Wadi Musa

Wadi Musa means "Valley of Moses" in Arabic. It is said that Moses passed through the valley and struck water from the rock for his followers at the site of Ain Musa ("Moses Spring" or "Moses' Well").{{cite web |title=Wadi Musa |url=https://www.lonelyplanet.com/jordan/petra-and-the-south/petra-and-wadi-musa |publisher=Lonely Planet |access-date=25 October 2022}}{{cite web |title=Wadi Musa town |url=https://www.roughguides.com/jordan/petra/wadi-musa-town/ |publisher=Rough Guides |access-date=25 October 2022}} The Nabateans built channels that carried water from this spring to the city of Petra.{{cite web |title=Wadi Musa |url=https://www.touristjordan.com/wadi-musa/ |publisher=Tourist Jordan |access-date=24 October 2022}}{{cite web |last1=Corbett |first1=Glenn J. |title=Solving the Enigma of Petra and the Nabataeans |url=https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/ancient-cultures/ancient-near-eastern-world/solving-the-enigma-of-petra-and-the-nabataeans/ |publisher=Biblical Archaeology Society |access-date=24 October 2022 |date=4 November 2021}} Wadi Musa was also nicknamed the "Guardian of Petra". The Tomb of Aaron, the traditional burial site of biblical Aaron, the brother of Moses, is on nearby Jebel Harun, a strong candidate for biblical Mount Hor.

During the Crusader period, the area was part of the Lordship of Oultrejordain and was defended by the castle, li Vaux Moysi.

During the Arab Revolt, Turkish forces under the command of Mehmed Djemal Pasha attacked Wadi Musa on 21 Oct. 1917. The Ottoman forces were defeated by forces under the command of Mawlud Mukhlis, Faisal's aide-de-camp.{{cite book |last1=Faulkner |first1=Neil |title=Lawrence of Arabia's War: The Arabs, the British and the Remaking of the Middle East in WWI |date=2016 |publisher=Yale University Press |location=New Haven |isbn=9780300226393 |pages=314–315}}{{cite book |last1=Lawrence |first1=T.E. |title=Seven Pillars of Wisdom |date=1935 |publisher=Doubleday, Doran & Company, Inc. |location=Garden City |pages=381}}

The Jordanian census of 1961 found 654 inhabitants in Wadi Musa.Government of Jordan, Department of Statistics, 1964, p. [http://users.cecs.anu.edu.au/~bdm/yabber/census/JordanCensusPages/JordanCensus1961-p22.pdf 22]

In Wadi Musa, there is a semi-arid climate. Most rain falls in the winter. The Köppen-Geiger climate classification is BSk. The average annual temperature in Wadi Musa is {{convert|15.5|°C|1}}. About {{convert|193|mm|2|abbr=on}} of precipitation falls annually.

{{Weather box|location = Wadi Musa

|metric first = Y

|single line = Y

|Jan high C = 11.0

|Feb high C = 13.1

|Mar high C = 16.6

|Apr high C = 20.9

|May high C = 25.1

|Jun high C = 28.6

|Jul high C = 29.8

|Aug high C = 30.0

|Sep high C = 28.1

|Oct high C = 24.6

|Nov high C = 18.2

|Dec high C = 13.4

|Jan low C = 2.2

|Feb low C = 2.8

|Mar low C = 5.6

|Apr low C = 8.7

|May low C = 11.7

|Jun low C = 14.1

|Jul low C = 16.1

|Aug low C = 16.5

|Sep low C = 14.2

|Oct low C = 11.2

|Nov low C = 7.1

|Dec low C = 3.4

|Jan precipitation mm = 45

|Feb precipitation mm = 38

|Mar precipitation mm = 36

|Apr precipitation mm = 12

|May precipitation mm = 4

|Jun precipitation mm = 0

|Jul precipitation mm = 0

|Aug precipitation mm = 0

|Sep precipitation mm = 0

|Oct precipitation mm = 2

|Nov precipitation mm = 15

|Dec precipitation mm = 41

|year precipitation mm= 193

|source = Climate-Data.org, Climate data

|date=17 January 2018}}

As of 2009, Wadi Musa's population was 17,085, with a male-to-female sex ratio of 52.1 to 47.9 (8,901 males and 8,184 females), making it the most populous settlement of the Petra Department. As of the 2004 census, Petra Department, which includes Wadi Musa and 18 other villages, had a population of 23,840 inhabitants.{{cite web |url=http://www.dos.gov.jo/dos_home/census2004/cen04_3.pdf/table_3_1.pdf |title=Table 3.1 Distribution of Population by Category, Sex, Nationality, Administrative Statistical Divisions and Urban - Rural |series=Population and Housing Census 2004 |publisher=Department of Statistics |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110722071314/http://www.dos.gov.jo/dos_home/census2004/cen04_3.pdf/table_3_1.pdf |archive-date=22 July 2011 |url-status=dead |access-date=5 June 2016}} The population density of the town was 2.3 people per dunam, or {{convert|23|PD/ha|PD/acre}}, and the population growth rate was 3.2%.

Most of the town's population belongs to the Liyathnah tribe, whose members play leading roles in the region's economy and politics and dominate the local tourism industry since the 20th century. Almost the entire population is Muslim.

The town is about {{convert|250|km|mi|-1}} from Amman, Jordan's capital, and {{convert|100|km|mi|-1}} north of the port city of Aqaba. With more than 50 hotels and many tourist restaurants, its economy is almost entirely tied to tourism.

The campus of the College of Archaeology, Tourism & Hotel Management of Al-Hussein Bin Talal University is located in Wadi Musa.

File:Wadi Musa Valley.jpg|Wadi Musa Valley

File:Petra Visitors Center.jpg|Petra Visitors Center

File:Wadi Musa, město II.jpg|Townscape

File:Wadi Musa houses.jpg|Houses in Wadi Musa

File:Wadi_Musa_at_dusk_(12294023723).jpg|Wadi Musa at dusk

Wadi Musa-Mosesquelle-02-aussen-2010-gje.jpg|Moses source

Wadi Musa-Panoramahotel-02-2010-gje.jpg|Hotel

Wadi Musa-Panoramahotel-22-Landschaft-2010-gje.jpg|Mountains

{{Reflist}}

{{refbegin}}

• {{cite book | title = First Census of Population and Housing. Volume I: Final Tables; General Characteristics of the Population | author = Government of Jordan, Department of Statistics | year = 1964|url=http://cs.anu.edu.au/~bdm/yabber/census/JordanCensus1961bits.pdf}}

{{refend}}

{{commons category}}

• [https://acor.digitalrelab.com/index.php?s=filter=place_name:Wadi%20Musa%20(Jordan) Photos of Wadi Musa] at the American Center of Research
• [https://www.manar-al-athar.ox.ac.uk/pages/collections_featured.php?parent=6513 Photos of Wadi Musa] at the Manar al-Athar photo archive

{{Authority control}}

Category:Populated places in Ma'an Governorate

Musa