Difference between revisions of "Negev Desert" - New World Encyclopedia
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==History== | ==History== | ||
| − | + | Life in the Negev Desert can be traced back over 4000 years to nomadic tribes that passed through the harsh alndscape. Tribes like the Canaanites, Amalkite, and Edomite groups were the first to settle down in the desert and complete the transition from a nomadic to a settled lifestyle. <ref name=Shahinp459>Mariam Shahin. Palestine: A Guide. (2005) Interlink Books. ISBN:156656557</ref> Early settlements were heavily influenced by Egypt, who gains credit in the historical annals for being the first to introduce mining and smelting to the region. <ref name=Shahinp459/> <ref name=Tebes> Juan Manuel Tebes. (2007) Centro y periferia en el mundo antiguo. El Negev y sus interacciones con Egipto, Asiria, y el Levante en la Edad del Hierro (1200-586 a.C.) CEHAO Monograph Series Vol. 1 [http://www.uca.edu.ar/esp/sec-ffilosofia/esp/docs-institutos/s-cehao/otras_public/tebes_monog.pdf Free access]</ref> The mining industry in the Negev Desert rose to become a makor economic power simulatneaously with the rise of the Assyrian Empire in nearby Jordan. <ref name=Shahinp460>Mariam Shahin. Palestine:A Guide. (2005) Interlink Books. ISBN:156656557</ref> Small settlements of Jews in the areas around the capital and later further afield were existent between 1020 and 928 B.C.E.<ref name=Shahinp460/> From its humble Egyptian origins, the mining industry in the Negev soon became the major source of economic income to the area. | |
| − | + | Due to the monetary influx from the mining industry, the Negev Desert was quickly a major transit route for traders and others seekign economic gain. The new wealth into the region became crystallized in the urban centers of Oboda, Mamphis, Sobata, Elusa, and Nessana <ref name=Shahinp460/> . Urban centers such as these were supported by irrigation systems imported from the Nabateans that made life in the desert bearable. The Nabateans were also prominent figures in international trade, capitalizing on the newly opened trade routes to exchange spices between Petra and Gazan ports. Along with the spice trade,t he Nabateans exercised political control over the region, which was not lessened until the area fell to the Holy Roman Empire in 106 A.D <ref name=Shahinp460/>. | |
| − | The | + | The Holy Roman Empire, however, was unable to maintain control over the Negev Desert. In the 7th century A.D. the area fell under the control of Muslim forces, who implemented Islamic rule in the region. The transition from Roman to Muslim rule was unexpectedly easy for the native population, as the area already shared a common historical heritage with the cities of Islam. Religion also helped to ease the change in leadership, due to the fact the Islam had already taken root among the inhabitants of the Negev. <ref name=Shahinp460/> The Arab conquest also facilitated rapid agricultural development that settled the remaining semi-nomadic tribes in the area. <ref name = Schick>{{cite journal |
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| author = Robert Schick | | author = Robert Schick | ||
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| − | + | It must be remembered when reviewing ancient history of the Negev Desert that much of the historical record takes the form of oral histories. When using oral histories to reconstruct historical fact it is important to note that perceptions of events are swayed by the opinions of the individual retelling the event. Oral histories play a particularly important role when reconstructing the lives of nomadic tribes. <ref name=Shahinp460/> What is known of this time is largely derived from oral histories and folk tales of tribes from the [[Wadi Musa]] and Petra areas in present-day [[Jordan]]<ref name=Shahinp461>Mariam Shahin. Palestine:A Guide. (2005) Interlink Books. ISBN:156656557</ref> Late in the rule of the [[Ottoman]] empire, an administrative center for southern Palestine was established in Bir es-Saba and schools and a railway station were built.<ref name=Shahinp461/> The authority of the tribal chiefs over the region was recognized by the Ottomans.<ref name=Shahinp461/> | |
