Which desert in southern Israel includes the city of Beersheba?

The desert in southern Israel that includes the city of Beersheba is the Negev Desert.

The Negev is a desert and semidesert region occupying much of southern Israel. Beersheba, its largest city and administrative capital, stands in the northern Negev, where rainfall is higher than in the region’s southern and eastern sections. The landscape includes rocky hills, broad plateaus, dry riverbeds called wadis, and large erosion craters.

The Negev is not uniformly barren. Its northern fringe receives enough seasonal rain for agriculture, while other areas depend on irrigation and carefully managed water supplies. The Arabah Valley forms one of its ecological zones, stretching toward the Gulf of Aqaba and Eilat, but the Arabah is a distinct subregion rather than the best answer to the question.

The name is also written Naqab in Arabic. Historical settlement, Nabataean trade routes, copper mining, and modern desert-research institutions all reflect the region’s long human history.