Be'er Sheva's Old City is the Ottoman-planned grid laid out after 1900, when the Turks established a new administrative centre here to control the Negev Bedouin. The streets follow a logical grid — unusual for a Middle Eastern town of this age — and the surviving buildings show a range of early 20th-century styles: some classical Ottoman, some with European influence, some decorated with the pointed arches and carved stone that characterised the period.
The area fell into disrepair after the city's rapid modern expansion to the north, but has been partially restored and is now a pleasant place to walk. Several of the most interesting heritage buildings are concentrated here: the mosque turned museum, the governor's mansion, the Ottoman train station. Thursday mornings bring the Bedouin market to the nearby streets, where traders sell spices, textiles, and household goods.