JORDAN 2011 GARP Dig

Day 13,14 - Siddons Ridge Camp and summing up

2011-11-27T07:43:00.001-08:00

So - we finished up at Siddon's Ridge yesterday with all the team working hard to complete the tasks they had started previously. Final searches, excavations, cleaning, drawing, measuring and planning all taking place to achieve as much as we could at the end of this amazing season.

Then back to the hotel on the last dark, dusty drive from site through the desert. Once cleaned up and having eaten we had a 'show and tell' session displaying some of the important finds of the season to the entire group, with lively questions and answers given as best they could be. This was followed by an overview of the project's inception and development, and a discussion of how what we had achieved fits in with the huge amount of other information we have already discovered. We then watched a copy of the programme made by National Geographic who spent some time with us last season and entitled "The Mystery Files - Lawrence of Arabia". A late but very enjoyable evening to round up the work of the season.

So - what next?

Several reconnaissance trips were made by a small team in order to assess possibilities for research in future years. The first was to the area of Mudowarra, south of Ma’an, near the present-day border with Saudi Arabia. Here, three large and heavily-fortified hill-tops were located, whose summits were surrounded by extensive dry-stone walls with numerous loopholes. These places were identified by RFC pilots in advance of, and attacked during, the famous raid by the Imperial Camel Corps on 9 August 1918, which took all three Ottoman positions. The area today is the location of a major Bedouin settlement, where the inhabitants occupy the traditional long tent and also newly-built structures. Only a few hundred metres from the fortified hills is a partly-destroyed Hajj fort which had seen some re-occupation by the Jordanian army in recent decades. The trip concluded with an assessment of the remaining Hejaz Railway buildings – two of which are today occupied by Bedouin families, one of which invited the team to share chai – interestingly in their long tent rather than the station building.

The second trip went north from Ma’an tothe isolated Hejaz Railway station of Suwaqa, where there is a two-storeystation building with two outlying defensive positions on the eastern hills.The building is well-preserved, with an associated, and now largely destroyed, setof mud-brick buildings – perhaps a small pre-railway village or maybe structuresfor railway workers or Ottoman troops. Several hundred metres to the southeast isthe best-preserved of the outlying defences – a largely ruined bunker with atrench running eastwards, and overlooking a multi-span railway bridge to thewest. After leaving Suwaqa the team spent some time examining the very-wellpreserved Hejaz station located in the centre of the town of Qatrana. The mainstation building is in excellent condition and was inhabited until recently.The railway is still used to an extent, and there were many rail-trucks insitu, as well as a triangular ‘passing track’ to allow trains to be manoeuvredin and out of the station.

All these offer more opportunities to expand our investigations and understanding of this fantastic country and the way in which it's landscape, people and military authorities intertwined and were developed and shaped before, during and since the Great Arab Revolt. We will be back again next year, we hope, to continue this amazing project. Many thanks to all who have followed this blog, passed comments by word of mouth, email, text message, facebook, twitter and all other means. We hope you have enjoyed this portion of our unfolding story and that you will be back next season to discover, with us, what the next phase of this exciting project reveals.

Day 12 - Second day at Siddon's Ridge Camp

2011-11-25T09:40:00.001-08:00

Back to the ridge site which is has a wide variety of features spread across the top of the site, and on lower lying land at each end. These include several sets of tent rings, some large hollowed out firing positions connected by what might be a snaking communications trench, gun emplacements, possible latrines and other as yet unidentified constructions in the landscape.

The first pictures shows a view along a part of one line of tent rings towards the north, where a large circular structure which has obvious stone side walls commands a view from the ridge on three sides. Some of the team excavating this feature are shown in the following images, together with a view back along the line looking south.

The following image shows a section of the trench we think was for communication and an exploratory sondage dug across it in the near view, with one of our detectorists investigating the forward edge of the trench outer wall. You can see that the trench itself is full of blown sand, which has to be removed to discover the original depth when used.

Another view of one of the large redoubts at one end of the complex.

