Malak ALa'amar

A place known not only for its ancient history and breathtaking nature, but a place that tells stories of civilizations that lived there for thousands of years, whose impact has remained and continues until today.

Welcome from the historic gate of Petra, welcome from Wadi Musa. And who among us does not know the most important landmark of Wadi Musa, the rose-colored city of Petra, which is more than 2,300 years old, where the Nabataeans lived and made their capital.

Despite the beauty of this place and its ancient history, it has, of course, faced its significant share of challenges resulting from climate change. During only the past two decades, temperatures in this area have increased by an average of two degrees Celsius which has affected the vegetation cover and agricultural lands.

This area has a natural blessing from God that has solved many of the problems that exist there. In Wadi Musa, there are more than 27,000 dunums of land dedicated to agriculture, which equals 3.1% of the total area of the region.

The fate of these trees and the thousands of other planted dunums would have been drought and death if it were not for a natural source that supplies them with water: the waters of Ain Musa.

To better understand the importance of this spring to the region, we met with the researcher and expert in tangible heritage, Professor Hassan Al-Hassanat, who will tell us about the historical and cultural value of Wadi Musa and the waters of Ain Musa:

“Ain Musa, this spring, has added value first to the city of Petra, and to the Petra region, and to the archaeological city at the same time. If we talk about the historical context, in the eighth century before 700 years ago, the well-known traveler Al-Hamawi (known from Lisan al-Arab) visited, and he mentioned the waters of Ain Musa directly, saying: ‘I came to the waters of Ain Musa; agriculture is abundant there, citrus fruits are abundant, grapes are abundant, and there are people there who respect passersby.’ Ain Musa is also mentioned in Lisan al-Arab.

The Petra region was exposed, let us say, in the first and second centuries AD to four or five earthquakes, and these earthquakes did not affect Ain Musa at all. In my opinion, years of drought also did not affect Ain Musa at all.

Therefore, throughout history, many years occurred, more than 2,000 years ago and in the last century, when there were decades of drought, with four or five years passing without even a single grain falling, yet Ain Musa never dried up completely.”

Despite all the challenges, the people of Wadi Musa still maintain their traditions regarding the distribution of this water because they consider it one of nature’s treasures.

Malak Al-A'amar: “The spring supplies the farming area—”

Al-Hassanat: “—the entire tree-farming area: olive trees, grapes, figs, pomegranates, and the different types of agriculture found in Wadi Musa all drink from this source.

And it is divided — yes, it is divided among the people of Wadi Musa with very precise distribution. If I say this, I am not exaggerating: ask anyone in Wadi Musa, and they will tell you it is divided accurately, so that everyone benefits from it day and night, winter, summer, and spring, with a specific share assigned to each person; no one increases their share by even a single point.”

Al-A'amar: “What would happen if the waters of Ain Musa ran out? What would happen to the valley?”

Al-Hassanat: “I hope, inshallah, that this does not happen, but there are more than 20 to 30 springs in Wadi Musa: Ain Al-Sadr, Ainoun, Ain Al-Mushqara, the springs of Al-Zaraba, the springs of Al-Dabdaba, the springs of Al-Jalwakh, Misr Hibbat Al-Neel, and these are extensions of Ain Musa, the gift of Wadi Musa.”

Al-A'amar: “Our natural resources are many, and if we know how to use and benefit from them properly, they can reduce and lessen many of the problems and phenomena resulting from climate change.”

Wadi Musa is not just a place; it is history, nature, and memories for entire generations. Protecting this heritage is a shared responsibility for everyone, especially the youth, who have the ability to make a real difference and preserve this place for future generations.