Ein Farah or 'Ayn Fara (), known in

Hebrew Hebrew (; ''ʿÎbrit'') is a Northwest Semitic languages, Northwest Semitic language within the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family. A regional dialect of the Canaanite languages, it was natively spoken by the Israelites and ...

as En Prat, is a

spring Spring(s) may refer to: Common uses * Spring (season), a season of the year * Spring (device), a mechanical device that stores energy * Spring (hydrology), a natural source of water * Spring (mathematics), a geometric surface in the shape of a he ...

located at the head of

Wadi Qelt Wadi Qelt (; Qelt is also spelled Qilt and Kelt, sometimes with the Arabic article, el- or al-), in Hebrew Nahal Prat (), formerly Naḥal Faran (Pharan brook), is a valley, riverine gulch or stream ( ', " wadi"; , "nahal") in the West Bank, o ...

, 325 metres above sea level, between

Jerusalem Jerusalem is a city in the Southern Levant, on a plateau in the Judaean Mountains between the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean and the Dead Sea. It is one of the List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest cities in the world, and ...

and

Jericho Jericho ( ; , ) is a city in the West Bank, Palestine, and the capital of the Jericho Governorate. Jericho is located in the Jordan Valley, with the Jordan River to the east and Jerusalem to the west. It had a population of 20,907 in 2017. F ...

in the

West Bank The West Bank is located on the western bank of the Jordan River and is the larger of the two Palestinian territories (the other being the Gaza Strip) that make up the State of Palestine. A landlocked territory near the coast of the Mediter ...

. Until 1970, the water of the spring was pumped to supply Jerusalem. Since the 1970s it is part of the Israeli En Prat (upper Wadi Qelt) nature reserve. The spring flows into a natural rock pool, and its output (around 1500 m³ a day) creates a brook that flows all year round. Ein Farah is the uppermost and largest of Wadi Qelt's three perennial springs. In Hebrew the entire stream is called Prat; in Arabic though, each sections has its own name, according to the respective spring; the upper section is called Wadi Farah after 'Ayn Farah. The spring's water has been collected and sent downstream by aqueducts during several historical periods since antiquity, and was even used to supply water to Jerusalem, some 450 metres uphill, between 1926 and 1970.

History

Ein Farah supplied water to the surrounding area since ancient times. In the

Hellenistic period In classical antiquity, the Hellenistic period covers the time in Greek history after Classical Greece, between the death of Alexander the Great in 323 BC and the death of Cleopatra VII in 30 BC, which was followed by the ascendancy of the R ...

an aqueduct was built for the first time, to carry the water for a long distance.

Hellenistic and Roman periods

Several aqueducts have been found originating from the spring, the oldest dating to the Hasmonean period (2nd century BC). The aqueducts transported water from the spring and along the wadi to Jericho. The winter palaces of the Hasmonean kings and

Herod the Great Herod I or Herod the Great () was a History of the Jews in the Roman Empire, Roman Jewish client king of the Herodian kingdom of Judea. He is known for his colossal building projects throughout Judea. Among these works are the rebuilding of the ...

stood at the lower end of the valley, where it reaches the Plain of Jericho, at the archaeological site known as Tulul Abu el-Alayiq which contains a vast Herodian pool and several other water facilities, partially provided with water from the aqueduct.

Byzantine period

To the east of the spring the remains of aqueducts from the

Byzantine period The Byzantine Empire, also known as the Eastern Roman Empire, was the continuation of the Roman Empire centred on Constantinople during late antiquity and the Middle Ages. Having survived History of the Roman Empire, the events that caused the ...

were found, and also the ruins of a flour mill.

Late Ottoman period

In the late

Ottoman period The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empire, was an imperial realm that controlled much of Southeast Europe, West Asia, and North Africa from the 14th to early 20th centuries; it also controlled parts of southeastern Central Euro ...

the ancient aqueduct was renovated and the spring kept on supplying water to

and Jordan Valley area. In the end of the 19th century the Ottoman authorities in Palestine searched for an additional major water resource for the quick developing city of

, and considered pumping water from Ein Farah to Jerusalem. The engineer George Franghia, an Ottoman subject of Greek origin, began a study in 1889 looking at possible new water resources for Jerusalem. His proposal was presented to the municipality in 1894. Franghia suggested to pump water from the Al-Arroub springs, about 20 km south of Jerusalem, but at a higher elevation, therefore no pumping will be required. In November 1909, a German engineer, Max Magnus published a report published in November 1909, in which he challenged the feasibility of the plan to deviate the source of the Arroub spring and argues in favor of deviating the spring at Ein Farah. The geographical location of the Ein Fara spring, 500 meters lower in altitude than Jerusalem, would have required building electric pumps to carry the water to the city, at a total budget of four million

francs The franc is any of various units of currency. One franc is typically divided into 100 centimes. The name is said to derive from the Latin inscription ''francorum rex'' ( King of the Franks) used on early French coins and until the 18th centur ...

, double what the Franghia plan would have cost. Neither project was carried out under the Ottoman administration because of a lack of funding. On February 14, 1914, a concession agreement for the building and operation of the supply of drinking water to the city of Jerusalem was signed. The bidder awarded the contract was an Ottoman citizen, Euripide Mavrommatis, living in

Galata Galata is the former name of the Karaköy neighbourhood in Istanbul, which is located at the northern shore of the Golden Horn. The district is connected to the historic Fatih district by several bridges that cross the Golden Horn, most nota ...

