Wadi Musa

Etymology

Wadi Musa means "Valley of Moses" in Arabic. It is said that Moses passed through the valley and struck water from the rock for his followers at the site of Ain Musa ("Moses Spring" or "Moses' Well"). The Nabateans built channels that carried water from this spring to the city of Petra. Wadi Musa was also nicknamed the "Guardian of Petra". The Tomb of Aaron, the traditional burial site of biblical Aaron, the brother of Moses, is on nearby Jebel Harun, a strong candidate for biblical Mount Hor.

History

During the Crusader period, the area was part of the Lordship of Transjordan and was defended by the castle, li Vaux Moysi.

During the Arab Revolt, Turkish forces under the command of Mehmed Djemal Pasha attacked Wadi Musa on 21 Oct. 1917. The Ottoman forces were defeated by forces under the command of Mawlud Mukhlis, Faisal's aide-de-camp.

The Jordanian census of 1961 found 654 inhabitants in Wadi Musa.

Climate

In Wadi Musa, there is a semi-arid climate. Most rain falls in the winter. The Köppen-Geiger climate classification is BSk. The average annual temperature in Wadi Musa is 15.5 °C. About 193 mm of precipitation falls annually.

Demographics

As of 2009, Wadi Musa's population was 17,085, with a male-to-female sex ratio of 52.1 to 47.9 (8,901 males and 8,184 females), making it the most populous settlement of the Petra Department. As of the 2004 census, Petra Department, which includes Wadi Musa and 18 other villages, had a population of 23,840 inhabitants. The population density of the town was 2.3 people per dunam, or 23 PD/ha, and the population growth rate was 3.2%.

Most of the town's population belongs to the Liyathnah tribe, whose members play leading roles in the region's economy and politics and dominate the local tourism industry since the 20th century. Almost the entire population is Muslim.

Economy

The town is about 250 km from Amman, Jordan's capital, and 100 km north of the port city of Aqaba. With more than 50 hotels and many tourist restaurants, its economy is almost entirely tied to tourism.

The campus of the College of Archaeology, Tourism & Hotel Management of Al-Hussein Bin Talal University is located in Wadi Musa.

Archaeology

Khirbat an-Nawāfla

In the northwestern sector of modern Wadi Musa lies the archaeological site of Khirbat an-Nawāfla. Evidence indicates activity as early as the Iron Age II (Edomite) period, though the site's primary occupation began in the Nabataean era (1st century BC), when it developed into an agricultural village equipped with cisterns, water channels, houses, courtyards, and olive presses, including the earliest Nabataean olive press yet identified. The village continued to be inhabited through the Late Roman and Byzantine periods, which yielded Christian remains such as crosses and possible church structures, and into the Early Islamic period, represented by the remains of housing and inscriptions. Occupation persisted through the Ayyubid/Mamluk period, when the site became a significant settlement, possibly identified with the village of al‑'Udmal mentioned in medieval sources. Excavations revealed extensive olive‑pressing installations, cemeteries (including one reserved for children), and abundant artifacts such as pottery, glass, and iron tools. The site remained inhabited into the Ottoman period and was later resettled by the an‑Nawafla tribe in the late 19th century.

Gallery

File:Wadi Musa Valley.jpg|Wadi Musa Valley File:Petra Visitors Center.jpg|Petra Visitors Center File:Wadi Musa, město II.jpg|Townscape File:Wadi Musa houses.jpg|Houses in Wadi Musa File:Wadi_Musa_at_dusk_(12294023723).jpg|Wadi Musa at dusk Wadi Musa-Mosesquelle-02-aussen-2010-gje.jpg|Moses source Wadi Musa-Panoramahotel-02-2010-gje.jpg|Hotel Wadi Musa-Panoramahotel-22-Landschaft-2010-gje.jpg|Mountains

References

Bibliography

References

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9. Government of Jordan, Department of Statistics, 1964, p. [http://users.cecs.anu.edu.au/~bdm/yabber/census/JordanCensusPages/JordanCensus1961-p22.pdf 22]
10. "Table 3.1 Distribution of Population by Category, Sex, Nationality, Administrative Statistical Divisions and Urban - Rural". Department of Statistics.
11. (2000). "Summary Results of the Archaeological Project at Khirbat an-Nawafla/Wadi Musa". Annual of the Department of Antiquities of Jordan.