Ezuz () is a small

community settlement A community settlement (, ''Yishuv Kehilati'') is a type of town or village in Israel and in the West Bank. In an ordinary town, anyone may buy property, but in a community settlement, the village's residents are organized in a cooperative an ...

in the

Negev The Negev ( ; ) or Naqab (), is a desert and semidesert region of southern Israel. The region's largest city and administrative capital is Beersheba (pop. ), in the north. At its southern end is the Gulf of Aqaba and the resort town, resort city ...

desert of southern

Israel Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...

. Named for Nahal Ezuz, a dry riverbed, it is located to the south of Nitzana and falls under the jurisdiction of the

Ramat HaNegev Regional Council Ramat HaNegev Regional Council () is a regional council in the Negev desert in Israel. With around 8,000 residents spread across 20 villages, the council is geographically the largest in Israel, covering more than 20% of Israel's landmass. The ...

. In it had a population of .

History

The village was established on 19 March 1956 as a

Nahal settlement Nahal settlements () were Israeli settlements established by Israeli soldiers of Nahal in both Israel and the Israeli-occupied territories. Supporting the growth and expansion of Israeli Jews was once the main focus of Nahal troops of the Israe ...

, and was initially named Be'erotayim (בארותיים, lit. "Two Wells"), a translation of the Arabic name "Birin", that refers to Moshe's Well and Aharon's well; it was also referred to as Be'erotayim (BaNegev) to differentiate it from

Be'erotayim Be'erotayim () is a moshav in central Israel. Located in the Sharon plain and covering 3,500 dunams, it falls under the jurisdiction of Hefer Valley Regional Council. In it had a population of . Etymology The name (meaning "Two Wells") is deri ...

in the centre of Israel. It was founded after the Egyptian army was removed from the

demilitarized zone A demilitarized zone (DMZ or DZ) is an area in which treaties or agreements between states, military powers or contending groups forbid military installations, activities, or personnel. A DZ often lies along an established frontier or boundary ...

near Nitzana by Israeli forces in an attempt to strengthen defences next to the

Egypt–Israel Border The modern borders of Israel exist as the result both of past wars and of diplomatic agreements between the State of Israel and its neighbours, as well as an effect of the agreements among colonial powers ruling in the region before Israel's c ...

. While soldiers lived in Be'erotayim, they began growing foods including

almond The almond (''Prunus amygdalus'', Synonym (taxonomy)#Botany, syn. ''Prunus dulcis'') is a species of tree from the genus ''Prunus''. Along with the peach, it is classified in the subgenus ''Amygdalus'', distinguished from the other subgenera ...

s, grain, sheep and cattle. At the end of the

Six-Day War The Six-Day War, also known as the June War, 1967 Arab–Israeli War or Third Arab–Israeli War, was fought between Israel and a coalition of Arab world, Arab states, primarily United Arab Republic, Egypt, Syria, and Jordan from 5 to 10June ...

the village was abandoned as there was no need for a military presence in Nitzana after Israel had conquered the

Sinai Peninsula The Sinai Peninsula, or simply Sinai ( ; ; ; ), is a peninsula in Egypt, and the only part of the country located in Asia. It is between the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Red Sea to the south, and is a land bridge between Asia and Afri ...

. The village was re-established as Ezuz in 1985, based on the agriculture created by the soldiers at the post. It is now the site of a traditionally-inspired farm project that uses ancient Nabataean floodwater capture techniques to raise a variety of fruits and vegetables with minimal external irrigation and no artificial fertilisation or pesticide. Residents of the village also raise livestock for local use, and produce goat cheese and organic olive oil. Tourism is an upcoming source of income. Most families provide bed and breakfast, there is a cafe, possibilities of (guided) camel or jeep tours and a hiking and biking route. Some residents are full or part-time artists.

Geography

Ezuz is located in the middle of the Negev desert, near the border between Egypt and Israel above an

oasis In ecology, an oasis (; : oases ) is a fertile area of a desert or semi-desert environment Beersheba Beersheba ( / ; ), officially Be'er-Sheva, is the largest city in the Negev desert of southern Israel. Often referred to as the "Capital of the Negev", it is the centre of the fourth-most populous metropolitan area in Israel, the eighth-most p ...

, while the second closest city is

Arish ʻArish or el-ʻArīsh ( ' ) is the capital and largest city of the North Sinai Governorate of Egypt, as well as the largest city on the Sinai Peninsula, lying on the Mediterranean coast northeast of Cairo and west of the Egypt–Gaza border ...

in Egypt.

Archaeology

Two ancient wells, the Moshe Well and Aharon Well, were discovered under the settlement. Therefore the name of the place is also "Two Wells": in Hebrew: "Be'erotayim" and in Arabic: "Biriin". Today there is a small biblical park "Be'erotayim" around the 2 wells. Some connect it to the wells "be'erot" of Deuteronomy 10:6. Ezuz is not far from the historical, biblical

Kadesh-Barnea Kadesh or Qadesh or Cades (, from the root "holy") is a place-name that occurs several times in the Hebrew Bible, describing a site or sites located south of, or at the southern border of, Canaan and the Kingdom of Judah in the kingdom of Israel. ...

(Deuteronomy 9:23) on the Egyptian side of the border. The Beerotayim area was partially surveyed by R.Cohen of the

Israel Antiquities Authority The Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA, ; , before 1990, the Israel Department of Antiquities) is an independent Israeli governmental authority responsible for enforcing the 1978 Law of Antiquities. The IAA regulates excavation and conservatio ...

in 1985. The Iron Age and Persian fortresses were excavated by Cohen in 1986.Negev, Avraham/Gibson, Shimon: Archaeological Encyclopedia of the Holy Land, Continuum P.H., p.72, London/New York 2005,

References

{{Ramat Negev Regional Council Community settlements Populated places in Southern District (Israel) Populated places established in 1956 1956 establishments in Israel Populated places established in 1985 1985 establishments in Israel