Wadi Mujib
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Wadi Mujib is a gorge in Jordan which enters the Dead Sea at 410 meters below sea level. The Mujib Reserve of Wadi Mujib is the lowest nature reserve in the world, located in the mountainous landscape to the east of the Dead Sea, approximately 90km south of Amman. The 220 square kilometers reserve was created in 1987 by the Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature and is regionally and internationally important, particularly for the bird life that the reserve supports. It extends to the Kerak and Madaba mountains to the north and south, reaching 900 meters above sea level in some places. This 1,300 meter variation in elevation, combined with the valley's year round water flow from seven tributaries, means that Wadi Mujib enjoys a magnificent biodiversity that is still being explored and documented today. Over 300 species of plants, 10 species of carnivores and numerous species of permanent and migratory birds have been recorded until this date. Some of the remote mountain and valley areas are difficult to reach, and thus offer safe havens for rare species of cats, goats and other mountain animals.
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[edit] Geography of Mujib
During the last Ice Age the water level of the Dead Sea reached 180 m below sea level, about 230 m higher than it is today. It flooded the lower areas of the canyons along its banks, which became bays and begun to accumulate sediments. As the climatic conditions changed, about 20,000 years ago, the water level of the lake dropped, leaving the re-emergent canyons blocked with lake marl. Most canyons managed to cut through their plugged outlets and to resume their lower courses. However, Wadi Mujib, the biblical Arnon River, abandoned its former outlet by breaking through a cleft in the sandstone. This narrow cleft became the bottleneck of an enormously large drainage basin with a huge discharge. During the years the cleft was scoured deeper and the gorge of Wadi Mujib was formed.
The Mujib reserve consists of mountainous, rocky, and sparsely vegetated desert (up to 800 m), with cliffs, gorges and deep wadis cutting through plateaus. Perennial, spring-fed streams flow down the wadis to the shores of the Dead Sea which lies 400 m below sea-level.
The slopes of the mountaineous land are very sparsely vegetated, with a steppe-type vegetation on plateaus. Groundwater seepage does occur in places along the Dead Sea shore, for example at the hot springs of Zara, which support a luxuriant thicket of Acacia, Tamarix, Phoenix and Nerium, and a small marsh. The less severe slopes of the reserve are used by pastoralists for the grazing of sheep and goats.
The hot springs of Hammamat Ma'in lie close to the borders of the reserve are heavily used for tourism/recreation.
The Jordanian military have a temporary camp in the south of the reserve.
A large dam was recently finished at the bottom of the wadi, where the modern road crosses the river. As a result, a large lake has formed.
[edit] Bird and Animal Life in Mujib
As well as resident birds, the reserve is strategically important as a safe stop-over for the huge number of birds which fly annually along the rift valley between Africa & northeast Europe. It is possible to see the following birds in Mujib:
- Lammergeier (Gypaetus barbatus)
- Egyptian Vulture (Neophron percnopterus)
- Eurasian Griffon (Gyps fulvus)
- Levant Sparrowhawk (Accipiter brevipes)
- Lesser Kestrel (Falco naumanni)
- Sooty Falcon (Falco concolor)
- Sand Partridge (Ammoperdix heyi)
- Hume's Owl (Strix butleri)
- Hooded Wheatear (Oenanthe monacha)
- Blackstart (Cercomela melanura)
- Arabian Babbler (Turdoides squamiceps)
- House Bunting (Emberiza striolata)
- Trumpeter Finch (Bucanetes githagineus)
- Dead Sea Sparrow (Passer moabiticus)
- Tristram's Starling (Onychognathus tristramii)
Many carnivores also inhabit the various vegetation zones in Mujib, such as the Caracal cat, striped hyena and the Syrian wolf. One of the most important animals in Mujib is the Nubian ibex, a large mountain goat which became threatened as a result of over-hunting.
[edit] Ecotourism at Wadi Mujib
Environmental awareness in Jordan is increasing rapidly. Jordan is home to a network of Nature Reserves which are designed to represent a cross-section of the different indigenous eco-systems. Currently, the Mujib valley is being seriously developed for adventure tourism, and a number of facilities have recently been established along with several others that are still under progress. This includes a Visitors' Centre and a "beach" on the Dead Sea. Experiencing Jordan’s Grand Canyon involves swimming, jumping, abseiling and floating. Its red walls are filled with running water that plunges through a 15 m waterfall. Pools are located near the confluence of Wadi Mujib and Wadi el Hidan.
