug high C = 34.7|Sep high C = 32.9|Oct high C = 29.7|Nov high C = 25.0|Dec high C = 20.0|year high C =| Jan mean C = 12.4| Feb mean C = 13.2| Mar mean C = 15.9| Apr mean C = 19.7| May mean C = 23.2| Jun mean C = 26.1| Jul mean C = 28.0| Aug mean C = 28.1| Sep mean C = 26.2| Oct mean C = 23.2| Nov mean C = 18.6| Dec mean C = 14.4| year mean C =|Jan low C = 7.1|Feb low C = 7.7|Mar low C = 9.8|Apr low C = 12.8|May low C = 16.0|Jun low C = 19.0|Jul low C = 21.3|Aug low C = 21.5|Sep low C = 19.6|Oct low C = 16.7|Nov low C = 12.2|Dec low C = 8.8|year low C = |Jan avg record low C= 2.8|Feb avg record low C= 4.0|Mar avg record low C= 5.3|Apr avg record low C= 7.2|May avg record low C= 11.1|Jun avg record low C= 15.4|Jul avg record low C= 18.4|Aug avg record low C= 18.4|Sep avg record low C= 16.0|Oct avg record low C= 12.4|Nov avg record low C= 7.5|Dec avg record low C= 4.8|Jan record low C = 1.4|Feb record low C = 0.5|Mar record low C = 2.4|Apr record low C = 4|May record low C = 8|Jun record low C = 13.6|Jul record low C = 15.8|Aug record low C = 15.6|Sep record low C = 13|Oct record low C = 10.2|Nov record low C = 3.4 |Dec record low C = 3|year record low C = 0.5|Jan precipitation mm = 48|Feb precipitation mm = 40|Mar precipitation mm = 29|Apr precipitation mm = 9|May precipitation mm = 3.6|Jun precipitation mm = 0|Jul precipitation mm = 0|Aug precipitation mm = 0|Sep precipitation mm = 0.5|Oct precipitation mm = 9|Nov precipitation mm = 18|Dec precipitation mm = 38|year precipitation mm =|Jan precipitation days = 9|Feb precipitation days = 8|Mar precipitation days = 6|Apr precipitation days = 2|May precipitation days = 1|Jun precipitation days = 0|Jul precipitation days = 0|Aug precipitation days = 0|Sep precipitation days = 0.2|Oct precipitation days = 2|Nov precipitation days = 4|Dec precipitation days = 7|year precipitation days = |Jan humidity = 50|Feb humidity = 48|Mar humidity = 44|Apr humidity = 35|May humidity = 34|Jun humidity = 36|Jul humidity = 38|Aug humidity = 41|Sep humidity = 43|Oct humidity = 42|Nov humidity = 42|Dec humidity = 48|year humidity = |source 1 = Israel Meteorological ServiceWEB ,ims.gov.il/IMS/CLIMATE/LongTermInfo , Averages and Records for Beersheba (Precipitation, Temperature and Records [Excluding January and June] written in the page) between 1981 and 2000 , Israel Meteorological Service , August 2011 , dead ,www.ims.gov.il/IMS/CLIMATE/LongTermInfo" title="web.archive.org/web/20100914010915www.ims.gov.il/IMS/CLIMATE/LongTermInfo">web.archive.org/web/20100914010915www.ims.gov.il/IMS/CLIMATE/LongTermInfo , September 14, 2010 , mdy , WEB,ims.gov.il/IMS/CLIMATE/TopClimetIsrael, Records Data for Israel (Data used only for January and June), Israel Meteorological Service, May 19, 2010, May 7, 2018,www.ims.gov.il/IMS/CLIMATE/TopClimetIsrael," title="web.archive.org/web/20180507080609www.ims.gov.il/IMS/CLIMATE/TopClimetIsrael,">web.archive.org/web/20180507080609www.ims.gov.il/IMS/CLIMATE/TopClimetIsrael, live, WEB,www.ims.gov.il/IMS/CLIMATE/ClimaticAtlas/TempNormals.htm, Temperature average, Israel Meteorological Service, 8 December 2011, dead,www.ims.gov.il/IMS/CLIMATE/ClimaticAtlas/TempNormals.htm," title="web.archive.org/web/20130618145923www.ims.gov.il/IMS/CLIMATE/ClimaticAtlas/TempNormals.htm,">web.archive.org/web/20130618145923www.ims.gov.il/IMS/CLIMATE/ClimaticAtlas/TempNormals.htm, June 18, 2013, mdy, {{in lang|he}}WEB ,www.ims.gov.il/IMS/CLIMATE/ClimaticAtlas/RainNormals.htm , Precipitation average , 12 July 2011 , dead ,www.ims.gov.il/IMS/CLIMATE/ClimaticAtlas/RainNormals.htm" title="web.archive.org/web/20110925080227www.ims.gov.il/IMS/CLIMATE/ClimaticAtlas/RainNormals.htm">web.archive.org/web/20110925080227www.ims.gov.il/IMS/CLIMATE/ClimaticAtlas/RainNormals.htm , September 25, 2011 , mdy , {{in lang|he}}		DATE=2013	ISRAEL METEOROLOGICAL SERVICE >PAGE=11	ARCHIVE-URL=HTTPS://WEB.ARCHIVE.ORG/WEB/20160130063638/HTTP://WWW.IMS.GOV.IL/NR/RDONLYRES/163FFF5E-ACA3-403F-91AF-5FFA16ED9297/0/TEMPERATURESTATION.PDF, January 30, 2016, }} Demography Beersheba is one of the fastest-growing cities in Israel. Though it has a population of about 200,000, the city is larger in area than Tel Aviv, and its urban plan calls for an eventual population of 450,000–500,000.WEB, The Blueprint Negev and the Future of Israel,blogs.jpost.com/content/blueprint-negev-and-future-israel, The Blueprint Negev and the Future of Israel | Jerusalem Post – Blogs, Blogs.jpost.com, October 18, 2012, 2013-03-12, December 30, 2012,blogs.jpost.com/content/blueprint-negev-and-future-israel," title="web.archive.org/web/20121230080056blogs.jpost.com/content/blueprint-negev-and-future-israel,">web.archive.org/web/20121230080056blogs.jpost.com/content/blueprint-negev-and-future-israel, dead, It is planned to have a population of 340,000 by 2030.NEWS,en.globes.co.il/en/article-beer-sheva-to-have-340000-population-by-2030-1001199649, Beer Sheva to have population of 340,000 by 2030, Globes, February 8, 2017, May 18, 2019, May 18, 2019,web.archive.org/web/20190518115911/https://en.globes.co.il/en/article-beer-sheva-to-have-340000-population-by-2030-1001199649, live, The population of Beersheba is predominantly Jewish. Jews and others represent 97.3% of the population, of whom Jews are 86.5%. Arabs constitute around 2.69% of city population.WEB,www.cbs.gov.il/en/settlements/Pages/default.aspx?mode=Yeshuv, Regional Statistics, WEB,www.calcalist.co.il/real_estate/articles/0,7340,L-3412128,00.html, תוכנית באר שבע אושרה; המטרה – מיליון תושבים עד שנת 2020, Calcalist.co.il, June 20, 1995, 2013-03-26, February 3, 2014,www.calcalist.co.il/real_estate/articles/0,7340,L-3412128,00.html," title="web.archive.org/web/20140203030548www.calcalist.co.il/real_estate/articles/0,7340,L-3412128,00.html,">web.archive.org/web/20140203030548www.calcalist.co.il/real_estate/articles/0,7340,L-3412128,00.html, live, The Israel Central Bureau of Statistics divides the Beersheba metropolitan area into two areas:{| class=“wikitable”
name= note2 |Includes the city of Beersheba.}}	177,200	19,500	1,711	Rahat and Ofakim, the local council (Israel)>local councils Lehavim, Omer, Israel	and Tel as-Sabi>Tel Sheva, as well as many smaller towns (local councils).}}	35,700	500	286	33	128,500	361,400	1.8%

