From ancient traders to modern tourists, the changing landscape of Israel’s Negev desert.
By Motti Verses
Revered as the founder of the Jewish state and a strong believer in the future of Israel’s arid desert – the Negev, David Ben-Gurion dreamed of developing this region and pursued his vision by personal example. At the age of 67, together with his wife Paula, the couple left the ‘city life’ of Tel Aviv to make Sde Boker, a pioneering kibbutz in the Negev their home. Living in a modest dwelling, it remained his home until his death in 1973.
Declaring that it is in the Negev “that the creativity and pioneer vigor of Israel shall be tested,” Ben-Gurion linked the ingenuity and determination of the people of Israel to meet the Zionist challenge of “making the desert bloom”. For decades, his dream inspired Israelis of all backgrounds and ideologies to follow with a sense of collective purpose. However, the outcome fell vastly short from what he had envisioned. While Ben Gurion dreamed that by 1968, 500,000 people would live in the Negev, the population did not reach this figure until 2003 – well over three decades later. The main towns he envisaged as potential growth centers like Dimona and Mitzpe Ramon remain relatively small and the southern Red Sea city of Eilat has shown to be commercially marginal as a port, so seen in recent times that while Yemen Houthis are blocking free passage through the Red Sea, goods to Israel are being rerouted to its Mediterranean ports, ensuring the flow of international trade. Even though agriculture and mining, while impressively innovative did not meet Ben Gurion’s expectations, prosperity did however come but from an industry, the great leader himself did not vision at the time – TOURISM.
Not long before October 7 2023, the Ministry of Tourism formulated an ambitious plan to transform the Negev into a global tourist hotspot that would attract annually over a million tourists from around the world. The plan involves the construction of a multitude of tourist attractions in sync with the Negev’s unique desert environment including inter alia, nature parks, hiking trails, cycling tracks and of course alluring hotels.
While Ben Gurion never saw the potential in his time of tourism, ironically, many of the Negev’s tourist attractions today have a strong connection with the visionary leader. Visitors attracted to this dry region will likely not miss out on visiting Ben-Gurion’s Tomb National Park located a few kilometers south of Kibbutz Sde Boker where he lived with his wife. The surrounding landscape is pleasantly populated with large herds of Nubian ibexes, majestic desert goat creatures so distinguishable by their horns. The male ibex grow giant horns that are arched backwards used mostly for sparring with other males for the right to mate with the females of the herd. The females’ horns are short and pointy.
The surrounding landscapes are stunning. One can take a classic desert hike in the Zin Valley enjoying amazing views of the wilderness that will include Ein Akev, the biggest spring in the Negev and the ancient Nabatean city of Ein Avdat.
Closer to ‘home’ is Ben Gurion’s desert home, today an illuminating museum. Preserved in its original condition as Ben Gurion requested, it is a testimony to the lifestyle of a community that founded and established the Jewish state in the early days. The hut still holds Ben Gurion’s original furniture from the 1960s, and you can see his kitchen, bedroom, and a library full of books in multiple languages. Few know that his books, apart from those in Hebrew, include books in English, German, French, Arabic, Latin, Russian, Turkish and Greek.
It is fascinating that the trendy developments taking place today in the Negev follow in the path of the ancient Nabateans, an enigmatic ancient tribe mentioned numerous times in the bible. They controlled trade along the famed Incense Route that stretched from southern Arabia through their capital Petra to the land of Israel, via the Negev desert. They originally constructed small waystations in the Negev that in time grew into larger settlements and as the Nabatean community in the Negev grew, new towns were constructed in the desert wilderness.
This ancient mysterious tribe we know so little about, fascinated Ben Gurion, who admired their talents, particularly in agriculture – as it was an achievement to master cultivation in a dry arid desert. You can still see the remains of the Nabatean networks of small channels and aqueducts in order to make the most of the only 80 ml of rain to irrigate their terrace farms. They appeared out of history as a role model for Ben Gurion and it is little wonder he referred to them as an example of the possible realization of his vision. He marveled how they, in order to produce olive oil, grew olive trees in the desert. Few know that when Ben-Gurion was the chairman of the board of the Jewish Agency during WW II, he even proposed to place the capital of the future Jewish state in Mamshit that had been one of the major cities of the Nabateans in the Negev, starting out as an ancient caravan stop.
