The Negev Desert, Israel, is a varied desert, containing arid to semi-arid and rocky terrains. The Negev contains the oldest discovered surface on Earth, with an approximate age of 1.8 million years. It is a rocky desert - a melange of brown, rocky, dusty mountains interrupted by wadis (dry riverbeds that bloom briefly after rain) and deep craters. Nomadic life in the Negev dates back at least 4,000 years.