1) Only 80 kilometers to the south of Jerusalem, the Negev desert begins. It covers nearly half of Israel, yet it is largely ignored by the country’s visitors, who see it as nothing but endless dust and rock. Traditionally, tourism has only affected the outskirts of the desert: the Red Sea in the south, and the Dead Sea in the north.
2) The Negev is a predominantly rocky desert, with an amazing variety of landscapes: flat, stony plains, canyons, plantless mountains and salt marshes. Steep cliffs rise above dry riverbeds. Here and there are deep holes, the remains of copper mines made by the Egyptinas 6 000 years ago. The overall impression is of a prehistoric landscape.
3) Nowadays, camels, the traditional desert transport, are replaced by the less stubborn four-wheel drive vehicle. Desert safaris, whether by car or camel, are now a growing industry. Treks range from an hour on a camel to seven-night journeys on foot or by jeep, with a mattress at night under the stars. How far you travel into the Negev and away from civilisation is your decision.
4) Despite its potential for tourist development, Israel has always been a little worried by the desert. David Ben Gurion, Israel’s first prime minister, said: "If the State doesn’t put an end to the desert, the desert will put an end to the State”.
5) Ben Gurion’s dream was to turn it into the agricultural land, using a system of underground water points. Kilometer by kilometer, the green squares of land, worked by Kibbutzim (cooperative farms) are turning dry rock to the plantations of fruit. But the survival of the project is heavily dependent on the annual rainfall. Water has always bee the most important survival factor for all life in the Negev.
6) The tents of Bedouins — the Arab people of the desert — can still be seen in some places. Increasingly, however, they are giving up their wandering style to live in permanent housing. But the herds of sheep and goats that provide the Bedouins with a source of income are still to be seen amongst the rocks of the desert.
A. Viewing a desert as a threat.
B. Traveling into the wilderness
C. The many faces of the desert
D. A changing way of life
E. Land of the
F. Bible Bringing life to the desert
G. An undiscovered land
Keys: 1-G; 2 - C; 3 - B; 4 - A; 5 - F; 6 - D;
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