Wadi Mujib

Coordinates: 31°27′57″N 35°34′24″E / 31.46583°N 35.57333°E / 31.46583; 35.57333
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Wadi Mujib
Arnon stream
Arnon river
Slot canyon of Wadi Mujib
Location, at south of map, marked "R. Arnon"
Coordinates31°27′57″N 35°34′24″E / 31.46583°N 35.57333°E / 31.46583; 35.57333
Area212 square kilometres (81.9 sq mi)
Established1987
Governing bodyRoyal Society for the Conservation of Nature
Al Mujib dam

The Wadi Mujib (

tributaries. The western part of the river is the site of the Mujib Biosphere Reserve, popular for hikes & canyoning
amid dramatic rock formations.

Geography

Wadi Mujib looking east in summertime

During the last ice age the water level of the Dead Sea reached 180 metres (590 ft) below sea level, about 240 metres (790 ft) higher than it is today. It flooded the lower areas of the canyons along its banks, which became bays and begun to accumulate sediments. As the climatic conditions changed, about 20,000 years ago,[citation needed] the water level of the lake dropped, leaving the re-emergent canyons blocked with lake marl. Most canyons managed to cut through their plugged outlets and to resume their lower courses. However, Wadi Mujib, abandoned its former outlet by breaking through a cleft in the sandstone. This narrow cleft became the bottleneck of an enormous drainage basin of 6,571 km2 (2,537 sq mi) with a huge discharge and annual sediment yield of 143,780 tonnes.[citation needed] During the years the cleft was scoured deeper and the gorge of Wadi Mujib was formed.

The Mujib Dam was completed in 2004 at the bottom of the wadi, where the modern road crosses the river. As a result, a large lake has formed.

Mujib Reserve

The Mujib Reserve of Wadi Mujib is located in the mountainous landscape to the east of the Dead Sea, in the southern part of

gorges cutting through plateaus. Perennial, spring-fed streams flow to the shores of the Dead Sea
.

Over 300 species of plants, 10 species of carnivores and numerous species of permanent and migratory birds have been recorded.[3] Some of the remote mountain and valley areas are difficult to reach, and thus offer safe haven for rare species of cats, goats and other mountain animals.

The slopes of the mountainous land are very sparsely vegetated, with a steppe-type vegetation on plateaus. Groundwater seepage does occur in places along the Dead Sea shore, for example at the hot springs of Zara, which support a luxuriant thicket of Acacia, Tamarix, Phoenix and Nerium, and a small marsh. The less severe slopes of the reserve are used by pastoralists for the grazing of sheep and goats.

The hot springs of Hammamat Ma'in lie close to the borders of the reserve and popular for tourism and recreation.[4]

The Jordanian military have a temporary camp in the south of the reserve.

Biology and ecology

Fauna

The reserve is strategically important as a safe stop-over for the huge number of

migratory birds which fly annually along the Great Rift Valley
between Africa and northeast Europe.

It is possible to see the following birds in Wadi Mujib:

Many carnivores also inhabit the various vegetation zones in Mujib, such as the striped hyena and the Syrian wolf.

Another common animal in Mujib is the Nubian ibex, a large mountain goat which became threatened as a result of over-hunting.

History

Gorge of the River Arnon Near Its Mouth. From Stade, "Geschichte des Volkes Israel."

Iron Age and biblical narrative

Wadi Mujib, or the Arnon Stream as it was known in biblical times, has always been an important boundary-line. According to the

).

Following the

Medeba, and other Moabite towns. Even under Omri and Ahab, who held part of the Moabite territory, Israel did not hold sway farther south than Ataroth
, about ten miles north of the Arnon.

Mesha, King of Moab, in his inscription (Mesha Stele, line 10) says that the Gadites (not the Reubenites) formerly occupied Ataroth, whence he in turn expelled the people of Israel. He mentions (line 26) his having constructed a road along the Arnon. The ancient importance of the river and of the towns in its vicinity is attested by the numerous ruins of bridges, forts, and buildings found upon or near it. Its fords are alluded to by the Book of Isaiah (16:2). Its "heights," crowned with the castles of chiefs, were also celebrated in verse (Numbers 21:28).

Hellenistic and Roman periods

In Roman times, a fort garrisoned by Cohors III Alpinorum, known as Apud Arnona, was situated close to the point where the Via Nova route crossed the Arnon river. One of the river's confluents, Seil Heidan, was known in Roman times as Aidonas.[6]

Panorama

View from a look-out north of the Wadi: 180° panorama image of Wadi Mujib: To the left is the Al Mujib dam (in the background), to the right the Wadi continues towards the Dead Sea. Note the individual sediment layers visible on the walls.

See also

References

  1. .
  2. ^ a b Yousef, Mohammed (July 2011). "Mujib". UNESCO. Archived from the original on 2022-01-31. Retrieved 2022-11-23.
  3. ^ a b "Mujib Nature Reserve". Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature. Archived from the original on 24 June 2008. Retrieved 7 May 2016.
  4. ^ a b Jordan Leisure & Wellness. Jordan Tourism Board, 2006.
  5. ^ "Bird Life in Wadi Mujib". Retrieved 2008-06-23.
  6. ISSN 0333-5844
    .

External links