Bir Madhkur Project Jordan 2010

2010 Season - Call for Volunteers

Volunteers are invited to join the 2010 season of the Bir Madhkur Project. The focus of the 2010 season will be on excavating the major features of Bir Madhkur (especially in the fort and domestic area), in addition to continuing the archaeological survey of the environs to further document the ancient Incense Route through the region.

Dates for the 2010 Season:

Full Season - June 6 – July 25

Partial Season #1 (2 weeks): June 6 – June 20
Partial Season #2 (2 weeks): June 20 – July 4
Partial Season #3 (3 weeks): July 4 – July 25

Deadlines:

January 15, 2010	-	Deadline for Completed Application
February 1, 2010	-	Due: Physicians Statement; Waiver; Completed Security Forms
March 1, 2010	-	Deposit Due
April 15, 2010	-	Final payment of dig fees

Eligibility & Acceptance:

There are no special requirements for eligibility. Volunteers must be at least 18 years of age and in GOOD HEALTH.

Generally, volunteers will be accepted on a first-come, first-served basis. Because some funding opportunities for volunteers (see below) carry January or early February deadlines, early applications are encouraged.

The Dig Camp & Camp Life:

Plans are to base the project’s dig camp at the site of Bir Madhkur itself. At present, Bir Madhkur is undergoing development to turn the site into a premier tourist village in southern Jordan, linked to the sites of Faynan and Petra, and within a short drive from the resort city of Aqaba. To that end, the housing units have been thoroughly renovated and newly furnished.

Contact the Project Director for further details.

Dig Fee:

* Cost: $2500 (full season = 7 weeks)

----------OR, one or more of the following options-----

Cost: $750 (partial season #1 = 2 weeks)

Cost: $750 (partial season #2 = 2 weeks)

Cost: $1125 (partial season #3 = 3 weeks)

Note: While on the project, dig fee covers room and board at the dig camp.

Deposit for dig fees: If accepted onto the project, you must send a deposit by March 1, 2010.

Deposit amounts:	$400 for Full Season Participants
	$300 for Partiall Season Participants

Insurance::

Volunteers and staff must arrange for their own medical/accident insurance. Proof of insurance is REQUIRED of all applicants.

Travel Arrange ments::

All international travel arrangments and costs are the responsibility of the applicant. Contact information for travel agents who offer low airfares to and from Jordan will be provided.

http://home.gwu.edu/~amsii/wadiarabaproject/bmp/bmp_digopps.html

Bir Madhkur Project

Dr. Andrew M. Smith II, Director

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Introduction to the Project

Bir Madhkur, in the Araba valley of southern Jordan, is a major caravan station along the ancient Spice Route that connected the ancient city of Petra (just voted one of the “New Seven Wonders of the World”) with the Mediterranean port of Gaza. The site was occupied in the late Hellenistic (Nabataean), Roman, and Byzantine periods. The main features of the site include a Late Roman/Byzantine army fort, a domestic settlement surrounding the fort, a bath complex or an earlier caravan station, and various ancillary structures. Sites in the vicinity of Bir Madhkur include other caravan stations, farmhouses, and nomadic encampments.

The inhabitants of Bir Madhkur and of the sites in its territory were native peoples, whose economic survival was based on pastoralism, agriculture, and trade. These groups intermingled with non-native peoples, including pilgrims, merchants, and soldiers, who passed through or were stationed in the region throughout much of the Roman and Byzantine periods. The Bir Madhkur Project examines, through historical, archaeological, and ethnographic research, the relationships between these native and non-native populations. Emphasis is on revealing the function of Bir Madhkur as a regional center of social, economic, and cultural interaction and exchange.

In the 2009 season, the focus will be on conducting an archaeological survey of the environs of Bir Madhkur with special attention to mapping the ancient agricultural features. Limited survey will also be conducted documenting the course of the ancient Spice Route through the region.

Located near Wadi Namala, a principal route into Petra, Bir Madhkur is a major defensive structure situated in the foothills of esh-Shera, Jordan. Fritz Frank and Nelson Glueck both visited the site and noticed evidence of extensive agricultural activity in the immediate vicinity of Bir Madhkur (Glueck 1935; Frank 1934). Glueck also collected several coins from the area including one of Constantine (A.D. 306-337) and another of Constantius II (A.D. 337-361). As Director of the American Center of Oriental Research, David McCreery later visited Bir Madhkur collecting predominately Nabataean and Late Roman pottery. He was followed by King et al., whose pottery collected ranges in date from the Nabataean to Byzantine periods. This concurs with our own investigations at the site (McCreery, n.d.; King et al. 1987; Smith and Niemi 1994; Smith et al. 1997; Smith 1998; Perry and Smith 1999; Niemi and Smith 1999; Smith 2005).

Commanding the site of Bir Madhkur is a small castellum, measuring just over 30 m square, which is a quadriburgium with four corner towers. The castellum here is in an exceedingly ruinous state with much of the northern wall destroyed by local bulldozing and robbing. The walls, two-courses wide, were constructed of worked limestone blocks. Compartments or rooms abut the interior of the curtain wall and surround an open courtyard. The location of the gateway into the fort could not be determined during the time of our visit but probably existed along the damaged northern wall. A large cemetery is located to the northeast.

