Maintaining desert cultivation: Roman, Byzantine, and Early Islamic water-strategies at Udhruh region, Jordan

Abstract

Abstract The site of Udhruh is located in the arid desert of southern Jordan, about 15\u202fkm to the east of Petra. The site was built by the Nabataeans but expanded by the Romans (as a defensive site) and was continuously occupied until the Early Islamic period. It receives less than the 200\u202fmm of annual precipitation, which is crucial for agricultural cultivation. Archaeological evidence from earlier excavations together with new data from several survey projects indicate that areas around Udhruh were cultivated throughout the Roman, Byzantine, and Early Islamic periods (300 BCE–800 CE). The fundamental question is: how did the people of Udhruh sustain their community in the desert, and how did they transform the desert into arable land? The landscape could be utilised thanks to sophisticated water management and irrigation techniques. At least four underground qanat systems were identified providing Udhruh with access to groundwater. At the terminal end of the qanat systems, several types of closed surface channels conveyed the water to reservoirs, which subsequently distributed the water to the field systems. The water systems of Udhruh differ from the well-known Nabataean systems in the surrounding area. As Udhruh was taken over by the Roman army in 106 CE, this study analyses how the Nabataean water systems continued to function and adapt through the Roman and Byzantine periods. A complete understanding of Udhruh s water systems helps to reconstruct past land use, agricultural activity, and irrigation practices in a currently arid region.