Before lunch today the whole team took a guided walk from one end of the site to the other, with the members responsible for excavating or examining each feature describing what they were doing and what had been discovered. We also discussed how each feature fitted in with the overall pattern of the site.

Scattered Mauser cartridges in the south facing wall of a firing position in the southern redoubt. It seems likely that one man fired these at some point when under attack.

A fantastic day on an incredibly interesting site. We return here tomorrow for our final day in the field this season. More pictures, description and theories tomorrow.

Day 11 – Previous GARP season’s sites visit day

2011-11-24T11:56:00.001-08:00

Today by way of a form of late orientation thebulk of the team travelled to several of the sites previously visited by usover the past five seasons. The main reason for this was to provide a morecomplete overview of the range of sites themselves, their size, main features,distribution and location in the landscape and in relation to the Hijazrailway.

On the way today –disaster. Nearside front blowout on the bus! Fortunately the skilful drivermanaged to control the bus neatly to a safe stop. The spare retrieved but nouse – slow puncture in that!

Some swift rearranging of the good wheels andtyres meant a slow careful drive of the empty bus back to Ma’an, and a two hourwait in the desert for the occupants. Undeterred they spent the time chattingand examining their location and it wasn’t long before they were back on thebus, all wheels now with good tyres.

They began by visiting Batn Al Ghul – the campon the plateau above the 100m drop down the escarpment into the southerndesert. This is the place where the landscape breaks from flat basalt land intothe more spectacular red and pink sandy hills which are like those at Wadi Rum.From there they hiked up the rocky outcrop to the top of Fassuah Ridge – the fortcomplex which has the stunning commanding view down into the valley – into BatnAl Ghul itself. The belly of the beast. The Phosphate trains snake their wayround and eventually down and on to Aqaba where their contents are loaded ontoships for distribution.

Then back in the transport and down to WadiRutm – a location of a tented camp site a few hundred metres from a batteredstation, itself very close to an ancient stopping place which had been used formillennia for the same purpose by traders and pilgrims. This site was where weobserved the Bedouin camped after dropping down the escarpment in a huge trainof people, camels, other animals and vehicles a few seasons ago, and when weexplored it the next day we indeed found evidence of use there over manyhundreds of years.

The landscape down here is magical and onceseen, never forgotten. Whenever we return to Jordan many of us hope we will getdown to this region at least for a visit. It never disappoints.

Day 10 - Siddons Ridge Fort

2011-11-23T11:17:00.000-08:00

In January 1918 Captain V.D. Siddons, a member of X Flight of the Royal Flying Corps, flew over a region of desert to the north of Tel El Shahm. Siddons is recorded as acting as Lawrence's pilot at some point during the period. When he returned to base he made a sketch map, from memory, of a fortified position in the region. This map was discovered by one of our team in the National Archive in 2008, and subsequently he visited the area to try to find the site itself.

Today the team went down to the very site in the sketch map drawn by Reverend Siddons. This huge site, with redoubts, trenches, gun emplacements and other features appears to be set in a location that has been occupied in one way or other for centuries, if not millenia. It is also the subject of a descriptive passage in Seven Pillars of Wisdom, which will be included in a later blog - we will be at the site for three days in total.

Work began today investigating some of the main features. At the same time the detectorists swept the slope in front of the ridge and one of the redoubts for evidence of conflict. The preliminary work uncovered several interesting finds but we need to go back again to gather more information before we can make any real sense of the site. One of the difficulties is that the re-use of the site over time has meant that several layers of historical evidence are apparent in some areas. Work will continue on Friday and Saturday here and the blog will be updated as we gather insight.

Today we also have another in our series of reflections on the project by one of this year's members. This is what Zheng Xu thinks about her experience of being with us so far:

"Being a first time volunteer participating in GARP, I did not know what to expect besides the legendary story of T. E . Lawrence and the desert weather. I have to admit that I experienced some pre-trip anxiety unlike any other times. But my experiences tell me that the meaning of this journey will unfold as we become more engaged in the daily activities.

