Wadi Auja (Arabic:وادي العوجا), also spelledOuja,[1] known inHebrew asNahal Yitav (Hebrew:נחל ייט"ב) is a valley or stream (Arabic:واديwādī, "wadi"), in theWest Bank, originating near theEin Samia spring and flowing toAl-Auja nearJericho before it runs into theJordan River.
"Al-auja" means "the meandering one". This should not be confused with theYarkon River in Israel which flows to theMediterranean Sea inTel Aviv, known in Arabic by the name "Nahr al-Auja". DuringWorld War I this coincidence led to the term of "the line of the two Aujas", referring to a strategic line connecting the two river valleys.[2] The Hebrew name is based on the Israeli settlementYitav, founded in 1970 on the northern river bank, next to the Palestinian village ofAl-Auja. "Yitav" is an acronym forYadYitzhakTabenkin.[3]
Wadi Auja is 35 kilometers long and sets the boundary between theDesert and the eastern hillslopes of theWest Bank. It has adrainage area of 200 square kilometers and descends from a height of approximately 1000 meters above sea level to -315 meters below sea level, where it flows into theJordan River. The stream starts at Ein Samia, on the eastern slopes ofMount Hazor and flows eastward. Before its arrival to theJordan Rift Valley, it forms a deep and steepgorge, some 3 kilometers long. In this area some waterfalls are formed.[3] Ein Samia has been diverted to provide water toRamallah, some 20 km away, providing around 30% of the city's needs, and leaving most of the Wadi dry throughout the year.[4] The Auja Spring produces an estimated 9 million cubic metres of water annually, which creates a small oasis that attracts thousands of tourists a year, as well as providing for the farmers of Auja village.[5]
Two ancient aqueducts built in Wadi Auja during the lateSecond Temple period (and refurbished in later generations) carried water from their source atʻAin el Aûjah ("the crooked spring") to their respective destinations, the one termedḲanât el Manîl ("the canal of el Manil") which led to an outlet in the Jordan valley north of Jericho, and the other termedḲanât Farʻûn ("Pharaoh's canal"), thought to have brought water to the fortified town ofArchelais.[6]
The gorge section of the river is a natural reserve, where rows of precipitous cliffs are exposed and inside them a variety of rarebirds of prey andperennial plants can be found.[3]
The area wasoccupied byIsrael in 1967.
Today, Wadi Auja is a route used by Palestinian hikers. It is quieter and more isolated than the popular routes hiking routes such asWadi Qelt.[4] The wadi is used by manyBedouin shepherds.
Allenby did not hesitate. His original objective had been the "line of the two Aujas" from the Nahr Auja, which falls into the Mediterranean above Jaffa, to the Wady Auja, a little stream which, bursting from springs in the desert foot-hills above the Jordan valley, flows eastwards to the Jordan River about ten miles north of the Dead Sea.
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