The Discovery of the Great Wall of Jordan, Southern Levant

Abstract

Great wall of Jordan also known as Khatt Shebib is a unique ancient wall situated in Southern Jordan near Maan City. The remains of the wall which includes towers, barracks, rooms …etc. are 150 km long from south to north, making it the longest linear archaeological site in southern Levant &in Jordan. The archaeological remains of the wall were first identified by British experts, the discovery was unveiled in 1948, then it was documented by air photographing in 1982, the Department of Antiquities explored it in 1992, with survey, excavations, & documentation continued to the present day. Located in the south of the Kingdom, the wall is the world's second longest after the China Wall, as it spans a distance of approximately 150 kilometers approximately, making it the region's longest structure. Known locally as Hableh or Khatt Shebib, the wall stretches northwards from Ras Al Naqab in Maan Governorate extending to the Wadi Al Hasa area of Tafileh Governorate, A Jordanian team of archaeologists and experts imitated a field project in 1992-1996, and 2020in order to document the nearby remains of the wall, where comprehensive survey and excavations urgently needed in several significant sites along the wall sides. The field study concluded in revealing significant architectural structures built directly adjacent to the wall, also focused on the importance of the wall to be an attractive point for tourism in South Jordan. The date of the wall's construction clearly refers to Nabataean Period.