Tel Be'er Sheva is a UNESCO World Heritage Site about 5 km east of the modern city, preserving the remains of the biblical city mentioned in connection with Abraham, Isaac, and the early Israelite period. The mound (tel) has been occupied since the Chalcolithic period but reached its peak as a well-planned city in the Iron Age, with a central administrative district, storehouses, and a remarkable water system.
The site's water system is one of the best-preserved of its kind in the ancient Near East — a 70-metre shaft leading down to an underground cistern that could supply the city through a long siege. Walking down into the shaft gives a visceral sense of ancient urban engineering. The reconstructed horned altar stands near the entrance, a powerful reminder that this modest mound was once a significant religious and administrative centre at the edge of the desert.