Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
The site is well signed, indicating the remains of a Byzantine church (the mosaics are
displayed in Madaba), Roman temple and Hellenistic fort. There are lots of caves and
cisterns both here and in neighbouring Wadi Majar. The largest Bronze Age cave can be
explored with a torch. Read up on the site beforehand at www.hesban.org.
Minibuses run frequently from Madaba (300 fils, 20 minutes) to Hesban, or take a taxi
for JD5. Coming from Madaba, the tell is on the left side of the road; if you are driving,
turn left at the first set of traffic lights after the pedestrian bridge in the modern town of
Hesban and follow your nose up the hill.
Wadi Jadid
More terraced fields than wadi, Wadi Jadid is locally renowned for its remarkable collec-
tion of early Bronze Age burial chambers and stone memorials. Known as
dolmens
, these
stone structures date back to around 5000 to 3000 BC and consist of two upright stones
capped by a bridging stone. The term 'dolmen' means stone table and it remains a mys-
tery as to how the huge bridging stones were winched into position: little wonder that so-
cial anthropologists regard them as proof of early social cohesion. There are about 40 dol-
mens scattered across the unmarked site, with at least 12 in good condition. There are
thousands more scattered across Jordan, especially around ar-Rawdah.
From the road, it takes about 30 minutes to walk to the nearest dolmen, and an hour to
reach more distant groups. The site is near the village of Al-Fiha, 10km southwest of
Madaba, but you need to be 'in the know' to find it. The best way to visit is by checking
on directions with the Mariam Hotel in Madaba. The hotel owner, Charl, is a geologist
and is passionate about dolmens and it was he who rediscovered this remarkable site for
tourists.
With your own vehicle, you can continue downhill to the Dead Sea (30 minutes) after
Wadi Jadid. The road is narrow and potholed towards the end but it threads through beau-
tiful and varied terrain, with Bedouin camps, green valleys of grapevines, olive groves
and citrus orchards. As it descends to the desert floor, the road passes a spring with a
small waterfall - almost miraculous in the arid landscape.
Mukawir (Machaerus)
05 / POP >5000 / ELEV 700M