Now we have past the half way point of this journey, after days of hard physical work, my clothing and any exposed surface of my body being covered by sand, numeral "comfort breaks" in any facilities mother nature has to offer, daily lunch of pita bread and hummus and sweet dates, and the mid morning tea breaks to which we all look forward, I have to say this is an unique experience of one's lifetime.

It is unique in the archaeological objectives of GARP. I am honored to be part of a trailblazing project that is unearthing the evidences of an important part of the modern history that shaped the current landscape of the Middle East. In the current political context, it makes one reflect more on the implications of modern conflicts and war fare.

It is unique in the setting where our work takes place. Our physical work each day is being rewarded by the wondrous beauty of the Southern Jordanian desert with its shadows and forms dancing in constantly changing light, prehistoric villages and roadside Roman forts, and the silhouette of a line of camels wandering through the desert at dusk...

It is unique in the multinational team that is comprised of experts and volunteers of all age groups with a range of interests, knowledge, skills and kindness towards each other and sensitivity towards the land, people and the work.

To me, the meaning of this journey will continue to unfold in the days and years to come."

Tomorrow the main group will be on a quick tour of some of the other previously investigated sites that we have looked at over the past 5 seasons, which will enable them to 'fill in the blanks' of the work on the project that has been undertaken so far.

Day 9 - Ornamental forts completed and planned

2011-11-22T11:23:00.000-08:00

Today we went back to the two ornamental forts to complete their excavation and planning. Many of the team members were involved in this important exercise. Originally we were aware of three of these forts, but already one has been destroyed beyond recognition, and we believe this was done very recently, perhaps even during the last week. For this reason it is vital that we obtain as much information from these features while we can. We have no idea how long they may remain in their present state and identifiably so within the landscape.

By virtue of their position, scale and proximity to each other it seems possible that these ornamental forts, together with other features in the landscape such as block houses and other fortifications, form an intervisible sequence of structures ideally positioned to act as communication links. Our previous excavations have uncovered the metal tapered tips of what might have been a heliograph tripod, which would substantiate the idea that these were used to flash signals up and down the line of the Hijaz.

An absolutely essential part of the recording of all our activities is the completion of a photographic record. Covering everything from general shots of the features themselves and their place within the landscape, to systematic recording of all excavations and also all finds themselves, this process produces a vital, unique archive of visual record of the project.

Ali, our official photographer, at work

First battalion RGMDC together with two wannabees. (Royal GARP metal Detecting Corps)

On a lighter note, last season's Goofer Rifles are now joined in their pursuit of GARP related desert activities by the MD Corps, here presenting their arms with two keen team members anxious to become a part of this august group.

Day 8 - Rest and Recreation.

2011-11-21T11:03:00.000-08:00

Firstly today - here is a group photo of this year's team at the stationary carriages on the Hijaz railway at Bir Shedia.

Today was our first rest day. After many days of hard work in the desert, the team took the opportunity to spend some time visiting local places of interest. 21 of us went into Petra, some for the first time and others coming back for a repeat visit. Others went off to view some Copper mines about an hour and a half's drive away, whilst some of the core team visited Mudawwara. Pictures speak louder than words on today's blog, so here is a selection of images taken at various places. More will be added later.

First view of The Treasury from The Siq

Large (10 cm) insect on the steps up to the Monastery in Petra

The Monastery

Copper mine

Day 7 - A steam engine and some 'ornamental' forts.

2011-11-20T12:32:00.000-08:00

On the way to today’s dig site we stopped and spent a few minutes looking at a 1959 steam train and carriages used as a tourist train for the Hejaz railway. Halted in a siding on the line, it was quickly covered in GARP 2011 members, with many taking the opportunity to take atmospheric photos. We also took this year’s group photograph which will be posted on the blog soon.

Next we went to begin investigations of two small structures which we have been describing as ornamental forts, largely because some of the features they exhibit seem inappropriate for defence or construction purposes. One of these, which we are calling the round fort, was planned by a small team while the other square fort, which is known as Saleh’s, was also planned while the rest of the group excavated a series of nearby, relatively indistinct, tent rings. This is definitely a work in progress and we are still thinking about how these features fit with the others we have examined in the region.

