Nahal Be'er Sheva
Intermittent stream in Israel
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Nahal Be'er Sheva (נַחַל בְּאֵר שֶׁבַע; Beersheba Stream) is a stream in southern Israel which originates just west of Tel Arad, southeast of the Yatir Forest, and is a tributary of the Besor Stream. Its tributaries are the Nahal Yatir, the Nahal Hevron and the Nahal Sakher.[1] It is named for the city of Beersheba, the largest city on its banks.
| Nahal Be'er Sheva | |
|---|---|
 Flooding of the stream in winter 2013 near Beersheba's Neve Noy neighbourhood | |
 | |
| Native name | נַחַל בְּאֵר שֶׁבַע |
| Location | |
| Country | Israel |
| Region | Southern Israel |
| Settlements | Kuseife, Tel as-Sabi, Be'er Sheva |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | Drijat |
| • elevation | 570 m |
| Mouth | |
• location | Besor Stream |
• elevation | 140 m |
| Length | 50 km (31 mi) |
| Basin size | 1,700 km2 (660 sq mi) |
A major archeological site on its banks is Tel Be'er Sheva.[2] It contains many archeological finds, including a Bedouin livestock market at the Well of Abraham, which the Bedouin called the Suq al-Waqef,[3] a winepress and Byzantine-era tombs.[4] It converges with the Besor Stream at a location known as the Mifgash (מפגש; Meeting place),[5] just southeast of Tze'elim.
It rises on the Northern slope of Kina Mountain at the elevation of 570 m and flows into the Besor at the elevation of 140 m.[6][7]
Tributaries
The Nahal Be'er Sheva has three major tributaries.
- The Nahal Sakher (or Nahal Secher), which originates west of Qasr al-Sir and drains into the Nahal Be'er Sheva just east of the Mifgash.
- The Nahal Hevron (Arabic: Wadi al-Khalil (upstream), Wadi al-Samen (downstream)).
- The Nahal Yatir.