Nahal Gerar, also ''Nachal Grar'' () is a

wadi Wadi ( ; ) is a river valley or a wet (ephemerality, ephemeral) Stream bed, riverbed that contains water only when heavy rain occurs. Wadis are located on gently sloping, nearly flat parts of deserts; commonly they begin on the distal portion ...

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 ...

, 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. Its

Arabic Arabic (, , or , ) is a Central Semitic languages, Central Semitic language of the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family spoken primarily in the Arab world. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) assigns lang ...

name is Wadi esh-Sheri'a (also Wady el Sharia and other variations). Along this wadi, there are several important ancient

Bronze Age The Bronze Age () was a historical period characterised principally by the use of bronze tools and the development of complex urban societies, as well as the adoption of writing in some areas. The Bronze Age is the middle principal period of ...

archaeological sites. During the Early Iron Age this was an area of

Philistine Philistines (; Septuagint, LXX: ; ) were ancient people who lived on the south coast of Canaan during the Iron Age in a confederation of city-states generally referred to as Philistia. There is compelling evidence to suggest that the Philist ...

settlement.

Geography

Tell-el-Sheria railway bridge in Palestine 1917

Nahal Gerar begins on the border between the northern Negev and the southwest foothills of

Judaean Mountains The Judaean Mountains, or Judaean Hills (, or ,) are a mountain range in the West Bank and Israel where Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Hebron and several other biblical sites are located. The mountains reach a height of . The Judean Mountains can be di ...

, near the village of

Lahav Lahav () is a kibbutz in southern Israel. Located around 20 km north of Beersheba and covering 33,000 dunams, it falls under the jurisdiction of Bnei Shimon Regional Council. In it had a population of . History The kibbutz was established ...

(ancient site of

Tel Halif Tel H̱alif, formerly Tel H̱alifa (, Arabic name: Tel el-Khuweilifeh) is an archaeological site, a mound ( tell) in northern Negev area, west from kibbutz Lahav, Israel. Identification Albrecht Alt suggested that it is the location of the bib ...

). Then the wadi flows west near the city of

Lehavim Lehavim () is an affluent hamlet in southern Israel. Founded in 1983 and located in the northern Negev around 15 km north of Beersheba, it is a Local council (Israel), local council. In it had a population of . History Lehavim, originall ...

, and along the southern edge of a large Bedouin town of

Rahat Rahat (, ) is an Arab Bedouin city in the Southern District (Israel), Southern District of Israel. In , it had a population of . As such, it is the largest Bedouin city in Israel, and the only one to have city council (Israel), city status. Ra ...

. Then it flows west along the northwestern edge of the

towards the town of

Netivot Netivot () is a city located in the Southern District (Israel), Southern District of Israel, located 8 miles (13 kilometers) southeast of Sderot and 19 miles (31 kilometers) northwest of Beersheba. In , it had a population of . Currently seeing r ...

, an agricultural area. Near the village of

Re'im Re'im () is a secular kibbutz in southern Israel, and one of the Gaza vicinity villages. Located at the confluence of Besor Stream and Gerar Stream in the north-western Negev desert, it falls under the jurisdiction of Eshkol Regional Counc ...

, it flows into

Nahal Besor Wadi Gaza () and Besor Stream (, ) are parts of a river system in the Gaza Strip in Palestine and the Negev region of Israel. Wadi Gaza is a wadi (river valley) that divides the northern and southern ends of the Gaza Strip, whose major tributar ...

, of which it is the main affluent.

Nature reserve

The lower river area is now part of the

Eshkol National Park Eshkol National Park () is a national park located in Northern Negev, Israel, near Gaza. History The 875-acre park offers lawns and shaded picnic areas and boasts at its centre the largest spring in the Besor basin, known in Hebrew as Ein HaB ...

, a

nature reserve A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, funga, or features of geologic ...

used by tourists. Forest have been replanted there, and hiking trails developed. The reserve consists of two parts. The first has an area of about 2,000 dunams (2 square kilometers) and is located between

and

Tidhar Tidhar () is a moshav in southern Israel. Located in the north-western Negev between Ofakim and Netivot, it falls under the jurisdiction of Bnei Shimon Regional Council and covers an area of around 1,000 dunams. In it had a population of . Hist ...