Now to the next in our series of pen-portraits of group members this season. Here is a contribution from John Raiswell, who is actually making his second visit with us.

“My second season with GARP! My first in 2007 marked the start of a new interest in archaeology, I made new friends and enjoyed both the work and the location very much. So I’m back.

John Raiswell planning an excavated tent ring in Southern Jordan

In preparation for the season I’ve read many of the published papers and I’m impressed with our level of knowledge of the conflict around the Hijaz railway. I particularly liked the paper by Shaqiarat al Salameen, Faulkner and Saunders which showed the nature of the interactions between the conflict and the environment of the Hijaz. Arriving at Wadi Musa, it was a real pleasure to meet old friends from the core team and the volunteers and I’m enjoying getting to know the volunteers I haven’t met before. One big change from 2007 – the majority of volunteers are not from the UK.

When we’d recovered from jet lag over the following couple of days we had an excellent orientation lecture from Nick and later a tour around Ma’an station and the Hill of the Birds. But what a disappointment to see how the trenches at the Hill of the Birds have been destroyed, or at least allowed to decay. I understand the site is to be built up as a tourist destination – it’s to be hoped the Jordanian authorities can be persuaded to protect this important site.

We began work last Thursday at Ghadir el Haj station. When we arrived it was literally a pile of rubble – the result of a bomb attack by Lawrence. We worked steadily throughout the day and at the end had done, I believe, an excellent job of clearing and revealing the structure. Very satisfying.

Arriving back at the hotel, the core team set to work recording the events of the day, cataloguing finds, photographs and writing reports. All of this done on laptops in the hotel foyer – a huge change from 2007 when I believe the team had only one laptop. Very professional. I was also impressed at how swiftly the team responded to John Winterburn’s revelations about the fortifications around the ‘ornamental’ forts. We spent today (Sunday) in a previously unplanned investigation in the area.

Today we are about half way into the season and I am hoping very much that will be able to get permission to investigate the conflict around the road to Aqaba. This should provide a really interesting contrast with our work around the Hijaz railway – the contrast between guerrilla warfare and more conventional battles. I hope also we can start work on some of the oral histories planned. These should compliment and flesh out the site work and contribute significantly to our overall understanding of the war in the desert.

Meantime it’s off to the bar for a can of Petra ale and scintillating conversation! Some things never change!”

Many thanks to John for his comments. Tomorrow is a rest day and many of us are visiting Petra. Pictures and a report will be posted later in the day.

Day 6 - Bird’s Nest camp site – Second day

2011-11-19T08:52:00.000-08:00

So – why did we go to the Bird’s Nest camp at all? How does it fit in with the rest of the project? The idea of targeting these tent rings rather than any number of others that we know about, is their proximity to a theoretical quarry, and because we have never previously targeted a tent encampment associated with activities other than forward defence, or in association with the railway. In overall context, this is only the second site that we have examined away from a structure. The tent encampment here was located to the west of the modern Hijaz railway line on flat, open ground. The site is composed of 27 tent rings in two distinct rows, with a separate tent ring located to the south west. The rings vary in size from approximately 450 - 530 cm in diameter and, unlike previous sites excavated by the team these appeared to be more fully constructed, showing in places two courses of layered angular stones. Entrances could be observed in a number of tent rings, but not all. Interestingly, three of them were out of pattern with the remaining rings, which might suggest different use.

Over the two days, the investigation of the rings involved hand excavation in groups of three, the teams often comprising returning, experienced diggers and new members. Hand sieving of the removed fill revealed a mixture of finds including a spoon with star and crescent symbols and Arabic script, Ottoman buttons and buckles, cement bag tags, and surprisingly, a Roman coin.

Following the excavation and the reporting, a full planned record of each excavated ring was completed by the team which undertook the excavation. This involved the careful measurement and scale detailed drawing of the individual stones forming the ring. The completion of the recording was achieved by a full photographic survey of each ring, and the site, and a metal detecting survey of the rings and the spoil heaps.

