The
Negev (,
Tiberian vocalization: ,
an-Naqab) is a
desert and
semidesert region of southern
Israel. The region's largest city and administrative capital is
Beersheba (pop. 196,000), in the north. At its southern end is the
Gulf of Aqaba and the
resort city of
Eilat. It contains several
development towns, including
Dimona,
Arad and
Mitzpe Ramon, as well as a number of small
Bedouin cities, including
Rahat and
Tel as-Sabi. 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.