Karak Resources Project

Archaeological sites are evident almost everywhere in Jordan. One can find them along the outcroppings of the wadis where fortresses were constructed to guard accessibility to the interior and access to water, and in the fertile cropland where numerous tels provide archaeologists the story of village and city life. These thousands of ruins are reminders of the ancient history of Jordan from c. 4,500 BC to the present. This long period of occupancy is no less true for the area around Simakiyya.

The small plain between two small wadis where the Christian Bedouin built their Ottoman style village in the early 20th century was not the first time humans had occupied that spot.

Pottery sherds from around the old village provide evidence that this specific site has been used during the Iron I Age (c. 1200-925 BC), Iron II Age (925-539 BC), Nabatean/Early Roman (c. 332 BC - AD135), Roman/Byzantine (c. AD 135-640), and Late Islamic and Modern times (c. AD 1516 to present). The Miller-Pinkerton Archaeological Survey lists the site of Simakiyya as # 94. This gradually sloping plain gave access to the fertile land of the plateau to the west and to the east the Wadi Mujib where there was a reliable water source at the bottom.

Early archaeological surveys as well as the report compiled by Miller-Pinkerton report major sites with multiple occupancy within a few kilometers of Simakiyya. Two quite different examples are the ruins of the fortified settlement at Khirbet Medinat al-Mu'arrajeh that is east of Simakiyya and the tel of Misma, west from the village toward al-Qasr and ar- Rabba. On both of these sites, prehistoric lithics from the Paleolithic and Neolithic Periods can be found.

As one heads east toward the Wadi Mujib beyond the great desert, the village of Simakyya remains in view for a long while. Along the ridges east of the village are a number of small sites with walled structures that have been discovered and recorded. Pieces of pottery show habitation that goes back to the Early Bronze Age (c. 3300-1950 BC). But the most striking ruin is that of Khirbet Mdeinet el-Mu'arrajeh. Situated on a promontory overlooking the Wadi Mujib, approximately 6 kilometers northeast of Simakyya, is the fortified settlement. The site has been partially excavated. A few pottery sherds have been found that date back to the Early Bronze IV Period (c. 2300 - 2000 BC) and numerous sherds have been found from Iron I Period , (c. 1200-925 BC) as well as pottery from the Early Islamic Period, (c. 640-750 AD). The hill fortress is a double walled settlement on all sides except for a narrow land bridge that gives one access to the plateau. The Miller-Pinkerton Survey lists el-Mu'arrajeh as Site 129.

Standing at the edge of the precipice and just outside the fortress wall, one could hear the sounds of the water running at the bottom of Wadi Mujib and the see lush vegetation growing along the stream. As we sat on the wadi rim and looked down into to the deep canyon, Saati', our research assistant and a resident of Simakiyya, remembered how he would help his family drive their sheep and goats from the village down to the bottom of Wadi Mujib twice a year to wash them. Villagers also told us how the women of Simakiyya would start early in the morning and carry water from the bottom of the wadi to the village each day during the dry season, a round trip of over 12 kilometers including a steep descent and ascent.

Heading west from the village of Simakiyya, there is a large knoll covered with rock ruins and pottery sherds called Misnac. This tel is labeled Site #106 in the Miller-Pinkerton Archaeological Survey. Within a few minutes the 2001 KRP Survey team was able to collect a significant number of pottery sherds dating from the Iron II to the Middle Islamic period (c. AD 900-1516). A herd of sheep and goats grazed the site as we collected the sherds while the Bedouin man and women herders curiously watched us from a short distance. Two Bedouin youths approached us wanting to sell a small ancient bead from the site, but we declined their offer. Grave robbing and illegal digging are a problem in attempting to preserve these ancient sites and the Bedouin find the rock mounds of ruins to be a good place to situate their camps. Rocks are available for anchoring tents, building sheepfolds, and are common land.

It is difficult to grasp an idea of how long people have been living on the desert fringe successfully exploiting the natural resources for thousands of years. The contemporary Christian people of Simakiyya are the descents of the people of the desert that settled on the plateau during good times but moved back to the desert when it was to their advantage. The ruins around Simakiyya are the story of the various groups that invaded, conquered, controlled, and settled the Karak Plateau.