The excavation here successfully established an Ottoman presence through the collection of finds solely attributable to the period of and around the Great Arab Revolt. No direct link was established between the camp and the quarry, although the sturdy construction of the rings may suggest a correlation.

The excavation and recording here adds another fascinating piece of the enfolding jigsaw of investigated sites related to the activities associated with our study of the Great Arab Revolt, providing ever more clues towards better understanding of this conflict.

Day 5 - Bird’s nest camp site – first day

2011-11-18T10:49:00.000-08:00

Today we moved to a new large site consisting of 26 well established tent rings on a flat plain near the railway, about twenty minutes drive south of where we had been working yesterday. We plan to investigate this site for a couple of days, so this will be an introduction to it and more information and pictures will follow tomorrow.

Team working on the rings at Bird's Nest camp

The evidence of two long parallel lines of tents remained by virtue of the stones that had been used to hold down the canvas at their perimeters. The group was split into 7 teams and each team was allocated a ring to excavate. Over the course of the day the painstaking removal of layers of sand and stones began to reveal characteristic finds in some, giving an insight into their occupants.

Personal seal and ring

Some of the finds today were really interesting – an intact Ottoman army officer’s personal seal, an ornate but damaged ring and several French cement bag tags. We are hoping to be able to trace the person who owned the dated seal and maybe something about them. If we do we will report our findings here on the blog next week. It’s always amazing to be able to link a personal find to a real individual, so we are hoping for success.

The work at this site continues tomorrow, so there will be another report from the Bird’s Nest camp then, together with a lot more photographs of the tam in action and the location itself.

Now for a new feature for the blog. We will be asking some of the volunteers and other team members to paint a pen picture of their reasons for coming on the Project, and how they are finding it out here working in Jordan with us. We begin with Alistair MacLellan, who writes....

“I just came across GARP in Summer 2010 whilst I was job hunting. I had recently graduated with a postgraduate diploma in Arabic language, so as well as the usual London based jobs I was looking further afield to places like Jordan and Egypt to see if there was something more exotic to fill my time. However I found a job sooner than expected and had to delay joining the project until the current season.

I was not sure what to expect when joining the project. It is well established – this is it’s sixth season – and what experience I have dated back to my undergraduate degree in 2007. I came to the project blind, not knowing anyone. However the first three days have been spent settling in, including some sight seeing and a day of induction, which has meant I am able to put names to faces.

It is a tight knit project, with any of the guys and girls having been here for previous seasons. Having said that there are many of us – say 40% - new to the project. We are also quite a varied bunch from all over the world. The mix of age, experience and professional background makes some quite effective teams in the field.

I did think we would be doing a lot more field survey. However a lot of research has clearly gone into the fortnight we spend here which has meant we have been able to actually excavate at two sites in two days. I was worried that my lack of practical experience would show but the project leaders were not lying when they said that volunteers of all ages and levels of experiences are welcome here. The site supervisors are relaxed and happy to offer help and advice – but I have noticed that we are allowed to use our own initiative and approach our certain area of the site in whatever way we think best.

My favourite aspect of the day so far is how it has encouraged me to think about the landscape. Most travellers, like T.E. Lawrence, Charles Doughty or William Palgrave put a lot of effort into describing the landscape we currently work in, but to be here and to see it for myself gives a massive insight and sense of appreciation of the challenge faced both by the Arabs and the Ottoman troops defending the railway. When we were excavating the demolished station at Ghadir el Haj it was easy to imagine the small garrison having to rush out into their shallow trenches as the Arabs rushed out of the flat, featureless desert.

Alistair with the Mauser cartridge he found in the station at Ghadir el Haj

But the main point I would like to make is that, even as we as a project focus on quite a narrow period of time – 1916-1918 – we come across, at every turn, evidence of a landscape affected by human activity. The seventeenth century fort at Unayza. Built to defend the Haj route, in the 20^th century it was fortified to defend the railway which it overlooks. The chief engineer’s house at Ma’an is now a museum celebrating Jordanian nationalism. The modern day Jordanian army used the rock cut trenches above Unayza for their military exercises. Villagers dig for rumoured gold and dump their household waste in the trenches above Ma’an. Bedouin use the tent circles at the Bird’s Nest site to shelter their livestock.

