TheJordan River orRiver Jordan (Arabic:نَهْر الْأُرْدُنّ,Nahr al-ʾUrdunn;Hebrew:נְהַר הַיַּרְדֵּן,Nəhar hayYardēn), also known asNahr Al-Sharieat (Arabic:نهر الشريعة), is a 251-kilometre-long (156 mi)endorheicriver in theLevant that flows roughly north to south through theSea of Galilee and drains to theDead Sea. The river passes by or throughJordan,Syria,Israel, andPalestine.
Several hypotheses for the origin of most of the river's names in modern languages (e.g., Jordan, Yarden, Urdunn), one is that it comes from Semitic 'Yard|on' 'flow down' <√ירד reflecting the river's declivity, possibly appearing also in other river names in the region such asYarkon andYarmouk, or it may be related to theEgyptian loanword 'yǝʾor' ('big river', theNile).[2] According to this hypothesis, "Den" might be linked to theAkkadian worddannum for "powerful".[3] Cognates of the word are found inAramaic,Hebrew,Mandaic, and otherSemitic languages.[4] The first recorded use of the name appears asYārdon inAnastasi I, an ancient Egyptianpapyrus that probably dates to the time ofRameses II.[5] Early Arab chronicles referred to the river asAl-Urdunn.[6]
InMandaic, the etymologically related termYardena (Classical Mandaic:ࡉࡀࡓࡃࡍࡀ) can refer not only to the Jordan River, but also any other body of flowing water that can be used for Mandaean baptismal rituals (masbuta).[7]
After theCrusades, the Arabic nameNahr Al Sharieat (Arabic:نهر الشريعة), literally "the watering place" began to be used,[6] and was recorded by medieval geographers such asAbu'l-Fida andAl-Dimashqi.[6] The name was shown in various forms on mostnotable 19th century maps of the region and is described byEdward Robinson in hisBiblical Researches in Palestine.[8][9] Although historical sources do not appear to make this distinction, it is described in some modern sources as the name for the part of the river before it flows into the Sea of Galilee.[10]
Geography
Sources
TheDan andHasbani rivers merge near the kibbutzSde Nehemia innorthern Israel and become the Jordan River. The Hasbani (Arabic: الحاصبانيHasbani, Hebrew: either שנירSnir orHatzbani) is a stream which flows from the north-western foot ofMount Hermon inLebanon,[11][12] with a flow of 118 million m3 annually.[13] TheIyyon (Hebrew: עיוןIyyon, Arabic name: Ajoun stream,[12] but دردرهDardara for the uppermost course and براغيثBareighith orBeregeith for the rest of its course) is a stream which flows fromMerj 'Ayun area in southern Lebanon into the Hasbani.
The Dan (Arabic: اللدانLeddan orLiddan, Hebrew: דןDan) is the largest among the Jordan's upper course tributaries with c. 240-252 million cubic metres per year.[12][13] TheBanias (Arabic: بانياسBanias, Hebrew: eitherBanias or חרמוןHermon)[14][12] is a stream arising from a spring atBanias at the foot of Mount Hermon, with a flow of 106 million m3 annually.[13] It flows into the Dan along with the Nahal Sion or Nahal Assal (Hebrew) / Wadi el-'Asl or Assal (Arabic).[12][15]
Upper course (Hula Valley)
1871 map of the Jordan River.[16] Note in particular Lake Hula, which was later drained.
The Jordan River has an upper course from its sources to the Sea of Galilee (via theBethsaida Valley) and a lower course south of the Sea of Galilee down to theDead Sea. In traditional terminology, the upper course (or most of it) is commonly referred to as passing through the "Hula Valley", as opposed to "Upper Jordan Valley"; the Sea of Galilee through which the river passes is a separate entity, and the termJordan Valley is reserved for the lower course.
Over its upper course (fed by the Hasbani River, Banias River, Dan River, and the Iyyon Stream), the river drops rapidly in a 75-kilometre (47 mi) run to the once large and swampy Lake Hula, which is slightly abovesea level. Exiting the now much-diminished lake, it goes through an even steeper drop over the 25 kilometres (16 mi) down to the Sea of Galilee, which it enters at its northern end. The Jordan deposits much of the silt it is carrying within the lake, which it leaves again near its southern tip atDegania Dam.
Its section north of the Sea of Galilee is within the boundaries of Israel and forms the western boundary of theGolan Heights. South of the lake, it forms the border between the Kingdom of Jordan (to the east), and Israel (to the west).
