[en] Approximate analytical solutions in closed form are obtained for the five-dimensional Bohr Hamiltonian with the Woods–Saxon potential, taking advantage of the Pekeris approximation and the exactly solvable one-dimensional extended Woods–Saxon potential with a dip near its surface. Comparison with the data for several γ-unstable and prolate deformed nuclei indicates that the potential can describe well the ground state and ${\mathrm{\gamma <!--\; ??\; -->}}_1$ bands of many prolate deformed nuclei corresponding to a large enough ‘well size’ and diffuseness, while it fails in describing the ${\mathrm{\beta <!--\; ??\; -->}}_1$ bands, due to its lack of a hard core, as well as in describing γ-unstable nuclei, because of the small ‘well size’ and diffuseness they exhibit. (paper)