Basically the landscape and heritage of the Hijaz railway is not something passive sat out in the desert as I must admit I found it easy to regard it , reading Seven Pillars back in the UK.

It means different things – and is used in different ways – by many groups of people of whom the volunteers on the project are just one. It is really great to be here – just a few days in and the work done here has reminded me how engaging archaeology can be. Well recommended“

Day 4 - The station (and battle) at Ghadir el Hajj

2011-11-17T11:04:00.000-08:00

From Seven Pillars of Wisdom, Maan Fails chapter:

“I asked where Jaffar was, and Nuri said that at midnight he was due to have attacked Jerdun with regulars and guns and Zeid’s Howeitat. I told him of the night flares, which must have marked his success, and while we were glad together his messengers arrived, reporting two hundred prisoners, and three machine guns, while the station and three thousand rails had been destroyed. So splendid an effort would settle the line from the north for weeks, and then Nuri told me that at dawn on the twelfth, (April 1918), yesterday, he, with French Mountain guns and Arab Regulars, and Howeitat under Sherif Fahad, had rushed Ghadir el Hajj station, wrecked it, and five bridges and one thousand rails, getting back only just to see Maluud take Semna.”

Nick Saunders, one of our GARP Directors, read this out at the start of the day today. We were at the very site described in bold in this passage, keen to discover if any evidence of the actual events described could be unearthed by our team on their first real day of digging for the Great Arab Revolt Project 2011.

This is the sort of site most people would simply ignore – a pile of rubble where the station building at Ghadir el Hajj once stood. To the average bystander, little evidence of the main structure of the building remained, just rocks in unrelated heaps with tons of windblown sand piled into every crevice. Most would simply pass by. To our expert archaeologists, an early morning survey looked promising in the sense that they felt features of the building and surroundings of significance might well become apparent with a proper, methodical, analytical approach. This meant moving the sand. And rocks. Tons of them. New team members discovered big time today what desert archaeology is all about!

Under the expert guidance of the site supervisors, small teams began the task of removing and revealing major sections of interest in and around the building. Gradually over the course of the day the inherent structure and form became clearer. This had been an exceptionally well constructed station, with high quality stonework and facings, and quality evident in the cut stone. Much of the previously exposed and ruined stone had long since been taken away, presumably to become part of modern buildings in nearby Ma’an – and who could blame the locals? High quality building materials lying about in the desert - why not recycle them into new property?

In spite of this the foundations remained and we cleared enough material away to expose these, and do some much needed recording of the structure of them and also the other areas revealed by our work today.

But what of the battle and destruction of the building itself? Could anything remain to corroborate the events described in the quotation?

To the west of the rubble remains is a small arc of trenches facing into the desert proper and away from the building and railway. These were identified in a sketch drawn by a passing British pilot in early 1918, and their sand piled frontage still formed a curving defensive position today as it had done then, the night the building was destroyed.

The detectorists began to investigate inside the trench at one end. Immediately a find! The first fired Mauser cartridge found this season. They went back to the group to show the new members this, as an example of a diagnostic find, and then carried on their search. It became apparent very quickly that this was indeed the site of conflict. Along the trench Mauser after Mauser cartridge were found at regular, small intervals. With these being every half metre or so, this is highly consistent with the defending force firing in anger at attackers. And also, in the same area, grapnel balls. Small lead balls which had come from an exploding artillery shell fired at the station. This was indeed evidence of the cover provided by the two guns described in the text. Then, finally, incoming bullet fragments at irregular intervals around the trenches and in the desert land stretching away west.