Lower course
Aerial view, 1938
South of the Sea of Galilee, the river is situated about 210 metres (690 ft) below sea level. The last 120-kilometre-long (75 mi) section follows what is commonly termed the "Jordan Valley", which has lessgradient (the total drop is another 210 metres) so that the rivermeanders before entering the Dead Sea, aterminal lake about 422 metres (1,385 ft) below sea level with no outlet. The river is fed by two majortributaries, theYarmouk andZarqa. The Yarmouk, the largest tributary of the lower course, forms the border between Syria and Jordan and then Jordan and Israel.[17][18]
Smaller tributaries or "side wadis" / "side streams" in this segment are, north to south[17]
In 1964, Israel began operating a pumping station that diverts water from the Sea of Galilee to theNational Water Carrier. Also in 1964, Jordan constructed achannel that diverted water from the Yarmouk to theEast Ghor Canal. Syria has also built reservoirs that catch the Yarmouk's waters. Environmentalists blame Israel, Jordan and Syria for extensive damage to the Jordan River ecosystem.[20]
A native freshwater reptile is theBalkan terrapin (Mauremys rivulata), which is thought to have also been a food source for the earliestNeanderthal residents of the region.[22]
Several introduced species of fish are known from the region, includingcommon carp (Cyprinus carpio),grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella),black carp (Hypophthalmichthys molitrix),rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss),Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus), andsea mullet (Mugil cephalus). Many of these introduced fish either prey on or outcompete native fish and threaten their populations, especially the more endangered species.[21]
Flow
In modern times, up to 95% of the water is diverted for human purposes,[23] and the flow is less than 10% of the past average.[24] Because of this and the high evaporation rate of the Dead Sea, as well as industrial extraction of salts through evaporation ponds, the Dead Sea is rapidly shrinking.[citation needed] The flow rate of the Jordan River once was 1.3 billion cubic metres per year; as of 2010, just 20 to 30 million cubic metres per year flow into the Dead Sea.[25]
Pollution
A small section of the northernmost portion of the Lower Jordan, the first ca. 3-kilometre (1.9 mi) below the Sea of Galilee, has been kept pristine for baptism and local tourism. Most polluted is the 100-kilometre (62 mi) downstream stretch—a meandering stream from above the confluence with the Yarmouk to the Dead Sea. Environmentalists say the practice of letting sewage and brackish water flow into the river has almost destroyed its ecosystem. Rescuing the Jordan could take decades, according to environmentalists.[20] In 2007,FoEME named the Jordan River as one of the world's 100 most endangered ecological sites, due in part to lack of cooperation between Israel and neighboring Arab states.[26]
Roads, border crossings, and bridges
Rafting on Jordan River, northern Galilee
Roads
Route 90, part of which is named afterRehavam Zeevi, connects the northern and southern tips of the Israeli-occupied West Bank and parallels the Jordan River on the western side.
Until the first decade of the 21st century, the waters of the Jordan River had been the largest water resource for Israel; lately,desalinated sea water from theMediterranean has taken over this role. Israel's National Water Carrier, completed in 1964, has delivered water from the Sea of Galilee to the Israeli coastal plain for over four decades, until prolonged drought led to abandoning this solution in favour of desalination.
Jordan receives 50,000,000 m3 (1.8 billion cu ft) of water from the river, a quantity which is regulated by the 1994peace treaty with Israel.[27] In the past, one of the main water resources in Jordan was the Jordan River, with a flow of 1.3 billion m3 per year (BCM/yr). However, after Israel built the National Water Carrier in 1953 and diverted water from the Sea of Galilee to Israel's coastal plains and southern desert, the flow of the Lower Jordan River dropped significantly. The 50 MCM/yr that Israel provides from the Sea of Galilee as part of the 1994 peace treaty was meant to compensate for this loss. A 2010 study found that the Lower Jordan River has been reduced to 2% of its historic flow.[28] Water quality has also deteriorated sharply, with high levels of salinity and pollution from agricultural fertilizer and untreated wastewater upstream in Israel and the West Bank.[29]
Conflict about the waters of the Jordan River was a contributing factor to theSix-Day War when, starting in 1965, Syria attempted to divert some of its headwaters in collaboration with Lebanon and Jordan.[30] The diversion works would have reduced the water availability for Israel's carrier by about 35%, and Israel's overall water supply by about 11%.[31]
In theHebrew Bible the Jordan is referred to as the source of fertility of a large plain ("Kikkar ha-Yarden"), said to be watered like "the garden of the LORD" (Genesis13:10). There is no regular description of the Jordan in the Bible; only scattered and indefinite references to it are given.Jacob crossed it and its tributary, the Jabbok (the modern Zarqa River), on his way back fromHaran (Genesis 32:11,32:23–24). It is noted as the line of demarcation between the "two tribes and the half tribe" settled to theeast (Numbers34:15) and the "nine tribes and the halftribe of Manasseh" that settled to the west (Joshua 13:7, passim).