{{notelist}}

Economy

(File:Negev Mall Tower.JPG|thumb|150px|Negev Mall Tower)The largest employers in Beersheba are Soroka Medical Center,WEB,hospitals.clalit.co.il/hospitals/soroka/en-us/AboutE/Pages/Homepage.aspx, About Soroka University Medical Center, hospitals.clalit.co.il, November 25, 2017, November 22, 2017,hospitals.clalit.co.il/hospitals/soroka/en-us/AboutE/Pages/Homepage.aspx," title="web.archive.org/web/20171122053053hospitals.clalit.co.il/hospitals/soroka/en-us/AboutE/Pages/Homepage.aspx,">web.archive.org/web/20171122053053hospitals.clalit.co.il/hospitals/soroka/en-us/AboutE/Pages/Homepage.aspx, live, the municipality, Israel Defense Forces and Ben-Gurion University. A major Israel Aerospace Industries complex is located in the main industrial zone, north of Highway 60. Numerous electronics and chemical plants, including Teva Pharmaceutical Industries, are located in and around the city.Beersheba is emerging as a high-tech center, with an emphasis on cyber security. A large high-tech park was built near the Be’er Sheva North Railway Station in 2012 and a fifth commercial building begun to be constructed. Deutsche Telekom, Elbit Systems, EMC, Lockheed Martin, Ness Technologies, WeWork and RAD Data Communications have opened facilities there, as has a cyberincubator run by Jerusalem Venture Partners.NEWS, Bousso, Nimrod, Desert Storm: Be’er Sheva Rapidly Emerges as Global Cyber Center,www.haaretz.com/business/.premium-1.653014, Ha’aretz, April 24, 2015, September 10, 2015, October 18, 2015,www.haaretz.com/business/.premium-1.653014," title="web.archive.org/web/20151018050334www.haaretz.com/business/.premium-1.653014,">web.archive.org/web/20151018050334www.haaretz.com/business/.premium-1.653014, live, A Science park funded by the RASHI-SACTA Foundation, Beersheba Municipality and private donors was completed in 2008.WEB,duns100.dundb.co.il/2007/vp/600143622/index.asp, Dun’s 100 2007 â€“ Be’er-Sheva Municipality VP, Duns100.dundb.co.il, 2009-05-05, dead,duns100.dundb.co.il/2007/vp/600143622/index.asp," title="web.archive.org/web/20090221004609duns100.dundb.co.il/2007/vp/600143622/index.asp,">web.archive.org/web/20090221004609duns100.dundb.co.il/2007/vp/600143622/index.asp, February 21, 2009, mdy-all, Another high-tech park is located north of the city near Omer.An additional three industrial zones are located on the southeastern side of the city â€“ Makhteshim, Emek Sara and Kiryat Yehudit â€“ and a light industry zone between Kiryat Yehudit and the Old City.

