Ottoman era Negev

tel arad inhabited since 4000 bce

nomadic tribes ruled negev largely independently , relative lack of interference next thousand years. known of time largely derived oral histories , folk tales of tribes wadi musa , petra areas in present-day jordan. bedouins of negev historically survived chiefly on sheep , goat husbandry. scarcity of water , of permanent pastoral land required them move constantly. bedouin in years past established few permanent settlements, although built, leaving behind remnants of stone houses called baika. in 1900 ottoman empire established administrative center southern syria @ beersheba including schools , railway station. authority of tribal chiefs on region recognized ottomans. railroad connected port of rafah. in 1914 turkish authorities estimated nomadic population @ 55,000,