Another structure, measuring ca. 30 x 25 m., is situated on the bank of a dry wadi ca. 34 m southeast of the fort. According to Glueck, this second structure may be a birkeh, and the large mound of ash just beyond the south wall of the structure may be evidence for local pottery production. There are reasons, however, to doubt these interpretations. Although the ruined condition of this structure does not allow for a clear identification of its nature, there is unmistakable evidence of partitioning along the south wall. Distinct wall alignments and linear mounds along the interior face of the south wall can be seen, suggesting that these rooms measured at least 5 x 5 m. Also of interest is a robber pit that had been excavated recently along the outer face of the east wall. This exposed a large quantity of pottery sherds as well as evidence that the exterior face of the wall had been plastered. Moreover, although the ash mound to the south contains a considerable amount of pottery sherds, not one kiln waster was found, and among the ceramic artifacts present there are a large number of fragmented pipes, tiles, and glass. With this new evidence, it is doubtful that this structure can be identified as a birkeh. Rather and more importantly, it may be a large bath complex or an earlier caravanserai.

West and southwest of the castellum, Frank observed remnants of a complex of domestic houses. In an area of ca. 25 m square, numerous intersecting wall alignments and mounds indicate that this is a large complex of abutting structures. The exact nature and purpose of these constructions remain to be determined. Another smaller structure is situated ca. 18 m just south of the castellum. It measures ca. 18 x 10 m with roughly cut stone walls measuring ca. 0.80 m thick. The entrance into this structure is along the west wall, and there is evidence of at least six internal rooms.

Albrecht Alt was the first scholar to attempt an identification of Bir Madhkur, suggesting that it might be the site of ancient Moa (Alt 1935: 7, 24, 26, 31, 47). Other scholars, however, proposed to identify Bir Madhkur with Calamona of the Notitia, the base of a Cohors prima equitata (Not. Dign. [Or.] 34.43; Avi-Yonah 1976: 45; Rothenberg 1971: 217) Alt identifies Calamona with Ellebana of the Beersheva Edict, but does not attempt to identify or locate the settlement (Alt 1935: 26). The ancient identity of Bir Madhkur, despite previous attempts to assign an ancient place-name to the settlement, remains uncertain.

Project Summary

As a component of the Wadi Araba Archaeological Research Project (WAARP), the Bir Madhkur Project, directed by Dr. Andrew M. Smith II, seeks to examine the economic, social, and cultural history of the ancient site of Bir Madhkur, located on the eastern fringe of Wadi Araba southwest of Petra. The research design consists of three main components: 1) continuation of a regional archaeological, environmental, and ethnographic survey of the environs of Bir Madhkur (the Central Wadi Araba Archaeological Survey), 2) excavation of the ancient settlement to learn more of its history and role in the regional economy, society, and culture of southern Jordan and Israel, 3) analysis of artifacts and other evidence of the material culture relevant to the regional economy, society, and culture. This research is expected to reveal potential new evidence regarding the history and organization of the regional economy, its political and military significance in a frontier zone, and the social and cultural identity and lifestyle of those who occupied the site.

http://home.gwu.edu/~amsii/wadiarabaproject/bmp/birmadhkur.html

Sinai Medicinal Plants Conservation Project.

http://www.mpcpegypt.com/index.html

Medicinal and Aromatic Plants

With its high mountains and deep wadis in the southern Sinai Peninsula and its relatively unexplored desert ecosystem of flora and fauna, the St. Katherine Protectorate is a truly amazing, unique and important area. The global significance of species found in the St. Katherine’s Protectorate is not only related to the uniqueness of flora and habitat, but also due to use value. At least 47% have medicinal, aromatic, cosmetic or culinary uses, in addition to being used as fodder or fuel. While previous plant inventories recorded 529 plant species within the boundaries of the protectorate, only 316 plant species were recorded, of which 33 species are endemic. Additionally, the disappearance of, or at least the difficulty to locate, 213 species confirms that the medicinal plants face a growing danger of damage and in the worst case extinction, which in turn will effect the global plant biodiversity. To achieve the objectives of the project a pamphlet guide has been released illustrating the most economically beneficial medicinal plants of the region. The pamphlet serves as a simplified guide for those interested in the cultivation of medicinal plants. You can browse our database and find out more about the work of the MPCP, such as latest news, products handmade by the Bedouins, the Green School program which educates children about medicinal plants, and our accomplishments by reading the position papers. Lastly, we wish you a inspiring, educating and interesting stay on our homepage.Click link above to view.

Climb 3 peaks in Sinai

Location: Sinai

Date & Time: Saturday, November 28, 2009 at 1:00pm - 1 Dec. 10 pm

Description:

4 Days / 3 Nights Hiking trip to three peaks


Egypt's Highest Peak is Mount Catherine, some confuse it with Mount Moses,
Mount Moses: many of us has hiked before, a little over 2.4 thousand meters above sea level
Mount Catherine is little higher, a little over 2.6 thousand meters, again above sea level, that is the height of the mountain, not how high we hike, we start the hike from the city of Saint Catherine, which is above sea level anyways.
El Ahmar Mountain: not as high but with no trail.

There is no climbing involved, only walking up.

An attempt to hike up three summits in less than three days, then spend some time by the beach. It is not a race nor is it a challenge, you will have the option of doing one, two or the three summits. For the detailed itinerary please email sales @ holiday.com.eg

Cost per person:
EGP670

Price Includes:
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• 1 Night accommodation in a shared bedroom at a camp in Nuweiba.
• 2 Night accommodation in the mountains.
• Transportation Cairo/Saint Catherine/Neweiba/Cairo in air-conditioned tourist bus.
• Dinner meals.
• Guides.
• Registrations.
• Taxes and service charge.

For Reservation:
--------------------
-Call Khaled on 016 5377447 016 5377447 (between 10am and 10pm) to sign up.
-Please send a photocopy of your National ID/Passport to sales @ holiday.com.eg

- 4% Discount for GUC students.

Property Tax in Egypt

Property Tax Law 2008 and FAQ's on Egypt's Property Tax Laws, plus downloadable Tax Forms.





http://www.mof.gov.eg/English/Real+Estate+Tax.htm