Local government

(File:PikiWiki Israel 10420 court house in beer sheva.jpg|thumb|Beersheba District Court)The mayor of Beersheba is Ruvik Danilovich,WEB, Halon, Eytan, Beersheba rises as Israel’s new tech hub, The Jerusalem Post | JPost.com, 2020-01-11,www.jpost.com/israel-news/beersheba-rises-as-israels-new-tech-hub-613775, 2020-12-30, January 22, 2021,web.archive.org/web/20210122182032/https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/beersheba-rises-as-israels-new-tech-hub-613775, live, who was deputy mayor under Yaakov Turner.WEB, Cashman, Greer Fay, Grapevine: Political successes – and successors, The Jerusalem Post | JPost.com, 2013-11-02,www.jpost.com/metro/features/grapevine-political-successes-and-successors-330403, 2020-12-30, October 7, 2020,web.archive.org/web/20201007151844/https://www.jpost.com/metro/features/grapevine-political-successes-and-successors-330403, live, {| class=“sortable wikitable“|+ Mayors of Beersheba!! Name! Political party! Took office! Left office! Years in office|1|David Tuviyahu|Mapai1950196111|2|Ze’ev Zrizi|Mapam196119632|3|Eliyahu Nawi|Mapai1963198623|4Moshe Zilbermanמשה_זילברמן}}Independent politician>Independent198619893|5|Yitzhak Rager|Likud198919978|6David Bunfeldדוד_בונפלד}}|Likud199719981|7|Yaakov TernerIsraeli Labor Party>Labor1998200810|8|Ruvik Danilovich|Labor, New Way2008{{nbsp}}{{nbsp}}

Educational institutions

File:Ben Gurion University of the Negev - IsraelMFA 02.jpg|thumb|Ben Gurion University of the NegevBen Gurion University of the NegevAccording to the Israel Central Bureau of Statistics, in 2022, Beersheba has a ca.8,975 preschoolers in ca.300 preschools & kindergartens. A total of 99 schools teaching a student population of ca.45,291: 60 elementary schools with an enrollment of 19,617 (ca.3,200 of whom are entering the 1st grade), and 39 high schools with an enrollment of 16,699. Of Beersheba’s 12th graders, 90% earned a Bagrut matriculation certificate in 2022. The city also has several private schools and yeshivot in the religious sector with 3,000 or more students.(File:PikiWiki Israel 4451 College of Engineering Sammy Shamun.JPG|thumb|Shamoon College of Engineering)Beersheba is home to one of Israel’s major universities, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, located on an urban campus in the city (Dalet neighborhood). Other schools in Beersheva are the Open University of Israel, Shamoon College of Engineering (SCE), Kaye Academic College of Education, Practical Engineering College of Beersheba ({{transliteration|jeb|Hamikhlala ha technologit shel Be’er sheva}}),WEB,www.tcb.ac.il/, technical college website, Tcb.ac.il, 2013-08-08, January 13, 2012,www.tcb.ac.il/," title="web.archive.org/web/20120113165518www.tcb.ac.il/,">web.archive.org/web/20120113165518www.tcb.ac.il/, live, and a campus of the Israeli Air and Space College (Techni Be’er sheva ).WEB,techni-bs.iscool.co.il, school website, Techni-bs.iscool.co.il, 2013-08-08, May 5, 2019,techni-bs.iscool.co.il/," title="web.archive.org/web/20190505132958techni-bs.iscool.co.il/,">web.archive.org/web/20190505132958techni-bs.iscool.co.il/, live,

Neighborhoods

After Israeli independence, Beersheba became a “laboratory” for Israeli architecture.Haaretz.com, “Magic Carpet: The Carpet-Style Patio Homes of Be’er Sheva”], Haaretz Mishol Girit, a neighborhood built in the late 1950s, was the first attempt to create an alternative to the standard public housing projects in Israel. Hashatiah (literally, “the carpet“), also known as {{transliteration|he|Hashekhuna ledugma}} (the model neighborhood), was hailed by architects around the world. Today, Beersheba is divided into seventeen residential neighborhoods in addition to the Old City and Ramot, an umbrella neighborhood of four sub-districts. Many of the neighbourhoods are named after letters of the Hebrew alphabet, which also have numerical value, but descriptive place names have been given to some of the newer neighborhoods.

