South Israel

The Dead Sea, Negev Desert, the Red Sea


	When planning your Israel tour or Holiday in Israel use the map to get more information of the various Biblical sites throughout the Holy Land, additional information on key cities can be found in the Israel cities and Hotels section.

Arad

Site of an ancient tel in the northern Negev. Includes remains from the early Canaanite period (Numbers 21:1, Joshua 12:14).
Visiting Today:
See the archeological tel and visit the city of 50,000 that known for ifs dry air and curative atmosphere.

Beersheba

A southern border city from the biblical period of settlements in Israel. Called Be'er Sheva (seven wells) in memory of the seven wells dug by the servants of Isaac (Genesis 26:33).
Visiting Today:
Beersheba is home to a quarter million Israelis and is considered the capital of the Negev. See Ben Gurion University of the Negev and the Thursday Beduin Market. To the south at Kibbuts Sede-Boqer is the home and grave of David Ben Gurion, Israel's first Prime Minister.

The Dead Sea - (Salt Sea):

Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 13:10-13, 14, 18,19).
Adjacent to the Dead Sea are:
Ein Gedi: David hides there when followed by Saul (Samuel I 24); Ein Gedi oasis (Song of Solomon 1:14).
See also: The Dead Sea Hotels.

Ezion Geber

The Children of Israel camped at Ezion-Geber (Numbers 33,36).
Visiting Today:
Ezion Geber is part of the Red Sea resort-port of Eilat, to which hundreds of overseas thousands of tourists and Israelis vacation annually. Just to the north is Timna Valley Park, site of king Solomon's Pillars, and the mines that reveal the green Eilat stone related to Malachite.
See also: Eilat Hotels.

Masada

Herod's magnificent mountaintop palace and fortress. Site of last Jewish stand against the Romans in 73 CE and mass suicide of its 960 defenders. Declared as unesce world heritage site.

Qumran

Where the Essenes wrote the Dead Sea Scrolls, discovered in a cave here in 1947 after 2000 years.
Visiting Today:
No visit ti Israel is complete withpout visitng Masada, accessible by foot or cable car Visit also Kibbutz Almog, with its Museum of the Scrolls, the excavations of Qumran, David's Gorge at Ein Gedi and float the Dead Sea.

Nahal Hever

Scrolls found here are dated from 88-135 CE and describe the Jewish rebellion against the Romans, led by Bar Kochba.

Negev Desert

Part of the desret described in the wanderings of the Children of Israel, including the wilderness of Zin and the Ramon Crater (Exodus 3:1-15, 19:1, 20,21-22, Deuteronomy 6:1-13).