OppositeJericho, it is called "the Jordan of Jericho" (Numbers 34:15;35:1). The Jordan has a number offords, and one of them is famous as the place where manyEphraimites were slain byJephthah (Judges12:5–6). It seems that these are the same fords mentioned as being near Beth-barah, whereGideon lay in wait for theMidianites (Judges 7:24). In the plain of the Jordan, betweenSuccoth andZarthan, is the clay ground whereSolomon had his bronze foundries (1 Kings7:46). In2 Kings 6:1–4 the Jordan valley is portrayed as a woodland region. Biblical commentatorAlbert Barnes suggests that "trees were rare in most parts of Palestine, but plentiful in the Jordan Valley".[32]
In biblical history, the Jordan appears as the scene of severalmiracles, the first taking place when the Jordan, near Jericho, was crossed by the Israelites under Joshua (Joshua 3:15-17). Later the two tribes and the half tribe that settled east of the Jordan built a large altar on its banks as "a witness" between them and the other tribes (Joshua 22:10,22:26, et seq.). The Jordan was crossed byElijah andElisha on dry ground (2 Kings 2:8,2:14). Elisha performed two miracles at the Jordan: he healedNaaman'sleprosy by having him bathe in its waters (2 Kings 5:14), and he made an axe head lost by one of the "children of the prophets" float, by throwing a piece of wood into the water (2 Kings 6:6).
Christian women on pilgrimage toAl-Maghtas (1913)Al-Maghtas ruins on the Jordanian side of the Jordan River are the putative location for the Baptism ofJesus and the ministry ofJohn the Baptist.
The New Testament speaks several times about Jesus crossing the Jordan during his ministry (Matthew 19:1;Mark 10:1) and of believers crossing the Jordan to come hear him preach and to be healed of their diseases (Matthew 4:25;Mark 3:7–8). When his enemies sought to capture him, Jesus took refuge at the river in the place John had first baptised (John 10:39–40).
Scholars have concluded that the site calledAl-Maghtas on the east side has long been considered the location for the Baptism of Jesus and a place of pilgrimage. This has led to the selection of Al-Maghtas as a UNESCOWorld Heritage site in 2015.[34]
Derived cultural significance
Symbolism
Because, according to Jewish tradition, theIsraelites made a difficult and hazardous journey fromslavery inEgypt to freedom inthe Promised Land, the Jordan can refer to freedom.[citation needed] The actual crossing is the final step of the journey, which is then complete.
Among many other references, the Jordan River is given this meaning in the text ofOld Man River: "Let me go 'way from the Mississippi / Let me go 'way from the white man boss / Show me that stream called the River Jordan / That's the old stream that I long to cross".
Christening of royals
Because of the baptism of Jesus, water from the Jordan is employed for the christening of heirs and princes in several Christian royal houses, such as the cases ofPrince George of Wales,Simeon of Bulgaria[35] andJames Ogilvy.[36] Earlier, On 15 May 1717, the EmpressMaria Theresa was baptised in Vienna by the PapalNuntius Giorgio Spinola, representingPope Clement XI, with baptismal water containing a few drops from the River Jordan.
^Palmer, 1881, p.167 (= SWP map 9):Esh Sheriah: The watering-place. This is the modern title of Jordan. The root means also to ´flow straight on or through: Palmer, 1881, p.350 (= SWP map 18):Esh Sheriah: The watering-place. The Jordan. In literary Arabic it is calledUrdunna.
^The Development of the Jordan River. Arab Information Center. 1961. p. 2.Archived from the original on 14 November 2023. Retrieved1 March 2020.The River is composed of two important sections, the al-Sharea and the Jordan. The al-Sharea River, which is the name of the Jordan before it enters Lake Tiberias, descends from a height of 230 feet above sea level to Tiberias
^abcdeMark Zeitoun; Karim Eid-Sabbagh; Muna Dajani; Michael Talhami (2012)."Hydro-political Baseline of the Upper Jordan River". Beirut: Association of the Friends of Ibrahim Abd el Al (AFIAL) with theUEA Water Security Research Centre. pp. 19–23, chapterSources of the Jordan (2.1).Archived from the original on 6 August 2020. Retrieved18 April 2020.
^Mehr, Farhang, "The politics of water," in Antonino Zichichi, Richard C. Ragaini, eds.,International Seminar on Nuclear War and Planetary Emergencies, 30th session, Erice, Italy, 18–26 August 2003, Ettore Majorana International Centre for Scientific Culture, World Scientific Publishing Co. Pie. Ltd., 2004, p. 258, 259
^"Baptized".Time. 22 May 1964. Archived fromthe original on 2 September 2009. Retrieved11 March 2008.water from the River Jordan was sent for the occasion;
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