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Beersheba (Be'er Sheva) is the largest city in the Negev desert of
Israel. In 2005 the population reached 185,000 and Beersheba
became the sixth largest city in Israel. It is ofen called "The Capital
of the Negev".
Beersheba is divided into fourteen residential neighbourhoods in addition to the Old City.
Beersheba is home to Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, and the Soroka Medical Center.
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Tel Be'er-Sheva, a few kilometers northeast,is where the ancient city
of Beersheba can be found. Abraham's Well is where the first peace
treaty was signed over 3700 years ago. Tel Be'er-Sheva was situated in
the territory of the tribe of Simeon, in the extreme southern part of ancient Israel.
According to the Torah (Genesis 21:22-31), Beersheba was the place
where Abraham, father of the Israelites, dug a well as part of his
covenant with King Abimelech of Gerar. Abraham also planted a tamarisk
tree here, invoking the name of HaShem. Another account (Genesis
26:26-33), however, attributes the naming of the site to Isaac; it was
the place where both he and his son Jacob lived. Other events are also set here
(1 Samuel 8:2; 1 Kings 19:3; Amos 5:5; Nehemiah 11:27-30).
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Ben Gurion University
of the Negev
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![Beersheba [Hebrew]](http://www.akhlah.com/images/israel/cities/beersheba_sm.gif)