Art and cultural institutions

(File:PikiWiki Israel 10581 Beer Sheva Cinema keren.jpg|thumb|Keren Cinema, first movie theater in the Negev)In 1953, Cinema Keren, the Negev’s first movie theater, opened in Beersheba. It was built by the Histadrut and had seating for 1,200 people.Be’er-Sheva Tours and Trails, Adi Wolfson and Zeev Zivan, 2017, p.20 Beersheba is the home base of the Israel Sinfonietta, founded in 1973. Over the years, the Sinfonietta has developed a broad repertoire of symphonic works, concerti for solo instruments and large choral productions, among them Handel’s Israel in Egypt, masses by Schubert and Mozart, Rossini’s “Stabat Mater” and Vivaldi’s “Gloria”. World-famous artists have appeared as soloists with the Sinfonietta, including Pinchas Zukerman, Jean-Pierre Rampal, Shlomo Mintz, Gary Karr, and Paul Tortelier.Sounds from the South {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121009234550www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/MFAArchive/2000_2009/2002/7/Sounds%20from%20the%20South |date=October 9, 2012 }} In the 1970s, a memorial commemorating fallen Israeli soldiers designed by the sculptor Danny Karavan was erected on a hill north-east of the city.WEB,www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/alabaster/A4499625, h2g2 â€“ Be’er Sheva, Israel â€“ A4499625, BBC, 2009-05-05,www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/alabaster/A4499625," title="web.archive.org/web/20090531054720www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/alabaster/A4499625,">web.archive.org/web/20090531054720www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/alabaster/A4499625, May 31, 2009, live, The Beersheba Theater opened in 1973. The Light Opera Group of the Negev, established in 1980, performs musicals in English every year.NEWS,www.haaretz.co.il/hasen/pages/ShArtStEngPE.jhtml?itemNo=957537&contrassID=2&subContrassID=5&title=%27The%20salons%20of%20the%20South%20%27&dyn_server=172.20.5.5, The salons of the South â€“ Haaretz â€“ Israel News, Haaretz, December 24, 2006, 2009-05-05, {{Dead link|date=August 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}Landmarks in the city include “Abraham’s well”, a well dating to at least the 12th century CE (now inside a visitors center), and the old Turkish railway station, now the focus of development plans.“Blueprint for Beersheba” {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100924131935www.jpost.com/home/article.aspx?id=175455 |date=September 24, 2010 }}, JPost The Artists House of the Negev, in a Mandate-era building, showcases artwork connected in some way to the Negev.“Touch and feel the Negev” {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210529125146www.jpost.com/Travel/Around-Israel/Touch-and-feel-the-Negev |date=May 29, 2021 }}, JPostThe Negev Museum of Art reopened in 2004 in the Ottoman Governor’s House, and an art and media center for young people was established in the Old City.In 2009, a new tourist and information center, Gateway to the Negev, was built.WEB, Lubliner, Elan,fr.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1233304840270&pagename=JPost/JPArticle/ShowFull, ‘Gateway’ center aims to help the Negev bloom again, Around Israel, Jerusalem Post, February 21, 2009, 2009-05-05, dead,fr.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1233304840270&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull," title="web.archive.org/web/20110813132548fr.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1233304840270&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull,">web.archive.org/web/20110813132548fr.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1233304840270&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull, August 13, 2011,

Great Mosque of Beersheba

(File:D283-042.jpg|alt=The Great Mosque of Beersheba in 1948|thumb|The Great Mosque of Beersheba in 1948)In 1906, during the Ottoman era, the Great Mosque of Beersheba was built with donations collected from the Bedouin residents in the Negev. It was used actively as a mosque until the city fell to Israeli forces in 1948.{{citation |url=http://english.al-akhbar.com/node/22980 |title=In latest attack on Palestinian heritage, Israel reopens museum in old mosque |access-date=January 23, 2015 |date=December 22, 2014 |work=Al Akhbar Newsletter |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170225014213english.al-akhbar.com/node/22980 |archive-date=February 25, 2017 |url-status=dead }} The mosque was used until 1953 as the city’s courthouse. From then until the 1990s, when it was closed for renovations, the building housed an archeological museum, which the city intended to turn into the archeological branch of the Negev Museum.NEWS,www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1089841.html, Will Be’er Sheva allow Muslims to use city’s only mosque? â€“ Haaretz â€“ Israel News, Haaretz, 2009-07-07,www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1089841.html," title="web.archive.org/web/20090606135706www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1089841.html,">web.archive.org/web/20090606135706www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1089841.html, June 6, 2009, live, In 2011, however, the Supreme Court of Israel, sitting as the High Court of Justice, ordered the property to be turned into a museum of Islam without reverting to a place of worship.NEWS, Curiel, Ilana, Beersheba mosque to become Islam museum,www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4086545,00.html, Yediot Ahronot, June 24, 2011, March 18, 2015, April 2, 2015,www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4086545,00.html," title="web.archive.org/web/20150402131209www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4086545,00.html,">web.archive.org/web/20150402131209www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4086545,00.html, live,