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Today, the Negev is home to some 379,000 Jews and some 175,000 [[Bedouin]]s. The region's largest city and administrative capital is [[Beersheba]] (pop. around 200,000), in the north. At its southern end is the [[Gulf of Aqaba|Gulf of Eilat]] and the resort [[city]] of [[Eilat]]. Other towns include [[Dimona]], [[Arad, Israel|Arad]], [[Mitzpe Ramon]] as well as a number of small [[Bedouin]] towns, including [[Rahat]] and [[Tel Sheva]]. There are also several ''[[kibbutz]]'' settlements, including [[Revivim]] and [[Sde Boker]]; the latter became the home of Israel's first [[Prime Minister of Israel|Prime Minister]], [[David Ben-Gurion]], after his retirement from politics. | Today, the Negev is home to some 379,000 Jews and some 175,000 [[Bedouin]]s. The region's largest city and administrative capital is [[Beersheba]] (pop. around 200,000), in the north. At its southern end is the [[Gulf of Aqaba|Gulf of Eilat]] and the resort [[city]] of [[Eilat]]. Other towns include [[Dimona]], [[Arad, Israel|Arad]], [[Mitzpe Ramon]] as well as a number of small [[Bedouin]] towns, including [[Rahat]] and [[Tel Sheva]]. There are also several ''[[kibbutz]]'' settlements, including [[Revivim]] and [[Sde Boker]]; the latter became the home of Israel's first [[Prime Minister of Israel|Prime Minister]], [[David Ben-Gurion]], after his retirement from politics. | ||
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==People and Culture== | ==People and Culture== | ||
Revision as of 01:52, 18 December 2007
The Negev desert is located in modern day Israel, expanding for over 4600 square miles in the small country. The broad expanse of desert is a vitally important part of the Israeli landscape, stretching over approximately 60 % of the country's landmass. It also plays a role in the religious development of the area, as both the Christian faiths and Judaism assert that the Negev desert was the site where Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob tended their herds. According to the source, the name of the Negev Desert derives from either the Hebrew word for "dry" or "south" . While the origin of the name is contentious, both possible definitions seem plausible.
Geography
The Negev Desert is roughly trianglular in shape, with the city of Beer Sheva at its northen tip and the resort town of Eilat at the southern end. The landscape of the desert is distinguished by a large amount of erosion landforms, most notably canyons and deep valleys. An important and prominent geographic feature of the Negev desert is the deep cut in the landscape called Zin. Most of the deep canyons in the Negev Valley drain towards the Syro-African Rift Valley, the lowest place on earth.
The broad and sandy expanse of land that is the Negev Desert is classified as an arid and semi-arid climate, depending on the exact location within the desert. It annually recieves very little rainfall, only 2-6 inches annually. The variance in classification occurs as a result of the variance within the desert itself. There are five different ecological regions within the desert: Northern, Western and Central Negev, the High Plateau and the Arava Valley. The ecological zones vary in regards to rainfall, with The Northern Negev recieving the most annual precipitation at 300 mm and the Arava Valley recieving the least amount of rain a year at 100mm. The ecosystems also differ in regards to terrain and landscape, with some like the Western Negev boasting the sand dunes that are the traditional image of deserts. Another important ecosystem, High Plateau, is noted for its singular plateaus that can reach up to 520 meters above sea level.
Overall, the soil of the Negev desert is rocky and not condusive to agiculture. The landscape is also frequently interrupted by rocky and sutry montains that rise unexpectadly out of the flat terrain. In an interesting archaeological development, recent research has revealed marine shells in the sands of the Negev Desert. Archaeologists are currently using the fossils to support the idea that the Negev was once part of the sea floor. Using this theory, the surface of the Negev Desert only became visible as the sea receded.
History
Life in the Negev Desert can be traced back over 4000 years to nomadic tribes that passed through the harsh alndscape. Tribes like the Canaanites, Amalkite, and Edomite groups were the first to settle down in the desert and complete the transition from a nomadic to a settled lifestyle. [1] Early settlements were heavily influenced by Egypt, who gains credit in the historical annals for being the first to introduce mining and smelting to the region. [1] [2] The mining industry in the Negev Desert rose to become a makor economic power simulatneaously with the rise of the Assyrian Empire in nearby Jordan. [3] Small settlements of Jews in the areas around the capital and later further afield were existent between 1020 and 928 B.C.E.[3] From its humble Egyptian origins, the mining industry in the Negev soon became the major source of economic income to the area.
