Archaeological Project Sheds Light on Ancient Water Management in Udhruh
In 2011, the Udhruh Archaeological Project was launched, bringing together teams of Jordanian and Dutch archaeologists to investigate the region and reconstruct ancient water harvesting techniques in the extremely arid landscape of Udhruh. Access to fresh water remains one of the most pressing global challenges of the 21st century, much as it was for the ancient inhabitants of Petra’s hinterland.
"Scholars from different fields of research around the world are dealing with the ever-growing demand for, and the severe supply constraints upon, water. Rapid population growth and changing climatological conditions, especially in some of the most water-scarce regions of the world, result in increasing pressures on already overexploited water resources," Mark Driessen explained.
After several years of archaeological fieldwork, the professors stated that the research area around the village of Udhruh is one of the most complete and best-preserved field "laboratories" available for studying the long-term development of innovative water-management and agricultural systems in southern Jordan, between the 1st century BC and the 10th century AD. It covers the Nabataean Kingdom, the Roman and Byzantine empires and early Islamic periods.
You can read the full article on the website of the Jordan Times.