, but due to the outbreak of

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, the project didn't materialise.

British Mandate waterworks

Six months after the

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

occupied Jerusalem, following the

Battle of Jerusalem The Battle of Jerusalem also known as the Fall of Jerusalem occurred during the British Empire's "Jerusalem Operations" against the Ottoman Empire, in World War I, when fighting for the city developed from 17 November, continuing after the s ...

in December 1917, work started on the building a water supply system from the Al-Arroub springs, a 4-inch pipe was laid to a water pool in

Romema Romema (, ''lit.'' Uplifted) is a neighbourhood in northwest Jerusalem, just off the Tel Aviv-Jerusalem highway at the main entrance to the city. It occupies the highest hill in Jerusalem. Romema is bordered by Kiryat Mattersdorf and Mekor Ba ...

in West Jerusalem.JERUSALEM TO HAVE WATER - The Palestine Bulletin, 21 February 1926
br
BRITISH COMPANY TO ERECT MODERN WATER SUPPLY SYSTEM IN JERUSALEM - The Reform Advocate, 20 February 1926
/ref> The company started working on the Ein Farah Waterworks project in April 1926. But the amount of water supplied was not sufficient for the needs of the growing city. In February 1926 the British company Sir John Jackson Ltd. acquired the concession to supply water and electricity to the city from Euripide Mavrommatis. The work on the Ein Farah Waterworks project included the construction of three pumping stations, a 6-inch pipeline and a water reservoir at the French Hill in Jerusalem. The work was completed on 15 July 1926. The opening ceremony, that took place on French Hill, was attended by Mayor of Jerusalem

Raghib al-Nashashibi Raghib al-Nashashibi (, ) (1881–1951), CBE (hon), was a Palestinian public figure and wealthy landowner during the Ottoman Empire, the British Mandate and the Jordanian administration. He was a member of the Nashashibi clan, one of the most i ...

and

Herbert Plumer, 1st Viscount Plumer Field Marshal Herbert Charles Onslow Plumer, 1st Viscount Plumer (13 March 1857 – 16 July 1932) was a senior British Army officer who fought in the First World War, being perhaps most notable for commanding the Second Army of the British Exp ...

High Commissioners for Palestine and Transjordan The high commissioner for Palestine was the highest ranking authority representing the United Kingdom in the mandated territories of Palestine, and the high commissioner for Transjordan was the highest ranking authority representing the United ...

After 1967

The area around the spring was declared a

nature reserve A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, funga, or features of geologic ...

in 1968, was fenced and requires entry fees. In 1970, the city Jerusalem was connected to Israel's national water system, and pumping from the spring was stopped. The remains of the Mandate-era pumping station and pipes can still be seen within the nature reserve. The area of the nature reserve was increased to 28,000 dunam in 1988, and access of the local

Bedouin The Bedouin, Beduin, or Bedu ( ; , singular ) are pastorally nomadic Arab tribes who have historically inhabited the desert regions in the Arabian Peninsula, North Africa, the Levant, and Mesopotamia (Iraq). The Bedouin originated in the Sy ...

shepherds to the spring has been blocked. The cliffs around the spring are a popular climbing destination.Ein Farah, Sport climbing - theCrag
/ref>

Gallery

Ain Farah Waterworks LOC matpc.08673.tif, Construction of the Ein Farah Waterworks 1926 Ain Farah Waterworks LOC matpc.08672.tif, Pumping station under construction for the Ein Farah Waterworks Ain Farah Waterworks LOC matpc.08674.jpg, One of the Ein Farah Waterworks pumping station, shortly after completion in 1927 Ain Farah water supply LOC matpc.08662.jpg, Access road that was built during work on the Ein Farah Waterworks Ain Farah water supply LOC matpc.08664.jpg, construction of a water storage tank for the Ein Farah Waterworks 1926 Ain Farah water supply LOC matpc.08661.tif, Water pipes being laid for the Ein Farah Waterworks 1926 Ain Farah Waterworks LOC matpc.08675.jpg, Water pipes being carried in Jerusalem for the Ein Farah Waterworks 1926 Ain Farah water supply LOC matpc.08654.jpg, a "Sir Joh Jackson Ltd." truck during the construction of the Ein Farah Waterworks 1926 Ain_Farah_water_supply_LOC_matpc.08652.jpg, The opening ceremony of the French Hill Reservoir 15 July 1926 (The sign is in English, Arabic and Hebrew) Ain Farah water supply. Mayor of Jerusalem speaking LOC matpc.08648.tif, Mayor of Jerusalem

at the opening ceremony Ain Farah water supply LOC matpc.08669.jpg,

speaking at the opening ceremony Ain_Farah_water_supply_LOC_matpc.08665.tif, Gate erected for the opening ceremony Ain Farah water supply LOC matpc.08657.jpg, A tool used in the opening ceremony baring the name of Viscount Plumer

References

External links

En Prat Nature Reserve
at the

Israel Nature and Parks Authority The Israel Nature and Parks Authority (, ; ) is an Israeli government organization that manages nature reserves and national parks in Israel, the Golan Heights and parts of the West Bank. The organization was founded in April 1998, merging two o ...

website. Accessed 24 April 2021. {{WikidataCoord Springs of Palestine