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Negev....
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Following a visit to Palestine in 1867, Mark Twain described the Negev Desert in his book "The Innocents Abroad" as "a desolation that not even imagination can grace with the pomp of life and action…". |
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"Negev" in Hebrew means south. Israel's Negev Desert, where Abraham,
Isaac and Jacob tended their flocks, comprises 66%, over 6,700 square miles, of Israel. Triangular in shape, with the resort town of
Eilat at its southern apex and
Beer Sheva as its northern base, the Negev has an arid and semi-arid climate, defined according to average rainfall (2 - 6 inches), type of soil and natural vegetation.
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The Negev encompasses about half the land mass of Israel. It is framed by the borders of Jordan and
Egypt, with its southernmost tip at
Eilat. It remains undeveloped and sparsely populated. For centuries, the area has been "home" to Bedouins who have increasingly given up their nomadic lifestyle and settled in permanent homes.
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What comes to mind when you think of the desert? Perhaps a scene from Lawrence of Arabia or The Ten Commandments
with a solitary person in a white robe and sandals struggling through
endless sand and large dunes whipped up by brutal winds under a scorching
sun. The Negev in southern Israel can be oppressively
hot, but you won't see the type of sand dunes associated with the Sahara
or other deserts. Actually, the Negev is filled more with dirt, rocks and
canyons, which are no less forbidding. The Negev is also beautiful,
highlighted by remarkable landscapes, waterfalls, caves, archeological
sites, cities, craters and a rich history. |
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