, the other has an area of about 5,500 dunams (5.5 square kilometers) and lies between the villages

Ranen Ranen () is a moshav in southern Israel. Located in the north-western Negev desert, two kilometres north of Ofakim, it falls under the jurisdiction of Merhavim Regional Council. In it had a population of . History The moshav was established in 1 ...

and Re'im.

Archaeology

Along Nahal Gerar, there are several important Bronze Age archaeological sites. An archaeological survey and excavation was conducted in 2010 by Noa Shaul on behalf 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 ...

(IAA). The major settlement of this area started at the time of the

Egyptian Middle Kingdom The Middle Kingdom of Egypt (also known as The Period of Reunification) is the period in the history of ancient Egypt following a period of political division known as the First Intermediate Period. The Middle Kingdom lasted from approximately ...

, and continued into the

New Kingdom New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 ** "New" (Paul McCartney song), 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, 1995 * "New" (Daya song), 2017 * "New" (No Doubt song), 1 ...

, when some significant Egyptian settlements were founded. After the decline of the Egyptian sites, during the Early Iron Age, this area became culturally influenced by the Philistine settlers. The major sites in this area are

Tel Haror Tel Haror (Modern Hebrew, Hebrew name) or Tell Abu Hureyra (Arabic name; also spelled Hureira and Hareira), also known as ''Tel Heror'', is an archaeological site in the western Negev Desert, Israel, northwest of Beersheba, about 20 km east ...

/Tell Abu Hareira, and

Tel Shera TEL or Tel may refer to: Businesses and organisations * Tokyo Electron, a semiconductor equipment manufacturer * TE Connectivity, a technology company, NYSE stock ticker TEL * The European Library, an Internet service Place names * Tel, Azerbaij ...

/Tell esh-Sheri'a. Further east along the river, there are also the sites of

Tell el-Khuweilifeh Tel H̱alif, formerly Tel H̱alifa (, Arabic name: Tel el-Khuweilifeh) is an archaeological site, a mound ( tell) in northern Negev area, west from kibbutz Lahav, Israel. Identification Albrecht Alt suggested that it is the location of the bib ...

and

Tell Beit Mirsim Tell Beit Mirsim is an archaeological site in Israel, on the border between the lowlands of Shfela and Mount Hebron. It is located in the eastern region of Lachish about 20 kilometers southwest of Hebron and about 13 kilometers southeast of La ...

. Near Tel Haror, in the neighbourhood of the modern town of

, there are numerous historical mounds, some of them not excavated. Some scholars believe that Tel Haror was the ancient

Sharuhen Sharuhen () was an ancient town in the Negev Desert or perhaps in Gaza. Following wars against the Hyksos in Egypt in the second half of the 16th century BCE, Sharuhen became a target, which some scholars argue was a city under Hyksos control. Th ...

fortress of the

Hyksos The Hyksos (; Egyptian language, Egyptian ''wikt:ḥqꜣ, ḥqꜣ(w)-wikt:ḫꜣst, ḫꜣswt'', Egyptological pronunciation: ''heqau khasut'', "ruler(s) of foreign lands"), in modern Egyptology, are the kings of the Fifteenth Dynasty of Egypt ( ...

. Where Nahal Gerar flows into Nahal Besor, there's the large ancient site of

Tell Jemmeh Tell Jemmeh or Tell Gemmeh (), also known in Hebrew as Tel Gamma (תל גמה) or Tel Re'im (תל רעים), is a prominent mound, or tell (archaeology), tell, located in the region of the northwestern Negev and the southern Israeli coastal pl ...

(Tell Gamma).

Biblical connections

Nahal Gerar is named after the Biblical sites mentioned in the Book of Genesis 20.1: "Abraham went thence into the country of Negeb, and settled between

Kadesh Qadesh, Qedesh, Qetesh, Kadesh, Kedesh, Kadeš and Qades come from the common Semitic root "Q-D-Š", which means "sacred." Kadesh and variations may refer to: Ancient/biblical places * Kadesh (Syria) or Qadesh, an ancient city of the Levant, on ...

and Shur; sojourning in

Gerar Gerar ( ''Gərār'', "lodging-place") was a Philistine town and district in what is today south central Israel, mentioned in the Book of Genesis and in the Second Book of Chronicles of the Hebrew Bible. Identification According to the Internati ...

."Gerar
-- also known as Tel Haror, Tell Abu Hureireh, Geder -- bibleplaces.com The city of Gerar is now generally believed to be located at

References

External links