Transportation

Beersheba is the central transport hub of southern Israel, served by roads, railways and air. Beersheba is connected to Tel Aviv via Highway 40, the second longest highway in Israel, which passes to the east of the city and is called the Beersheba bypass because it allows travellers from the north to go to southern locations, avoiding the more congested city center. From west to east, the city is divided by Highway 25, which connects to Ashkelon and the Gaza Strip to the northwest, and Dimona to the east. Finally, Highway 60 connects Beersheba with Jerusalem and the Shoket Junction, and goes through the West Bank. On the local level, a partial ring road surrounds the city from the north and east, and Road 406 (Rager Blvd.) goes through the city center from north to south.Metrodan Beersheba, established in 2003, had a fleet of 90 buses and operates 19 lines in the city between 2003 and 2016, most of which depart from the Beersheba Central Bus Station.WEB,eng.negev-net.org.il/HTMLs/article.aspx?C2004=12553&BSP=12316, Transportation in the Negev, Negev Information Center, 2008-03-25,eng.negev-net.org.il/HTMLs/article.aspx?C2004=12553&BSP=12316," title="web.archive.org/web/20080614091857eng.negev-net.org.il/HTMLs/article.aspx?C2004=12553&BSP=12316,">web.archive.org/web/20080614091857eng.negev-net.org.il/HTMLs/article.aspx?C2004=12553&BSP=12316, June 14, 2008, dead, mdy-all, These lines were formerly operated by the municipality as the ‘Be’er Sheva Urban Bus Services’. Inter-city buses to and from Beersheba are operated by Egged, Dan BaDarom and Metropoline.WEB,metropoline.com/map.asp, Map of lines of the Metropoline company, Metropoline, 2008-11-24,www.metropoline.com/map.asp," title="web.archive.org/web/20081217065744www.metropoline.com/map.asp,">web.archive.org/web/20081217065744www.metropoline.com/map.asp, December 17, 2008, dead, he, The intercity bus service was transferred to Dan Be’er Sheva in 25’th of November 2016 and Metrodan Beersheva had been shut down. With the change to Dan Be’er Sheva the company introduced electronic payment stopping pay at the driver which was common in Beersheba.WEB,www.danbr7.co.il/pages/4.aspx, תשלום עבור נסיעה - דן באר שבע, www.danbr7.co.il, February 22, 2017, February 22, 2017,www.danbr7.co.il/pages/4.aspx," title="web.archive.org/web/20170222200045www.danbr7.co.il/pages/4.aspx,">web.archive.org/web/20170222200045www.danbr7.co.il/pages/4.aspx, live, (File:PikiWiki Israel 4499 Pedestrian Bridge.JPG|thumb|left|Mexico Bridge from railway station to Ben-Gurion University)Israel Railways operates two stations in the city that form part of the railway to Beersheba: the old Be’er Sheva North University station, adjacent to Ben Gurion University and Soroka Medical Center, and the new Be’er Sheva Central station, adjacent to the central bus station. Between the two stations, the railway splits into two, and also continues to Dimona and the Dead Sea factories. An extension is planned to EilatNEWS,www.ynet.co.il/articles/0,7340,L-3520156,00.html, Ynet, he, March 17, 2008, 2008-03-25, Hazelkorn, Shahar, Mofaz Decided: A Railway to Eilat Will Be Built,www.ynet.co.il/articles/0%2C7340%2CL-3520156%2C00.html," title="web.archive.org/web/20080321230635www.ynet.co.il/articles/0%2C7340%2CL-3520156%2C00.html,">web.archive.org/web/20080321230635www.ynet.co.il/articles/0%2C7340%2CL-3520156%2C00.html, March 21, 2008, live, and Arad.The Be’er Sheva North University station is the terminus of the line to Dimona. All stations of Israel Railways can be accessed from Beersheba using transfer stations in Tel Aviv and Lod. Until 2012, the railway line to Beersheba used a slow single-track configuration with sharp curves and many level crossings which limited train speed. Between 2004 and 2012 the line was double tracked and rebuilt using an improved alignment and all its level crossings were grade separated. The rebuilding effort cost NIS 2.8 billion and significantly reduced the travel time and greatly increased the