Talk:Arabah

Possible corrections to the article

Just a few points to make ... - The Wadi Rum area is on the Jordan side of the Wadi, but is quite distinct from Wadi Arabia - I believe that the purpose of diverting Red Sea water was to replenish the Dead Sea. There's be no need to desalinate as the Dead Sea has a very high salinity, and gravity could do much of the work of moving the water - but gravity and desalination have little to do with each other.

It is NEVER referred to as "Arabah" -- where did the "B" come from? Scott Adler 01:35, 7 June 2007 (UTC)

MORE POINTS: 1) It is never referred to as either!! Where did the "Wadi" go?! 2) There are 5 big tribes on the Jordanian side in addition to 4 or 5 smaller ones, and these tribes have been in Wadi Araba for hundreds of years. The "administrative district" of Wadi Araba had a population of around 7000 distributed among 8 settlement, in addition to 4 Bedouin population clusters. So your claim that "there are almost no settlements on its Jordanian side and just a few kibbutzim on the Israeli" is totally biased, false, and a low shot at distorting history. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 212.35.88.210 (talk) 13:08, 21 January 2009 (UTC)

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No word of expelled, expunged and tormented bedouins. Instead a likely state founded PR article.

Says it all about wikipedia. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 79.196.226.192 (talk) 12:30, 13 March 2017 (UTC)

Blame Winston Churchill, since he was the one who divided Transjordan and Palestine along this line in the early 1920s. Or blame the Ottomans, since according to the Ottoman legal system, the Bedouins didn't actually own most of the land that they made use of during the 19th century (which set them up for problems under later rulers). AnonMoos (talk) 03:07, 20 March 2017 (UTC)

i think the article name should be spelled "Aravah"

Aravah (or HaAravah, "Ha" stands for "The" in Hebrew) is the official name in Israel (Hebrew) and this is how it is spelled multiple times in the Old Testament, for example: "These are the devarim (words) which Moshe spoke unto kol Yisroel on the far side of the Yarden in the midbar, in the Aravah opposite Suf between Paran, and Tophel, and Lavan, and Chatzerot, and Di-Zahav." https://www.biblegateway.com/quicksearch/?quicksearch=Arava&qs_version=OJB ArtiBarti (talk) 22:36, 19 October 2017 (UTC)

That would be a Hebrew-only spelling, while the current spelling is quasi-neutral between Arabic and Hebrew. AnonMoos (talk) 14:53, 28 October 2017 (UTC)

P.S. Most English-language Bible versions of Deuteronomy 1:1 spell it as "Arabah" (RSV etc.) or translate it as "plain" (KJV). AnonMoos (talk) 15:00, 28 October 2017 (UTC)

In the Negev?!

"... is a loosely defined geographic area in the Negev Desert"

It's part of the Jordan Rift Valley between the Negev and the desert of S Jordan. It borders the Negev Desert, but being part of it? More than doubtful.

One may argue that S Jordan, Negev and Sinai are one continuous desert region, but A) so is an entire strip of the Earth going through all of N Africa, Asia and part of the American continent, and B) there are geological, geomorphological as well as historical and geopolitical reasons to separate them. Arminden (talk) 08:25, 9 September 2024 (UTC)

History section is poorly sourced & badly structured

For example, this source is used for the subsection on "Tamar". Its not a WP:RS and there is a biblical bent, rather than historical/archaeological exposition of facts permeating the entire historical presentation. Going to tag and hopefully get around to improving soon. Tiamut (talk)€ Tiamut (talk) 21:41, 4 December 2025 (UTC)

Removed the text sourced to the unreliable source above. Here it is for those who wish to salvage parts of it (don't think most of it can be sourced to any reliable sources because most of it is factually incorrect:

"==== Biblical Tamar and Iron Age Settlements ==== The Biblical city of Tamar (also known as Hatzeva or Roman Tamara) is one of the oldest continuously occupied archaeological sites in the Aravah. Located near Ein Hatzeva in the northern Arabah, this ancient oasis served as a critical stopover on trade routes which connected the Red Sea with the Dead Sea and Jerusalem. The site shows evidence of six distinct periods of inhabitance, documenting Jewish presence and activity from the time of Solomon (10th century BCE) through the Byzantine period.

Archaeological excavations at Tamar have uncovered a fortress system that was part of King Solomon's network of defensive installations protecting Israel's southern border and trade routes. The site held strategic importance for controlling access to the copper mines and international commerce between Arabia, Egypt, and the Israelite kingdoms. Excavations have found the remains of a large fortress built during King Solomon's reign.

Some useful sources

Regarding Timna and the copper mines there, this paper established Egyptian trade with the population there who were producing Qurayya ware pottery i. the late bronze early iron age period. Tiamut (talk) 23:01, 4 December 2025 (UTC)