So too had been Sde Boker, akin to a “caravan stop”, for until 2020, this kibbutz was just a stopover for visitors and tourists on route to elsewhere. That was until Isrotel, one of Israel’s leading hotel brands, inaugurated in the middle of the Covid pandemic, its latest hotel – Kedma. Nowadays, when Israel is preoccupied with the crisis of war, the hotel quietly marks its 4th anniversary. To discover more of this relatively new alluring addition to the desert landscape, I headed south with my beloved family, following in the path of the ancient Nabateans.
“We at Isrotel believe strongly in the desert and we proudly proclaim it by ever-expanding our presence in the hospitality industry in Israel’s desert region,” says Lior Raviv, Chief Executive Officer of Isrotel. “We started at ‘Pundak Ramon’, which was our first hotel, currently under renovations, and then our majestic ‘Beresheet’ overlooking the awesome Ramon Crater. Our newest Negev addition to the Isrotel family is ‘Kedma’, in walking distance from the home of David Ben-Gurion.”
Lodge-style and built on one floor, “It provides an authentic desert experience and is proving a super popular hotel,” he says.
The 2-hour drive south from central Israel in the last week of August, confronting busy traffic, was surreal when then finding it a challenge to find a parking spot in the desert, next to the Kedma hotel. This came as a surprise considering the reality of the country being at war. Also surprising was my erroneous assumption that in the heat of an intense Israeli summer, local Israeli tourists, especially families, would prefer a waterfront location. I was wrong!
The moment we stepped into the busy Kedma lobby for our group check in, I found myself completely captivated by the interior design. A Khan-style resort, Kedma offers 163 rooms and suites built around an expansive open-air courtyard with a serene pool. It is surrounded by luscious fruit trees, most of them mentioned in the Bible, together with plants, creating an environment of a desert oasis. The impressive designs of the Lobby and restaurants captures the ambiance of the desert and structurally pays tribute to the Nabateans and the ancient Incense Route. Impatiently I rushed to hear the explanations of the award-winning interior designer, Ruth Arad. “The design is conceptually rooted to the desert and inspired by the ancient Nabatean route used for transporting spices and fragrances,” she says. “The main lobby is long and narrow, symbolizing the endless wandering in the desert. The lounge is presented with a tent-like structure using ropes, fostering intimacy and connection. The main dining room reflects a desert Sukkah and an atmosphere of minimal illumination while dining in the evenings,” she explains.
I admired the use of the Islamic-influenced ‘Moucharaby’ windows characterized by the use of grills to replace glass and shutters. Quite extraordinary!
The ceilings in most of the outside open areas are low and the lighting twinkles like stars. We loved the ground sitting with cushions and feeling like Nabateans in designated corners with a fireplace in the center, enjoying a typical desert oasis night atmosphere.
With the Kedma a buzz with mostly local tourists this past August, we entered the main restaurant gravitating to the Buffet table offering a delicious array of food that would have the ancient Nabateans salivating. We were.
Cutting through the queues and the noise, the service was tops. I assumed that the resort enjoying a ‘full house’ had to do with the relatively safe geographic location far removed from the war in Gaza and in the north of the country. However, my assumption was wrong. “We have been busy all the time since the opening four years ago. Guests just love it here,” says General Manager, Boaz Zur and I fully understand why.
And when I teasingly challenged interior designer Arad of “Where in Kedma is the spirit of Ben Gurion?” she was spot-on with a spirited response:
“He is everywhere here. The founder of Israel had a vision to make the desert bloom, well, we fulfilled his dream. He wanted the Negev to offer employment opportunities, well, Kedma is a desirable sought after workplace and as far as hoping to change a negative mindset about the desert, this green oasis as you can see is super popular. People are flocking here. Did you not say you had to look for parking when you arrived? No, I’m sure Mr. Ben Gurion is smiling down with approval, particularly as we are in close walking distance from his home.”
*Feature picture: The writer looking at sunset at Ein Avdat, a magnificent canyon in the Negev south of Kibbutz Sde Boker. (Photo: Motti Verses)
About the writer:
The writer, Motti Verses, is a Travel Flash Tips publisher. His travel stories are published on THE TIMES OF ISRAEL https://blogs.timesofisrael.com/author/motti-verses/. And his hospitality analysis reviews on THE JERUSALEM POST, are available on his Linkedin page LinkedIn Israelhttps://il.linkedin.com › motti-verse…Motti Verses – Publisher and Chief Editor – TRAVEL FLASH TIPSAnd his hospitality analysis reviews on THE JERUSALEM POST, are available on his Linkedin page LinkedIn Israelhttps://il.linkedin.com › motti-verse…Motti Verses – Publisher and Chief Editor – TRAVEL FLASH TIPS
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