Abraham's Well International Visitors' Center
This center is the only place in Israel dedicated solely to the story of Abraham. This almost 4,000-year-old story is an important one for Judaism, since among other things it provides the justification for the creation of a Jewish state in this part of the world. Abraham is also recognized as the spiritual forefather of the three great monotheistic faiths – Judaism, Islam and Christianity.
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Directions: The address is Derekh Hebron 2. Enter “Abraham’s Well Visitor Center” into Waze. There is free parking in the parking lot outside the building. Their phone number is 08 623-4613.
Admission: Museum hours are Sunday to Thursday 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Visits need to be with a prearranged tour (without a tour all you can do is look at the well and tamarisk tree). You choose your language. Other times can be accommodated for groups, including on Friday and Saturday. Admission is 34 NIS for adults and 25 NIS for children and seniors. The phone number is 08 623-4613. This is their website
The focus of this center are two wells and a tamarisk tree. The larger well is considered to be a well that Abraham dug. The two wells are located outside the main building but within the center. The building was erected in 2014, its design being inspired by Abraham’s desert tent. It is located by a bridge that crosses Nahal Be’er Sheva and is on the edge of the old city of Beersheba.
The story about this well is told in the book of Genesis. The servants of Abimelech, the king of Gerar, had taken over a well that Abraham had dug:
Then Abraham reproached Abimelech for the well of water which the servants of Abimelech had seized. But Abimelech said, “I do not know who did this; you did not tell me, nor have I heard of it until today.” Abraham took sheep and oxen and gave them to Abimelech, and the two of them made a pact. Abraham then set seven ewes of the flock by themselves, and Abimelech said to Abraham, “What mean these seven ewes which you have set apart?” He replied, “You are to accept these seven ewes from me as proof that I dug this well.” Hence that place was called Beer-sheba, for there the two of them swore an oath. When they had concluded the pact at Beer-sheba, Abimelech and Phicol, chief of his troops, departed and returned to the land of the Philistines (Genesis 21:25-32).
Sheva has the meaning in Hebrew of either an oath or seven, both words having the same three root letters. Hence, Beersheva could mean the “well of the oath” or “the well of the seven (ewes)’ or perhaps even both.
The well was described by Claude Reigner Conder, an English soldier and explorer, in 1838. He noted that the larger of the two circular wells was stoned up very neatly with solid masonry and was 44½ feet deep, the bottom 16 feet of which was excavated into solid rock. The water at the bottom was pure and sweet.
The tour arranged by the center is about ¾ hour. First is a short talk about Abraham and a review of a map of Abraham’s journey from Ur of the Chaldees. You then enter a walkway with a very impressive audiovisual presentation of biblical verses and scenes of the desert area. This leads to the second floor for a 3D presentation of the main highlights of Abraham’s life. The movie ends with an overlook of the wells and tamarisk tree. One then goes outside. For the kids there is a small well from which they can draw water. There is also a walkway with photos about the historical development of Beersheba.
Did Abraham really dig this well?
One might well ask - what is the likelihood that Abraham dug this particular well? Abraham certainly lived in this area. Plus, there are many wells in the Beersheba Valley, as there is a large aquifer. However, there is an Arab tradition of this being Abraham’s well and it is called in Arabic "Bir Al-Saba,” which means well of the morning or well of the dawn. However, a discoverer in the late 19th century found that the masonry around this well is not particularly old. Inside the well is an inscription in Arabic dated to 505 AH or the twelfth century CE. The masonry of this well can therefore be dated to this time. Nevertheless, this does not negate the possibility of a redo of a considerably more ancient well. However, there is no other archeological evidence dating this well to any specific period. So, we will never know.
Abraham did plant a grove of tamarisk trees in Beersheba (Genesis 21:33), but this is not one of them. This is more in the way of a representation of the activities of Abraham. The trees he planted would have stood out in an area which otherwise had a paucity of trees, and this would attracted the attention of travelers. Why was Abraham so interested in travelers? This relates to his mission as a forefather of Judaism.
The greatness of Abraham is often considered to be his discovery of the One God, and thus being the originator of Judaism and then Islam and Christianity. This is only partially true. The Bible itself makes clear that there were other monotheists at the time of Abraham, such as Malchizedek, the king of Salem, (although he may have been a disciple of Abraham).
What distinguished Abraham and differentiated him from say the monotheist Noah was his promoting the knowledge of God. This is why he planted a grove of tamarisk trees. He went out of his way to be hospitable to guests, since this allowed him to discuss with them about the One God. This is also why he relocated to Beersheba, since it was located at the convergence of well-travelled desert routes.
Equally important as his monotheism was his discovery of Jewish ethics, namely justice, righteousness and the way of God (Genesis 18:19). Just as God is righteous and just, so we should endeavor to imitate Him. This is called in Latin “Imitatio Dei” and is the basis of Jewish and Christian ethics (but not Islamic ethics). These matters are not discussed in this museum.
See also the essay "Where was Abraham's well?" on our webpage "Tel Sheva or Tel Be'er Sheva"
Attractions in Be'ersheva on this website:
The Midbarium Desert Animal Park
Abraham's Well International Visitors Center
The Memorial to the Negev Brigade