Detected Mauser cartridge holes dug in the curved trench

It is easy to imagine the stationed men, mainly sleeping at midnight on that day with possibly a lookout or two, harshly awoken by the exploding shells above them as the attack began. Grabbing their rifles they jumped into their shallow trenches to fire into the darkness as the approaching enemy sped towards them under the cover of the two artillery guns. And the incoming force, on horse or camel, firing back as they rushed towards the building, not to hit men necessarily but to pin them down and get close enough for bayoneting or hand guns to be used. Their incoming fire scattered all over the landscape as they made a direct line for the station. The defenders retreat into the building and then it’s nearly all over, as the insurgents reach their target, dismount and lay their charges. Seconds later, the building is destroyed.

Everything we found today is consistent with this and the events described in Seven Pillars. We believe we have direct evidence of this attack happening exactly as described, and we have managed to record and understand this event in a truly unique and important way.

What a fantastic day!

Day 3 - Orientation

2011-11-16T06:08:00.000-08:00

Today we traveled initially to the station complex at Ma'an. As well as station related buildings, this site also contains the original Royal Hashemite palace, representing the first movement from living in and on the desert to fixed buildings by the First King of Trans Jordan, King Abdullah the First, who was the Emir of Mecca. The building itself is more elaborate than most and was originally built for the chief engineer of the railway. Since then it has temporarily been used as a museum, housing one of the three important battle flags together with other items, and the site itself is now being substantially restored to achieve that end again. Other buildings with working equipment are planned and partly finished demonstrating aspects of railway activity. This place was the hub of military activity which took place in the region, and is adjacent to the Hill of the Birds where one of, if not the best, example of established trench systems and redoubts from the conflict in WW1 in Jordan. GARPers who have been to Ma'an before noted how much this site has been developed since we last visited a few years ago.

We then moved up to the trenches and redoubts themselves to see first hand the remains of these and their location within the landscape. The trenches stretch out along the top of the ridge of the Hill of the Birds and offer a commanding view of the valley floor, representing a convincing defensive position for the station complex and the town outskirts. This site was where the biggest of the actual battles took place, and in the past we have found much evidence of the conflict here, including both incoming and fired munitions of both sides.

We then went to view a new site - the Fort at Uneyza. This is a 16th century Ottoman fort containing arched rooms and first floor rooms.

After spending some time there and having lunch we crossed the main King's Highway to the other side, where the station buildings at Uneyza remain in various states of repair and refurbishment. This was also a miltarised site and subject to attack during the Arab Revolt. Whilst there some of our party managed to get a ride in a rail cart propelled by a line vehicle, to the great amusement of the local staff.

Then those who felt able enough moved to the base of the nearby trench system at Uneyza, which is physically carved into the rock of the hillside. This involved a challenging walk over difficult terrain.

Tomorrow the main work begins and we move to a site to dig.

Day 1-2 Arrival

2011-11-15T20:58:00.000-08:00

We arrived in Amman late on Monday night after a long delay due to an aircraft issue at Heathrow. Immigration took the usual long time for the group, each queuing up to pay our 20 Jordanian Dollars for a visa, and then we set about trying to bring our equipment case in to the country. Fortunately this season all of the paperwork was acceptable and this process only added an extra hour or so to us finally leaving for Wadi Musa, where we eventually arrived at about 4am local time. This is great news as we now have the metal detectors available for the whole of our stay, rather than the last couple of days as per last season.

Later that day we met for a snack lunch and a quick introduction and briefing session. Nick Saunders introduced the project to our group, which includes 8 new people this season as well as several who are attending for their second, third or even fourth/fifth time as volunteers. Sadly Dr Neil Faulkner is unable to be with us at present but hopes to join us soon.

In the aftenoon the group visited some of the local historical sites of interest near to Wadi Musa. These included the neolithic site at Shkarat Msaied, and also Little Petra and Beidha. Images below.

Our plan next is to do an orientation trip for the first day, visiting some of our previous dig sites and some new ones, to prepare the group for the work proper which starts on Thursday. Updates as always will be on here, provided the internet holds up (some issues last night, hence the delay in posting this)

Stay tuned for all the news on a daily basis from our ground breaking (sorry!) dig.

Main party leaves tomorrow.

2011-11-13T10:05:00.000-08:00

The advance party travelled yesterday and are now happily enjoying the Edom Hotel in Wadi Musa, where they are busily sorting out the huge array of things needed for the smooth running of the Project this year. Huge thanks to them for all the hard work.