train frequency to and from Tel Aviv and Kiryat Motzkin to Beersheba.NEWS, Bocker, Ran, From Beersheva to Tel Aviv in 55 Minutes,www.ynet.co.il/articles/0,7340,L-4255551,00.html, July 15, 2012, Ynet, July 15, 2012, he, July 17, 2012,www.ynet.co.il/articles/0,7340,L-4255551,00.html," title="web.archive.org/web/20120717175444www.ynet.co.il/articles/0,7340,L-4255551,00.html,">web.archive.org/web/20120717175444www.ynet.co.il/articles/0,7340,L-4255551,00.html, live, In addition, Beersheba will be linked to Tel Aviv and Eilat by a new passenger and freight high-speed railway system.WEB,www.airrailnews.com/index.php/component/simplelists/item/929,www.airrailnews.com/index.php/component/simplelists/item/929," title="archive.today/20130410122729www.airrailnews.com/index.php/component/simplelists/item/929,">archive.today/20130410122729www.airrailnews.com/index.php/component/simplelists/item/929, dead, April 10, 2013, Eilat high speed rail line gets green line, Airrailnews.com, February 14, 2013, 2013-03-26, The Beersheba Light Rail is currently planned as a light rail system for the city of Beersheba and outlying communities. There have been plans for a light rail system in Beersheba for many years, and a light rail system appears in the master plan for the city.WEB,www.mynet.co.il/articles/0,7340,L-4055675,00.html, mynet באר שבע – רכבת קלה? הצחקתם את הבאר שבעיים, Mynet.co.il, June 20, 1995, 2013-03-26,www.mynet.co.il/articles/0,7340,L-4055675,00.html," title="web.archive.org/web/20170126152544www.mynet.co.il/articles/0,7340,L-4055675,00.html,">web.archive.org/web/20170126152544www.mynet.co.il/articles/0,7340,L-4055675,00.html, January 26, 2017, dead, An agreement was signed for the construction of a light rail system in 1998, but was not implemented. In 2008, the Israeli Finance Ministry contemplated freezing the Tel Aviv Light Rail project and building a light rail system in Beersheba instead, but that did not happen. In 2014, mayor Ruvik Danilovich announced that the light rail system will be built in the city.NEWS,www.globes.co.il/news/article.aspx?fbdid=137231, נחתם ההסכם הסופי לתכנון רכבת קלה בבאר שבע - גלובס, Globes, January 13, 1998, August 8, 2016, August 15, 2016,www.globes.co.il/news/article.aspx?fbdid=137231," title="web.archive.org/web/20160815152154www.globes.co.il/news/article.aspx?fbdid=137231,">web.archive.org/web/20160815152154www.globes.co.il/news/article.aspx?fbdid=137231, live, WEB,www.bizportal.co.il/realestates/news/article/397165, “מספיק להגר למרכז - יש כאן דירות בחצי מיליון שקל, והרבה מהן” - Bizportal, August 12, 2015, September 23, 2015,www.bizportal.co.il/realestates/news/article/397165," title="web.archive.org/web/20150923191526www.bizportal.co.il/realestates/news/article/397165,">web.archive.org/web/20150923191526www.bizportal.co.il/realestates/news/article/397165, live, WEB,www.jpost.com/Local-Israel/Tel-Aviv-And-Center/Tel-Aviv-light-rail-project-may-be-stopped-in-its-tracks, Tel Aviv light rail project may be stopped in its tracks, May 26, 2008, August 12, 2015, March 4, 2016,www.jpost.com/Local-Israel/Tel-Aviv-And-Center/Tel-Aviv-light-rail-project-may-be-stopped-in-its-tracks," title="web.archive.org/web/20160304082959www.jpost.com/Local-Israel/Tel-Aviv-And-Center/Tel-Aviv-light-rail-project-may-be-stopped-in-its-tracks,">web.archive.org/web/20160304082959www.jpost.com/Local-Israel/Tel-Aviv-And-Center/Tel-Aviv-light-rail-project-may-be-stopped-in-its-tracks, live, In 2017, the Ministry of Transport gave the Beersheba municipality approval to proceed with preliminary planning on a light rail system.WEB,www.railjournal.com/regions/middle-east/beer-sheva-develops-light-rail-plans/, Beer-Sheva develops light rail plans, July 11, 2017, May 18, 2019, May 18, 2019,web.archive.org/web/20190518121412/https://www.railjournal.com/regions/middle-east/beer-sheva-develops-light-rail-plans/, live, In August 2023, the light rail was officially approved. It is expected to be completed by 2033.Be’er Sheva light rail project to proceed

