One of a group of three tels (prehistoric hilltop ruins) included on the Unesco World Heritage List in 2005, these ruins include two-thirds of a fortified city dating from the early Israelite period (10th century BCE) and are an important example of biblical-period urban planning. The site is 5km northeast of Be’er Sheva on the Shocket Junction road, near the Bedouin settlement of Tel Sheva.
Like the other Unesco-listed tels (Megiddo and Hazor), the ruins show traces of underground water-collecting systems that were created to serve dense urban communities; the best-preserved elements are the cisterns and a 70m well, the deepest in Israel. There are great views to be had from an observation tower.
