Negev

The Negev or Naqab is the name for a desert and semidesert area in southern Israel. Today, it forms the bulk of the Southern District of Israel, whose largest city and administrative capital is Beersheba, in the north of the Negev. At its southern end lie the Gulf of Aqaba and the resort city and port of Eilat. It contains several development towns, including Dimona, Arad, and Mitzpe Ramon, as well as a number of small Bedouin towns, including Rahat, Tel Sheva, and Lakiya. There are also several kibbutzim, including Revivim and Sde Boker; the latter became the home of Israel's first prime minister, David Ben-Gurion, after his retirement from politics.