I was unprepared for Tel Be'er Sheva

Ancient Be'er Sheva isn't too far from the modern city, but their distance spans millennia.

That's the thing about Israel... the ancient and modern are inextricably linked. You can travel a few feet and go back in time 1000 years (or more), and vice versa. It's mind-blowing!

But that's not what left me breathless this time. 

It was a hot, beautiful day in August, yet somehow I was surprised to not be overheating. Probably because it was dry heat. We walked up to tel Be'er Sheva with not long before the park was to close. 

Like I shared last week, I'd always associated Hebron with Abraham, and missed Be’er Sheva altogether in his story- until visiting one of the well museums.

I was unprepared for just how moving it was to stand in amongst the ruins of ancient Be’er Sheva and realize that it all began there. Abraham lived HERE.

But he lived here, dug wells, made a peace treaty, and offered hospitality and I couldn’t wrap my brain around that. Not only him, but Isaac and Rachel lived here, and likely Jacob as well.

This is where it all began.

the map above shows Abraham's route from Ur to Be'er Sheva

As the hot desert wind whipped my hat off my head, I read the account of him and Abimelech, and then remembered another passage I suddenly had to read. I was certain the passage I wanted was Galatians (later I remembered it was Hebrews). But Galatians 3:6-9 is where God led me and it left me speechless.

Verses 7-9: that's me! This is also the early beginnings of my story of faith, even though I am a Gentile.

There, right there, in Be'er Sheva. My roots go down there too.

WOW.

Let that sink in for you too.

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Now, for the tour!

More than just Abrahamic history happened here. The land in view is also where significant events in WWI happened!

Here you can see a continued example of rebuilding on original foundations. There are 2 different time periods represented here!

Unfortunately, I did not get to go into the water system, as the lady running the park wanted to leave before closing and was angry at us. But I found out that it was dug by Jacob... you can bet I'm going back!

An early street!

Storehouses!

My favorite, though, is the ancient residential areas. I couldn't get enough of it, especially with the modern skyscrapers in the distance!

Not pictured (I could see it but my lens wasn’t powerful enough) was the IKEA right on the edge of the city.

Sarah’s favor spot for home decor?

The 1st recorded peace treaty in history

In Genesis 21, the servants of the king of Gerar, Abimelech, took over the wells that Abraham and his servants had dug in the Negev. Abraham told Abimelech about it, and who said he hadn't been aware of it until that moment.

"So Abraham took sheep and oxen and gave them to Abimelech, and the two men made a covenant. Abraham set seven ewe lambs of the flock apart. And Abimelech said to Abraham, “What is the meaning of these seven ewe lambs that you have set apart?” He said, “These seven ewe lambs you will take from my hand, that this[d] may be a witness for me that I dug this well.” Therefore that place was called Beersheba,[e] because there both of them swore an oath. So they made a covenant at Beersheba. Then Abimelech and Phicol the commander of his army rose up and returned to the land of the Philistines. Abraham planted a tamarisk tree in Beersheba and called there on the name of the Lord, the Everlasting God." (Genesis 21: 27-33).

Many wells were dug throughout Be'er Sheva in the millennia since. This one here dates back to Roman times. You can see grooves in the walls where ropes slowly wore them in over time. Next to this one, is a young tamarisk tree just like what Abraham planted.

While it is unlikely to find the exact well that Abraham and Abimelech disputed and settled in peace over, that's okay. What's important about this story is not the exact physical location down to the millimeter; it's that this story happened and what it meant. '

This is the first recorded peace treaty in all of history, brokered by the father of Israel.

That's pretty cool!

It's also a 3-day walk to Jerusalem, which is what happened when Abraham went to sacrifice Isaac at Mount Moriah.

Modern day Be'er Sheva is pretty cool. Like ancient times, it is complete desert.

So when I was there last August, I was stunned at how much green I did see! I mean, I was in a desert, and at places, there was grass! There were gardens!

And, so many fountains. This one was my favorite. Can you see why?

It's Moses leading the Israelites through the Red Sea! Below are the Egyptians.

So cool! It looks like those underground springs are still present today, almost 4,000 years after that peace treaty!

I definitely recommend visiting Be'er Sheva if you ever come to Israel! You'll understand why in next week's post.

This view took my breath away!

About 90 minutes south of Be'er Sheva, on the way to Eilat, is a view that will take your breath away.

Mitspe Ramon is the world's largest erosion crater, and the 5th largest crater in the world. I've never been to the Grand Canyon, so this was my first time seeing anything like this. It was incredible!

This overlook looks like a camel!

This was part 2 of my Hanukah and Christmas adventure, as a friend and I were dropped off in Be'er Sheva on Christmas Eve and we took a bus to Mitspe Ramon. 

The crater got its name from the Romans who came through here on the spice route during the Roman Empire. "Mitspe" means "viewpoint".

