Desert of Paran

Paran is the name of a desert south of Beersheba in the land of Canaan (now Israel). She lay in the direction of today's Negev and was according to the Bible (Gen 21.8 to 21 ) the refuge of Hagar and Ishmael.

After this illustration was an Egyptian Hagar and the maid of Sarah, wife of Abraham and the main Erzmutter the people of Israel. Abraham became the father of her son Ishmael before his half-brother Isaac, the son of Sarah. Thus, Ishmael would have had the birthright inheritance. But Hagar and Ishmael were expelled at the request of Sarah, who wanted to get rid of the competitors of her son in this desert. As Hagar Ishmael could no longer protect them from dying of thirst, they gave him and on. But while they experienced God's miraculous rescue and found unexpectedly but still has a water fountain. They received as before Abraham even the promise of numerous descendants. Ismael will then have become a good archer, who continued to live in the wilderness of Paran and married an Egyptian.

This biblical story takes place for the Middle East conflict between Israel and the Palestinians an important role, since Arabs traced back to Ishmael, Jews Isaac. Abraham is considered both as their common ancestor.