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Beersheba (; , ''Be'er Sheva'' (:beʔeʁˈʃeva); (ラテン語:Bersabee); (アラビア語:بئر السبع) , Levantine pronunciation: (:biːr esˈsabeʕ)) is the largest city in the Negev desert of southern Israel. Often referred to as the "Capital of the Negev," it is the seventh most populous city in Israel with a population of 205,588, and the second largest city with a total of 117,500 dunams (after Jerusalem). Beersheba grew in importance in the 19th century, when the Ottoman Turks built a regional police station there. The Battle of Beersheba was part of a wider British offensive in World War I aimed at breaking the Turkish defensive line from Gaza to Beersheba. In 1947, ''Bir Seb'a'' ((アラビア語:بيئر شيبع)), as it was known, was envisioned as part of the Arab state in the United Nations Partition Plan for Palestine. Following the declaration of Israel's independence, the Egyptian army amassed its forces in Beersheba as a strategic and logistical base. In the Battle of Beersheba waged in October 1948, it was conquered by the Israel Defense Forces.〔''Guide to Israel'', Zev Vilnay, Hamakor Press, Jerusalem, 1972, pp.309–14〕 Beersheba has grown considerably since then. A large portion of the population is made up of the descendants of Sephardi Jews and Mizrahi Jews who immigrated from Arab countries after 1948, as well as smaller communities of Bene Israel and Cochin Jews from India. Second and third waves of immigration have taken place since 1990, bringing Ashkenazi Jewish immigrants from the former Soviet Union, as well as Beta Israel immigrants from Ethiopia. The Soviet immigrants have made the game of chess a major sport in Beersheba. The city is now Israel's national chess center, with more chess grandmasters per capita than any other city in the world.〔("Beersheba Masters Kings, Knights, Pawns" ), ''Los Angeles Times,'' January 30, 2005〕 ==Etymology== There are several etymologies for the origin of the name "Beersheba." The oath of Abraham and Abimelech (''well of the oath'') is the one stated in Gen. 21:31. Others include the seven wells dug by Isaac (''seven wells'') though only three or four have been identified; the oath of Isaac and Abimelech (''well of the oath'' in Gen. 26:33); the seven lambs that sealed Abraham and Abimelech's oath (''well of the seven''). ''Be'er'' is the Hebrew word for ''well''; ''sheva'' could mean "seven" or "oath" (from the Hebrew word ''shvu'a''). In this case the meaning is probably "oath," as the ancient Hebrews believed seven to be a lucky number, and the Hebrew "shvu'a" (to take an oath) literally means "to seven oneself." 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Beersheba」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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