The Negev – the southern portion of Israel encompasses approximately half of Israel’s landmass and is bordered by Gaza and Egypt in the West. This desert area merges with the Sinai and Jordan in the East. It is shaped in the form of a triangle with the port city of Eilat at its southernmost tip.
In the years before the establishment of the State of Israel when the borders were being debated, David Ben- Gurion insisted on the Negev being included within the borders of the Jewish State, even though it was believed to be a barren and unproductive area, he believed that this could be overcome and he quoted –
“It is in the Negev that the creativity and pioneer vigor of Israel shall be tested.”
For the first few decades of the modern state of Israel, the area remained to a large part undeveloped and not heavily populated. Still, notwithstanding the poor and arid conditions, Israel has had great success and become a world leader in making the desert fertile by finding ways to conserve water and sustain the soil with innovative methods to promote agriculture in the desert. In turn, this makes the area economically viable and thus more appealing for settlement.
For most of the year, the Negev is seen as barren. Still, winter brings a delightful surprise when the desert becomes covered with magnificent flowers, including beautiful Red Anemones and the rare and exotic Yeruham Iris and species of orchids. Sometimes during the winter flash floods occur along the normally dry riverbeds.
Visitors to Israel will find a lot to see in the Negev, which is the area where Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob tended their flocks and which now offers some of Israel’s best National Parks and interesting historical and archeological sites, including the four excavated remains of ancient Nabatean cities, the best of which is Mamshit which was built in the first century.
A visit to the Alpaca farm at Mitzpe Ramon and viewing the huge Ramon Crater are popular tourist attractions and make interesting stops en route to Eilat.