Roundabouts

(File:Artzieli Square 3.jpg|thumb|right|150px| Harp statue, Artzieli Square, 2019)In Be’er Sheva there are over 250 roundabouts, giving the city its nickname of “Roundabout Capital of Israel”. Many roundabouts, part of Be’er-Sheva’s urban oasis project, include fountains, landscaping and sculptures by well-known artists (such as Menashe Kadishman’s The Horse Circle and Jeremy Langford’s The Drip Circle). Some commemorate famous people and international and local organizations, or mark important events. Some are named after the twin cities of Beer Sheva.איליה יגורוב, 7 כיכרות 7 סיפורים, אתר באר שבע נט, 12 בינואר 2020Well-known roundabouts are: Ilan Ramon Circle, Phantom Circle near the Air Force Technical School, Champions Square near Turner Stadium and Conch Arena, Chess Circle, Harp Circle near the Municipal Conservatory and the Be’er-Sheva Performing Arts Center, College Circle, Ben Gurion Circle, Light Circle, Freemasons Circle, Shofarot Circle, Twin Towers Circle.

Hiking

Beersheba is linked to Hilvan by the Abraham Path.{{Citation needed|date=December 2017}}

Sports

Hapoel Be’er Sheva plays in the Israeli Premier League, the top tier of Israeli football, having been promoted in the 2008–2009 Liga Leumit season. The club has won the Israeli championship five times, in 1975, 1976, 2016, 2017 and 2018, as well as the State Cup in 1997, 2020 and 2022. Beersheba has two other local clubs, Maccabi Be’er Sheva (based in Neve Noy) and F.C. Be’er Sheva (based in the north of Dalet), a continuation of the defunct Beitar Avraham Be’er Sheva. Hapoel play at the Turner Stadium.Beersheba has a basketball club, Hapoel Be’er Sheva. The team plays at The Conch Arena, which seats 3,000.Beersheba has become Israel’s national chess center; thanks to Soviet immigration, it is home to the largest number of chess grandmasters of any city in the world.NEWS, Chess masters set to compete in world blitz championship, Eitan, Bekerman, Haaretz, September 4, 2006,www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/758461.html, dead,www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/758461.html," title="web.archive.org/web/20081011075109www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/758461.html,">web.archive.org/web/20081011075109www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/758461.html, October 11, 2008, The city hosted the World Team Chess Championship in 2005, and chess is taught in the city’s kindergartens.JOURNAL,www.fide.com/component/content/article/9-other/2182-673-world-team-championship-in-beer-sheva-israel, World Team Championship in Beer Sheva, Israel, World Chess Federation, March 13, 2009, November 1, 2005, December 4, 2010,www.fide.com/component/content/article/9-other/2182-673-world-team-championship-in-beer-sheva-israel," title="web.archive.org/web/20101204083206www.fide.com/component/content/article/9-other/2182-673-world-team-championship-in-beer-sheva-israel,">web.archive.org/web/20101204083206www.fide.com/component/content/article/9-other/2182-673-world-team-championship-in-beer-sheva-israel, live, The Israeli chess team won the silver medal at the 2008 Chess OlympiadNEWS, Israel takes silver medal at Chess Olympiad, Uri, Tzahor, Ynewnews.com, November 26, 2008,www.ynet.co.il/english/articles/0,7340,L-3628765,00.html, November 24, 2010, May 1, 2011,www.ynet.co.il/english/articles/0,7340,L-3628765,00.html," title="web.archive.org/web/20110501094812www.ynet.co.il/english/articles/0,7340,L-3628765,00.html,">web.archive.org/web/20110501094812www.ynet.co.il/english/articles/0,7340,L-3628765,00.html, live, and the bronze at the 2010 Olympiad. The chess club was founded in 1973 by Eliyahu Levant, who is still the driving spirit behind it.NEWS, Jerusalem Post, December 12, 2004, Gavin Rabinowitz, 4, Beersheba is king of world chess,highbeam.com/doc/1P1-103365216.html,www.highbeam.com/doc/1P1-103365216.html," title="web.archive.org/web/20110614213930www.highbeam.com/doc/1P1-103365216.html,">web.archive.org/web/20110614213930www.highbeam.com/doc/1P1-103365216.html, dead, June 14, 2011, By all accounts it is Levant, 76, who is responsible for chess taking root in these arid surroundings... Klenburg says the club’s success is all owed to Levant. “He was the right man at the right time,”, The city has the second largest wrestling center (AMI wrestling school) in Israel. {{Citation needed|date=April 2009}} The center is run by Leonid Shulman and has approximately 2,000 students, most of whom are from Russian immigrant families since the origins of the club are in the Nahal Beka immigrant absorption center. Maccabi Be’er Sheva has a freestyle wrestling team, whilst Hapoel Be’er Sheva has a Greco-Roman wrestling team. In the 2010 World Wrestling Championships, AMI students won five medals.WEB,www.mynet.co.il/articles/0,7340,L-3833478,00.html, mynet באר שבע – באר שבע מובילה במאבק על ספורט ההאבקות, Mynet.co.il, 2013-03-26,www.mynet.co.il/articles/0,7340,L-3833478,00.html," title="web.archive.org/web/20170806021059www.mynet.co.il/articles/0,7340,L-3833478,00.html,">web.archive.org/web/20170806021059www.mynet.co.il/articles/0,7340,L-3833478,00.html, August 6, 2017, dead, Cricket is played under the auspices of Israel Cricket Association. Beersheba is also home to a rugby team, whose senior and youth squads have won several national titles (including the recent Senior National League 2004–2005 championship).WEB,www.rugbycity.net/, ミニ, December 31, 2005,www.rugbycity.net/," title="web.archive.org/web/20070529235006www.rugbycity.net/,">web.archive.org/web/20070529235006www.rugbycity.net/, May 29, 2007, dead, mdy-all, Beersheba’s tennis center, which opened in 1991, features eight lighted courts, and the Beersheba (Teyman) airfield is used for gliding.

Environmental awards

In 2012, the Beersheba “ring trail”, a 42-kilometer hiking trail around the city, won third place in the annual environmental competition of the European Travelers Association.NEWS,www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4289338,00.html, Beersheba wins EU’s green travel award, Ynetnews, Ynetnews.com, June 20, 1995, 2013-08-08, February 1, 2013,www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4289338,00.html," title="web.archive.org/web/20130201184546www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4289338,00.html,">web.archive.org/web/20130201184546www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4289338,00.html, live, Wolfson, Prof Adi,

Notable people

File:Ilan Ramon, NASA photo portrait in orange suit.jpg|thumb|right|upright|Ilan RamonIlan Ramon

• Orna Banai (born 1966), actress, comedian, and entertainer
• Elyaniv Barda (born 1981), footballer
• Zehava Ben (born 1968), singer
• Avishay Braverman (born 1948), professor and politician, president of the Ben-Gurion University of the Negev
• Almog Cohen (born 1988), footballer
• Ruvik Danilovich (born 1971), 8th mayor of Be’er Sheva
• Anat Draigor (born 1960), basketball player
• Eli Alaluf (born 1945), politician
• Ronit Elkabetz (1964–2016), actress
• Velvl Greene (1928–2011), Canadian–American–Israeli scientist and academic
• Zvika Hadar (born 1966), comedian and show host
• Boaz Huss (born 1959), professor of Kabbalah at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev
• Ron Kaplan (born 1970), Olympic gymnast
• Victor Mikhalevski (born 1972), chess grandmaster
• David Naccache (born 1967), cryptologist, professor at France’s Ecole normale supérieure
• David Newman (born 1956), professor and Dean of Social Science and Humanities, BGU
• Ilan Ramon (1954–2003), Israel’s first astronaut; died in the Columbia disaster
• Yehudit Ravitz (born 1956), singer
• Yogev Glossman (born 1990), singer
• Max Steinberg (1989–2014), American-Israeli IDF lone soldier killed in the 2014 Gaza War
• Idan Tal (born 1975), footballer
• Eli Zizov (born 1991), footballer
• Ze’ev Zrizi (1916–2011), second mayor of Beersheba