The funny thing is, we read about Mitspe Ramon in my Hebrew class this semester, and a few days before, I'd even had a test over that material. So it was fresh in my mind as I got to explore the place firsthand. #fieldtrip

Being afraid of heights, I took great care not to get too close to any edges (thankfully, below, there was a low wall). The view was incredible. There's a promenade that goes along the crater and also leads to paths you can take to hike down into it. We didn't do this because we were low on time and weren't prepared to do so. Even though it was winter, it wasn't too cold; I ended up rolling up my pants and taking off my jacket.

People and ibexes hanging out below!

These animals, ibexes, are so beautiful! And they were amazing to watch, just walking along the cliff edges and up the crater like it was solid, flat ground. I was jealous of their balance and lack-of fear of heights, haha! They were even walking around the town, like you'd see a stray cat or dog doing. So funny.

Mitspe Ramon was a perfect Christmas adventure. We spent the morning at the canyon and then headed out to Avdat National Park in the afternoon. The next morning, I came out one more time for time with God by the canyon. The winter rains were about to start, and it was much colder and windier, but the view was still amazing:

Beautiful!

Did the Magi stop here on the way to Bethlehem?

From where—and through where—did the wise men travel?

I've never really thought too much about this, although I heard once that they travelled through Petra (modern day Jordan) on their way to Bethlehem. So when I planned a trip over Christmas weekend to the Negev desert, which is south of Be'er Sheva, and therefore south of the boundaries of ancient Israel, I didn't expect to see any Biblical places, let alone find a Christmas connection.

While watching googlemaps on the bus south of Be'er Sheva to Mitspe Ramon, I saw Avdat National Park on the map. Then I saw it was originally settled by the Nabateans, the same people who lived in Petra. So then I knew I had to go.

The name "Nabatean" means "Cistern digger" in Aramaic, and their kingdom included northern Arabia, Edom (Judean Desert), Moab (Jordan), Hauran, the Negev, and Sinai. Their caravans of 10-20 camels carried spices, incense, medicinal plants, textiles, dyes, silver, and gold. Each camel carried 150-200 kilos (330-440lbs), and their handler walked before them.

The route was over 1800 kilometers (1120 miles!) in the desert—a 65-day trek. Along the way were stations where the caravans could rest, replenish provisions, and trade out camels.

It turns out that Avdat was station number 62 on the ancient Incense Route (Spice Route) from 300 BC- 300 AD that went from Yemen to Gaza, passing through Petra. So if the wise men did travel through Petra and then north to Bethlehem, they would have passed by Avdat. Maybe they even stopped there briefly! 

Could the star have been visible from here?

As with all ancient roadways, they have become modern roads. So, the highway that passes Advat is likely the Spice Route. 

After Nabatean King Rabbel II died in 106 AD, the Nabatean kingdom was annexed to the Roman Empire, who then built onto the area. After them came the Byzantines. So, on top of this tel is a WEALTH of archeological structures, not to mention the view!

We had less than 90 minutes to explore the whole structure, which was almost impossible. But we made it by just skipping a few areas that were less interesting to us. You can basically picture me running up the mountain, camera in hand determined to explore the entire tel. It was so much fun! 

So, here's part of my self-tour of Avdat, starting with a home from Roman times:

LOVE all these arches!

(a lot of wine was made here... they found 14 winepresses!)

The main complex at the top is HUGE! There were 2 Nabatean temples and 2 Byzantine churches (one was a monastery)... and it was all attached to a Roman fortress!

the entire complex from below (photos above and below)

Nabatean temple

just part of the view!

One of the Byzantine-era churches (the other was a monastery) and has graves with Greek-inscribed grave stones in it. Christianity came to the region during the Byzantine period, and it became the official religion. The remaining Nabateans accepted the new faith and replaced their script with Greek. 

Another Nabatean temple

Peek-a-boo!

I mean, this view!

Then, onto the Roman Fortress, which had a tower where you could view the entire complex:

In the photo above, the closer ruins are Nabatean, the farther ones (top right) are from the Roman army camp.

When you leave the fortress, immediately in front of you is a massive wine press and the remains of the Byzantine settlement, which was destroyed in a massive earthquake. Throughout the route through the 'neighborhood' there are some excavations and neat finds (apparently, somewhere in there is a Nabatean pottery shop):

Love the double arches below! #mcdonalds?

Then, you exit by the southern Roman tower (which, at the time I thought was locked, but 2 pictures above have people on top of it, so that was a missed opportunity):

Finally, you walk past the caravan (pictured above), and see one more Roman villa:

Talk about incredible! I love a room with a view!

And what a view it is!

The view towards the main part of the tel:

We made it down just as the park was closing, and while we waited for the bus, got to see the sun set (It sets at 4:30pm in the winter):

What an amazing adventure, which was extra-special because of exploring this place on Christmas day!

What did you think of it? What do you know about the wise men?

By the way, I hope you had a Merry Christmas and have a wonderful New Year! See you then!