Due to the monetary influx from the mining industry, the Negev Desert was quickly a major transit route for traders and others seekign economic gain. The new wealth into the region became crystallized in the urban centers of Oboda, Mamphis, Sobata, Elusa, and Nessana [3] . Urban centers such as these were supported by irrigation systems imported from the Nabateans that made life in the desert bearable. The Nabateans were also prominent figures in international trade, capitalizing on the newly opened trade routes to exchange spices between Petra and Gazan ports. Along with the spice trade,t he Nabateans exercised political control over the region, which was not lessened until the area fell to the Holy Roman Empire in 106 C.E. [3].
The Holy Roman Empire, however, was unable to maintain control over the Negev Desert. In the 7th century C.E. the area fell under the control of Muslim forces, who implemented Islamic rule in the region. The transition from Roman to Muslim rule was unexpectedly easy for the native population, as the area already shared a common historical heritage with the cities of Islam. Religion also helped to ease the change in leadership, due to the fact the Islam had already taken root among the inhabitants of the Negev. [3] The Arab conquest also facilitated rapid agricultural development that settled the remaining semi-nomadic tribes in the area. [4]
It must be remembered when reviewing ancient history of the Negev Desert that much of the historical record takes the form of oral histories. When using oral histories to reconstruct historical fact it is important to note that perceptions of events are swayed by the opinions of the individual retelling the event. Oral histories play a particularly important role when reconstructing the lives of nomadic tribes. [3] What is known of this time is largely derived from oral histories and folk tales of tribes from the Wadi Musa and Petra areas in present-day Jordan[5] Late in the rule of the Ottoman empire, an administrative center for southern Palestine was established in Bir es-Saba and schools and a railway station were built.[5] The authority of the tribal chiefs over the region was recognized by the Ottomans.[5]
Today, the Negev is home to some 379,000 Jews and some 175,000 Bedouins. The region's largest city and administrative capital is Beersheba (pop. around 200,000), in the north. At its southern end is the Gulf of Eilat and the resort city of Eilat. Other towns include Dimona, Arad, Mitzpe Ramon as well as a number of small Bedouin towns, including Rahat and Tel Sheva. There are also several kibbutz settlements, including Revivim and Sde Boker; the latter became the home of Israel's first Prime Minister, David Ben-Gurion, after his retirement from politics.
People and Culture
The Negev bedouins are nomadic tribes who have discontinuously inhabited the desert for more than 7,000 years. Although unaffected by external influences throughout history, the tribal culture and way of life has changed dramatically recently.[6]
The bedouins of the Negev survive on sheep and goat husbandry. Scarcity of water and of permanent pastoral land requires them to move constantly. The bedouins have established very few permanent settlements.[7]
Notes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Mariam Shahin. Palestine: A Guide. (2005) Interlink Books. ISBN:156656557
- ↑ Juan Manuel Tebes. (2007) Centro y periferia en el mundo antiguo. El Negev y sus interacciones con Egipto, Asiria, y el Levante en la Edad del Hierro (1200-586 a.C.) CEHAO Monograph Series Vol. 1 Free access
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 Mariam Shahin. Palestine:A Guide. (2005) Interlink Books. ISBN:156656557
- ↑ Robert Schick (6 1998). Archaeological Sources for the History of Palestine: Palestine in the Early Islamic Period: Luxuriant Legacy. Near Eastern Archaeology 61 (2): 74-1008.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Mariam Shahin. Palestine:A Guide. (2005) Interlink Books. ISBN:156656557
- ↑ Kurt Goering (Autumn, 1979). Israel and the Bedouin of the Negev. Journal of Palestine Studies 9 (1): 3-20.
- ↑ Israel Finkelstein; Avi Perevolotsky (Aug., 1990). Processes of Sedentarization and Nomadization in the History of Sinai and the Negev. Bulletin of the American Schools of Oriental Research (279): 67-88.
Resources
- Evenari, Michael, Leslie Shanan, and Naphtali Tadmor. 1971. The Negev; the challenge of a desert. Cambridge: Harvard University Press. ISBN 9780674606708
- Negev, Avraham. 1977. Archaeology in the land of the Bible. New York: Schocken Books. ISBN 9780805236590
- Meir, Avinoam. 1996. As nomadism ends the Israeli bedouin of the Negev. Boulder, Colo: Westview Press. ISBN 9780813389592
External links
- Tourism in the Negev Desert Retrieved December 18, 2007.
- Israel's Negev Desert Retrieved December 18, 2007.
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