Madaba - From the eastern edge of Madaba, where broad plains stretch out and hills roll across the horizon, a scene unfolds in which the blue of the sky blends with the golden fields and the red of the earth. Here stands the village of Jalool, with its rural features and historical sweep, carrying in its landscape evidence of human settlement and the succession of civilisations over thousands of years. At the edge of the plains and the badia, the hills are not merely natural features. They hold traces of the people who settled here, farmed, built and left their mark on the land through successive eras.
اضافة اعلان
At the heart of this scene rises Tell Jalool, an archaeological mound that bears witness to a deep history. Archaeological evidence indicates that human presence at the site dates back to the Early Bronze Age and continued through successive historical periods up to the present day, giving it a cultural and historical value spanning more than 5,000 years.
Jalool lies east of Madaba and administratively belongs to the Jizah district in the Capital Governorate. Its location links the agricultural plains with the extensions of the badia. The area is known for its fertile soil, which suits grain cultivation, and this has helped sustain human settlement there since ancient times.
Jordanian archaeologist Professor Zeidan Kafafi, former president of Yarmouk University, examined the history of the village and its mound in his book Reflections on Archaeology and Ancient History. He focused on its geographical location, its historical extent, and its ties to the Bani Sakhr tribe and the Zbon clan, as well as the nature of its fertile plains, which created an environment suited to human settlement and farming, particularly grain cultivation.
This treatment is part of wider efforts to document archaeological sites and read their historical evidence, highlighting Jalool's place on the archaeological map of central Jordan.
Tell Jalool is among the most prominent archaeological mounds in central Jordan. It measures about 300 metres long and nearly 240 metres wide. Since the 19th century it has attracted travellers and explorers, including Seetzen, Burckhardt, Buckingham, Tristram, Schumacher and Musil, who mentioned the site and its surrounding historical and geographical features in their writings and journeys.
The site later underwent an archaeological survey led by researcher Robert Ibach in 1976. Excavations began in 1992 as part of the Madaba Plains Project, with the participation of several American universities and the Jordanian Department of Antiquities. The digs revealed successive phases of human presence and material evidence that sheds light on the nature of life and patterns of settlement in the area during different historical periods.
Despite this archaeological and historical importance, Tell Jalool still needs further excavation, documentation, protection and rehabilitation, in keeping with its cultural value and the place it deserves on Jordan's archaeological tourism map.
Two local residents, Mohammad Al-Zbon and Abdullah Al-Zbon, have called on the relevant authorities to give Jalool and its archaeological mound greater attention. They stressed that the site is a historical heritage that does not belong to the village's residents alone, but forms part of the national cultural memory and deserves protection, care and well-planned tourism investment.
They stressed the need to protect the mound from any encroachment that could damage its archaeological components, to complete excavation, study and scientific documentation, and to rehabilitate the road leading to it. They also called for information plaques and signs that allow visitors to learn about the site's history and importance, as well as improved basic services around it.
They noted that including Tell Jalool in the tourism routes of Madaba and Jizah could open new horizons for cultural tourism, particularly if it were linked to neighbouring archaeological and historical sites, and integrated routes developed that let visitors discover the diversity of the region's heritage, rather than limiting visits to the most famous sites.
The two residents also stressed the importance of involving the local community in any future plans to develop the site, by supporting cultural and tourism initiatives and encouraging small projects and services linked to visitors. This would create job opportunities for villagers and turn the historical value of the place into a development opportunity that benefits the local community.
Tell Jalool is not merely an archaeological rise scattered with remnants of the past. It is a site whose layers bear witness to thousands of years of human history in this region, and it deserves to move from theoretical recognition to the practical attention that will protect it and reveal more of its secrets.
Source: Al-Ghad. Reporting by By Ahmad Al-Shawabkeh
