Beer Sheba - Fulfillment of the vision of a flourishing Negev
Beer Sheba is an ancient biblical desert city . A water well attributed to Abram is located close to the city center. However only in the eve of world war I Beer Sheba was revived and transformed into a big Ottoman military center. This is due to its location in the Negev desert not far from the Egyptian border, where a big British army was present. Following the British conquest of the city Beer Sheba gradually grew first as a small British military center connecting Sinai to Palestine and later as the Capital of Israeli Southern region.
Today Beer Sheba is a beautiful modern city with a pure and simple beautiful desertic landscape. I has a leading university. It is a center of science and innovation. It is a major Cyber center. Its modern buildings are located in the vicinity of international architecture style buildings from the 50’s and 60’s. Beer Sheba was an architectural laboratory aimed at learning how to settle thousands of new immigrants in the desert.
The old Ottoman and British mandatory era center has been renovated. The Ottoman buildings are magnificent and have been transformed into museums or restaurants and coffee houses. The population is vibrant and comprises Jews from all countries, many from Russia, Bedouin Arabs and many tourists.
I have documented the city buildings and its people in some ten walking journeys across the length and breadth of Beer Sheba. This was done by Digital Free Hand painting with my digital pen on my Note 8 smartphone. I hope that I successfully conveyed my excitement from this beautiful city.