General Information
The first settlement (Tel Beersheba archeological site) was probably founded around 4000 BCE. The new city was built during the Ottoman Rule in 1900.
According to the Bible, Beersheba was founded when Abraham and Abimelech settled their differences over a water well. Abraham set aside seven lambs to swear that he was the one to dig the well ("well of seven" or "well of oath", hence the name of the city). The Bible mentions Beersheba again when telling about Isaac who built an altar here and when Jacob had his dream about a staircase to heaven after leaving Beersheba.
Today, Beersheba is rightfully called the capital of the Negev. It is the second largest city in Israel after Jerusalem as far as its area is concerned with the population of more than 200 000 residents.
The most popular tourist attractions belong to the period of World War I and the Ottoman Rule. History lovers can learn a lot about the past while visiting our museums or just wandering about the old city.
Beersheba offers various activities for children and teenagers such as escape rooms, playgrounds, specially equipped parks, interactive science museums. Sport lovers can enjoy sky diving and gliding at the Teiman Airport or watching a soccer and basketball games at the new sports complex .
The cultural life in the city is represented by the City Theater, conservatory, the Fringe Theater, Ballet school, and more.
Beersheba is a high-tech city with an emphasis on cyber security (it is sometimes referred to as the Silicon Valley of Israel) and scientific research (Soroka Medical Center, Ben-Gurion University, Sami Shamoon Engineering College, Kaye College of Education).
Thanks to generous donations, Beersheba can even afford such luxuries as fountains that look spectacular, especially at night.
We are proud of our soccer team (Hapoel Beersheba), which has become one of the best national teams. It is interesting to note that Beersheba is Israel's national chess center, having more chess grandmasters per capita than any other city in the world.
Welcome to Beersheba!
