Arabah

The Arabah (, HaArava; , ), also known as Aravah, is a section of the Great Rift Valley lying between the Dead Sea in the north and the Gulf of Aqaba in the south. It includes nearly half of the border between Israel to the west and Jordan to the east.
The Arabah is in length from the Gulf of Aqaba to the southern shore of the Dead Sea. Topographically, the region is divided into three sections. From the Gulf of Aqaba northward, the land gradually rises over a distance of , and reaches a height of above sea level, which represents the watershed divide between the Dead Sea and Red Sea. From this crest, the land slopes gently northward over the next to a point south of the Dead Sea. In the last section, the Arabah drops steeply to the Dead Sea, which at below sea level, is the lowest point on earth (and historically falling).
The Arabah is very hot and dry and virtually without rain; consequently, it is only lightly populated. The Jordanian administrative district of Wadi Araba is reported to have a population of 6775.Jordan Department of Statistics. 2004 Five major tribes comprise eight settlements on the Jordanian side. These tribes are: Al-S'eediyeen (), Al-Ihewat (الإحيوات), Al-Ammareen (العمارين), Al-Rashaideh (الرشايدة), and Al-Azazmeh (العزازمة), as well as smaller tribes of the Al-Oseifat (العصيفات), Al-Rawajfeh (الرواجفة), Al-Manaja'h (المناجعة), and Al-Marzaqa (المرزقة), among others. The main economic activities for these Arabah residents revolve around herding sheep, agriculture, handicrafts, and the Jordanian Army.
On the Israeli side there are a few kibbutzim. The oldest kibbutz in the Arava is Yotvata, founded in 1957, and named for an ancient town in the area mentioned once in the Bible. Kibbutz Lotan, which is one of Israel's newest kibbutzim, has a bird-watching center.
In Biblical times the area was a center of copper production; King Solomon apparently had mines here. The Arabah was home to the Edomites (Edom was called "Idumea" in Roman times). East of the Arabah was the domain of the Nabateans, the builders of the city of Petra.
The Israel–Jordan Peace Treaty was signed in the Arabah on October 26, 1994.
The governments of Jordan and Israel are now promoting development of the region. There is a plan to bring sea water from the Red Sea to the Dead Sea through a canal (Red–Dead Seas Canal), which follows along the Arabah. This (long envisioned) project was once an issue of dispute between Jordan and Israel, but it was recently agreed that the project shall be constructed on and by the Jordanian side.
==Natural history==
The Arabah is very scenic; there are colorful cliffs and sharp-topped mountains. Israel's Timna Valley Park is notable for its prehistoric rock carvings, some of the oldest copper mines in the world, and a convoluted cliff called King Solomon's pillars. On the Jordanian side is the famous Wadi Rum, which is famous among rock climbers, hikers, campers, and lovers of the outdoors.
Wadi Feynan Eco-Lodge, opened in Feynan, Jordan in 2005 by the Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature, is a candle-lit eco-lodge situated deep in the Arabah's remote landscape.
There are numerous species of flora and fauna in the Aravah Valley.Henry Chichester Hart. 1891 Notably the Caracal, Caracal caracal, is found on savannahs of the Aravah Valley.C. Michael Hogan. 2009 
==Jordanian localities==
Below is a list of Jordanian population clusters in Wadi Araba:
*Ghour Fifa
*Greigra
*Feynan
*Bi'r Mathkour
*Um Mathla
*Abu Khusheibeh
*Al-Reesheh
*Gharandal
*Rahmeh
*Taba
*Qatar
*Al-Deeseh
*Al-Sultani
*Aqaba
==Israeli localities==
Below is a list of Israeli localities in the Arava, from north to south.
*Ein Tamar
*Neot HaKikar
*Ir Ovot
*Idan
*Ein Hatzeva
*Ein Yahav
*Sapir
*Tzofar
*Tzukim
*Paran
*Yahel
*Neot Smadar
*Neve Harif
*Lotan
*Ketura
*Grofit
*Yotvata
*Samar
*Elifaz
*Be'er Ora
*Eilot
*Eilat
==See also==
* Wadi Araba Crossing
* Arava Institute for Environmental Studies
==References==
* Jordan Department of Statistics. 2004
* Henry Chichester Hart. 1891, Some account of the fauna and flora of Sinai, Petra, and Wâdy Arabah, 255 pages
* C. Michael Hogan. 2009. Caracal: Caracal caracal, GlobalTwitcher.com, ed. N. Stromberg
==Line notes==
 
==External links==
*
*WadiFeynan Eco-Lodge
*The Arava Institute for Environmental Studies
*Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature
*Wadi Araba Archaeological Research Project: Integrating Investigations of the Cultural Landscape of Wadi Araba since 1996. For Publications, see http://wadiaraba.tripod.com/waarpubs.htm
*Wadi Arabah Project: Crossing the Rift
*The Arava In Photos
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cs:Vádí al-Araba
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Category:Regions of Israel
Category:Landforms of Jordan
Category:Great Rift Valley
Category:Israel–Jordan relations
Category:Wadi