Twin towns – sister cities

{{See also|List of twin towns and sister cities in Israel}}Beersheba is twinned with:WEB, ערים תאומות,www.beer-sheva.muni.il/City/OnTheCity/foreignRelations/Pages/ArimTeomot.aspx, beer-sheva.muni.il, Beersheba, he, 2020-11-09, October 1, 2020,web.archive.org/web/20201001124936/https://www.beer-sheva.muni.il/City/OnTheCity/foreignRelations/Pages/ArimTeomot.aspx, live, {{div col|colwidth=15em}}

• {{flagicon|TUR}} Adana, Turkey
• {{flagicon|ETH}} Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
• {{flagicon|ROU}} Cluj-Napoca, Romania
• {{flagicon|FRA}} Lyon, France
• {{flagicon|SRB}} NiÅ¡, Serbia
• {{flagicon|GEO}} Oni, Georgia
• {{flagicon|AUS}} Parramatta, Australia
• {{flagicon|ARG}} La Plata, Argentina

• {{flagicon|USA}} Seattle, United States
• {{flagicon|CAN}} Montreal, Canada
• {{flagicon|CAN}} Winnipeg, Canada
• {{flagicon|GER}} Wuppertal, Germany
• {{flagicon|GER}} Munich, Germany

{{div col end}}

See also

• Battle of Beersheba (First World War)
• Beer Sheva Park, Seattle
• (:File:BeershevaRegion1940s.jpg|Map of Beersheba and surrounds in the 1940s and 1950s)
• Beersheba Settlement

References

{{reflist}}

Bibliography

• BOOK, Fabri, Felix, Felix Fabri, 1893,archive.org/details/libraryofpalesti02paleuoft, Felix Fabri (circa 1480–1483 A.D.) vol II, part II, Palestine Pilgrims’ Text Society,
• JOURNAL, Thareani-Sussely, Yifat, The ‘Archaeology of the Days of Manasseh’ Reconsidered in the Light of Evidence From The Beersheba Valley, Palestine Exploration Quarterly, 139, 2, 2007, 69–77, 10.1179/003103207x194091, 161326436,

External links

{{Commons}}{{wikivoyage inline|Beer Sheva}}

• Be’er Sheva Municipal Website {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160807025931www.beer-sheva.muni.il/Eng/Pages/default.aspx |date=August 7, 2016 }}
• My Be’er-Sheva
• Beersheba City Council {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040924053025www.beer-sheva.muni.il/ |date=September 24, 2004 }}
• Selection of photos from Beer Sheva from flickr
• web.bgu.ac.il/Eng/home/" title="web.archive.org/web/20080406233300web.bgu.ac.il/Eng/home/">Ben-Gurion University
• The city of Beersheba: a tourist’s guide
• Beer-Sheva â€“ Historical article from the Catholic Encyclopaedia
• www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,22682910-2702,00.html" title="web.archive.org/web/20080614033657www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,22682910-2702,00.html">Light Horse charges again Article written by Martin Chulov, published in The Australian, November 1, 2007, the descendants of the Australian light-horsemen rode into the centre of Beersheva, re-enacting the gallant gallop of October 31, 1917
• www.aliciapatterson.org/APF001971/Downie/Downie04/Downie04.html" title="web.archive.org/web/20070824023021www.aliciapatterson.org/APF001971/Downie/Downie04/Downie04.html">Israel Builds Expansion and architecture of Beersheva in the 1960s and 1970s
• Blueprint for Beersheba
• WEB, Goodchild, Philip, Talbert, Andrew, Beersheba & Abraham,www.bibledex.com/israel/beersheba.html, Bibledex in Israel, 2010, Brady Haran for the University of Nottingham,
• Tsagai Asamain, Be’er Sheva-Compound C:Conservation measures during the excavation, Israel Antiquities Authority Site – iaa-conservation.org.il/index_eng.asp" title="web.archive.org/web/20140626044723iaa-conservation.org.il/index_eng.asp">Conservation Department
• Yardena Etgar and Ofer Cohen, Tel Be’er Sheva: The Underground Water Reservoir System, Israel Antiquities Authority Site – iaa-conservation.org.il/index_eng.asp" title="web.archive.org/web/20140626044723iaa-conservation.org.il/index_eng.asp">Conservation Department
• Shauli Sela and Fuad Abu-Taa, The Turkish Mosque and the Governor’s House: Conservation of the stone and plaster, Israel Antiquities Authority Site – iaa-conservation.org.il/index_eng.asp" title="web.archive.org/web/20140626044723iaa-conservation.org.il/index_eng.asp">Conservation Department
• Survey of Western Palestine, Map 24: IAA, (:commons:File:Survey_of_Western_Palestine_1880.24.jpg|Wikimedia commons)
• BeerSheva.city, the first French portal of the city

{{Beersheba}}{{South District (Israel)}}{{Largest Israeli cities}}{{Authority control}}