The adjacent valley, Wadi al-Badhan (also known as Wadi Sajour), is a picturesque natural area located 5km northeast of Nablus on the road leading to the Jordan Valley. The area is characterized by abundant springs and diversity of wildlife. The area is considered one of the most beautiful natural areas in the West Bank and has a nature reserve to preserve wildlife.
At the time of Roman and Byzantine rule, the nearby ruin of Khirbet Ferwe was home to the Samaritan town of Baddan, which was well-known for its pomegranates.[2]
History
Al-Badhan has several sites of archaeological interest including 12 ancient watermills.
Scholars today hold that al-Badhan is to be identified with the Badan (Hebrew: בדן; באדן) citied in the 2nd-century CE Mishnah and Tosefta, said to be a place then settled by Samaritans and renowned for its pomegranates.[3][4][5][6] Badan is featured prominently in Samaritan tradition;[7][8] According to one of these, the Israelites purified themselves at Badan after crossing the Jordan River and on their way to Mount Gerizim.[7] The ancient site was located in Khirbet Ferwe, and a Herodian tomb was discovered at the site.[2]
Ottoman period
Victor Guérin passed through the region in 1870, where he described its geographical features.[9]
Since 2003, al-Badhan has been governed by a Village Council which is currently administrated by 10 members appointed by the Palestinian National Authority (PNA).
Flora and fauna
The geographical region lies on the Irano-Turanian border, and its slopes support vegetation grown in that broad region. Typical for this region are maquis, the dense scrub vegetation consisting of hardy evergreen shrubs and small trees, characteristic of coastal regions in the Mediterranean and which, in this area, are found on the cliffs' step-crevices.[13] The kermes oak (Quercus coccifera) is common.
In contrast to the Galilee and the Judean Mountains, there are very few remnants of natural vegetation in the Samaria Mountains. Large areas in the south and west of Samaria and in the valleys have been cultivated for many generations as agricultural land and are planted mainly with olive, fig, almond and pomegranate trees; the areas in the valleys are used for arable land or vegetable crops.[14] Only on the edges of the fields and in places that have been regenerated and where damaging the plant-life is prohibited by law have remnants of natural vegetation been preserved.[14]
The wildlife of Samaria, as in other regions of the country, consists of populations that invaded the general area at different times and adapted to the conditions prevailing in the area.[15] Hunting (with the introduction of modern firearms in the 20th-century) and extensive farming have been the principal causes for a decline in the area's natural wildlife.[15] The animals that dominate the general area have their origins in the Mediterranean basin and in Europe, such as the badger, the wild boar, the red fox, the hedgehog, the field mouse, and the mole (among mammals).[15]
↑ Yoel Elitzur, Ancient toponyms in the land of Israel: preservation and history (2nd edition), Jerusalem 2012, p. 350 (Hebrew) ISBN965-481-034-4
↑ Shimon Dar & Ze'ev Safrai, Shomron Studies, An Anthology of Researches (Heb. title: מחקרי שומרון: קובץ מחקרים), Hakkibbutz Hameuchad Publishing House: Tel-Aviv 1986, p. 148 (Hebrew)
↑ Amar (2015), p. 152, note 797 (Hebrew), where he writes: "[The pomegranates of Badan], see Maimonides' commentary on the Mishnah (Orlah 3:7) where Maimonides points out that it refers to a place inhabited by 'Samaritans' (Maimonides' commentary on the Mishnah, Kelim 17:5). Its identification has, in fact, been brought down in the Tosefta, Kelim - Baba Metzia 6:10. That is, Badan is to be identified in the area settled by the Samaritans during the period of the Sages. It is commonly accepted to identify the settlement of Badan as being near Wadi Bidan, to the northeast of Shechem (Nablus), a place flowing with running springs of water, emptying into the brook of Tirzah."
1 2 Conder and Kitchener, 1882, SWP II, p. 231. "Badan - A place where the congregation purified itself after passing Jordan and before going up to Gerizim, according to Samaritan tradition. (See Juynboll's 'Samaritan Book of Joshua,' note p. 314)."
1 2 Pollack, Gad; Cohen, Ya'el (1980). "The Vegetation (הצומח)". In Shorer, Ya'akov; Grossman, David (eds.). Israel Guide - The Northern Valleys, Mount Carmel and Samaria (A useful encyclopedia for the knowledge of the country) (in Hebrew). Vol.8. Jerusalem: Keter Publishing House. p.231. OCLC745203905.
1 2 3 Arbel, Avraham (1980). "The Wildlife (החי)". In Shorer, Ya'akov; Grossman, David (eds.). Israel Guide - The Northern Valleys, Mount Carmel and Samaria (A useful encyclopedia for the knowledge of the country) (in Hebrew). Vol.8. Jerusalem: Keter Publishing House. p.235. OCLC745203905.
Bibliography
Amar, Z. (2015). Flora and Fauna in Maimonides' Teachings. Kfar Darom.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)OCLC783455868
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