Project Name: Southern El-Khdari Archaeological and Epigraphic Survey Project: The First Season

Area of study: al-Mafraq Governorate.

Status of Project and date of conduction:  2017

Partners: Mutah University

Brief about the Project: The Project aimed at obtaining field data and recording the surviving physical remains of archaeological sites and inscriptions in the southern region of El-Khdari which lies in the North-Eastern Jordanian Badia.

Significant Finds: During our survey in the area, forty one sites have been identified and these sites include stone circles, burial mounds, ancient open air mosques in addition to 2500 inscription (Arabic, Safaitic, Greek and Nabataean).

Local community engagement (employment and public awareness):

Members of the local community were actively engaged in the work as workers.

Publications related to the project:

1) al-Shdaifat, Y., Al-Jallad, A, al-Salameen, Z., and Harahsheh, R., (2017): An early Christian Arabic graffito mentioning “Yazid the king”. Arabian Archaeology and Epigraphy, 28:315–324.

2) al-Salameen, Z., al-Shdaifat, Y. and Harahsheh, R.,Nabataean Echos in al-Ḥarrah: New Evidence in Light of Recent Field Work, accepted for publication in Palestine Exploration Quarterly.