More details of our planned Fieldwork this season:

The 2011 fieldwork season

The Road to Aqaba

This season, we plan to begin the second phase of the Great Arab Revolt Project.

Having explored the militarised landscapes along the Hijaz Railway between Ma’an and Mudawarra during the first five years, we now plan to explore the road between Ma’an and Aqaba. This routeway was heavily contested between June 1917 and September 1918. Regular Hashemite and British forces played a larger role here, so that the conflict combined both conventional and guerrilla elements. We wish to contrast the archaeological imprint here with that already investigated on the railway.

We hope also to initiate a major oral history project in this more heavily settled region.

Abu al Lissan: fortifications and battle site

Known from historical sources, including Seven Pillars of Wisdom, as the site of a major battle between Hashemite and Ottoman forces, we wish to carry out a preliminary reconnaissance of the battle site and assess its potential for future work.

We also wish to explore forts and other military features, once part of the defences guarding the road through the mountain pass near the village. We hope to involve the local community in this work, and we hope that the community will become a source of oral-history data.

The Line from Ma’an to Mudaawra
The survey team will be returning to some of the sites between Ma’an and Mudaawra that were worked on earlier in order to complete some data collection.

And to give you a flavour of past seasons, here are a few images taken between 2007 and 2010: (click for bigger views)

Hopefully we will have many new discoveries this seasons adding to the emerging understanding of this conflict. Please check back often for updates, or, better still - follow us by clicking the button on the right hand side. Many thanks.

Just a few days to go...

2011-11-10T15:01:00.000-08:00

So - GARP season six is upon us. On Saturday the advance party leaves to pave the way for the main group, who travel next Monday and arrive at our base in Wadi Musa in the early hours of Tuesday Morning. All of us, both new friends and seasoned returners are eager to get there and get started on this year's contribution to the project.

The 2011 season represents a shift in the location and to some extent the direction of the work, with new sites and a development of the researching of the oral history associated with the conflict along the Hijaz railway and in it's surroundings.

In particular, we hope to look at The Road to Aqaba, a major site of conflict in 1917/18 and the fortifications and battle site at Abu al Lissan.

More details of these plans soon - keep checking back to follow our fantastic project.

GARP 2011 - New Season Information.

2011-01-31T07:15:00.000-08:00

The next season of fieldwork is now open for registration. Building on the excellent results obtained over the first five years we are now moving into new areas of the work. For a full prospectus detailing all aspects of how to become part of this fantastic project, please see the PROSPECTUS links on the front page of the GARP web site: Click here for GARP web site

Not yet convinced? See what recent participants have been saying about working with us below:

Quotes and Sound Bites.

“Hot, dusty, tired, but no matter, I was privileged to work in the Jordanian desert with
a remarkable group of archaeologists on a project that counts”.
Charles, California.

“Rather than quick drive-by views with little time to absorb the country, GARP
provided me with the privilege to be part of an in-depth experience in Jordan. T. E.
Lawrence may have described the desert well in Seven Pillars, but nothing can match
actually walking and working in it. It is educational, motivational, inspirational,
exceptional, and good fun, too.”
Charles, California.

The sublime scenic beauty of the sites we excavate will haunt you for the rest of your
life. What's more, nothing compares with the search for significant objects which were
dropped in the sand - Finding even a tiny piece of cloth from an Ottoman soldier's
uniform will fill you with sheer ecstasy!
Veronique, London.

“…..a chance to work with a most engaging group of rogues who have taught me a
hellava lot about archaeology. I'm a three year digger, going for the remaining five!”
Jo, Menlo Park , USA

We are in Jordan to examine and excavate the archaeology associated with the
Great Arab Revolt. However you just can’t escape from the historic landscapes and
archaeology of all periods from Palaeolithic stone tools, Neolithic settlement, Iron Age
towers to Byzantine castles and medieval forts.

Heart-captivating landscape extended family company, and intriguing intellectual
stimuli!"
Linah, US / Jordan