Arabah

Arabah, also known as Arava, is a geographic region in the southern Levant. It is a long, narrow trough that forms the southern part of the Jordan Rift Valley, extending roughly from the Dead Sea in the north to the Gulf of Aqaba in the south, near Eilat. The term covers the desert basin and the associated wadis, including the Wadi Araba in Jordan, and lies along the eastern edge of the Negev in Israel.

Geology and climate: The Arabah lies along the Dead Sea Transform fault system and is part of the Great Rift Valley. It is an arid desert region with hot summers, scarce rainfall, and sparse vegetation. The terrain includes dry riverbeds, sand dunes, and rugged hills, with groundwater and oases providing limited resources in places.

Human use and history: The Arava hosts agricultural settlements in the Israeli sector that rely on irrigation and modern farming techniques. The Timna Valley near Eilat contains Bronze Age copper-mining remains and other ancient metallurgical sites, reflecting long-standing resource exploitation. The region has historically served as part of overland trade routes linking Africa and the Near East and remains a corridor for tourism and cross-border travel between Israel and Jordan.

Etymology: The name Arabah or Arava appears in biblical and modern usage; in Hebrew it is Arava, and in Arabic it is Araba. The term commonly refers to the desert plain or arid basin that constitutes the southern sector of the Jordan Rift Valley.