Bir Alikhan East Qanat (Maan East Desert Qanat)
Alikhan East Qanat · Ma'an Eastern Gallery
Nabataean to Roman (120 BCE–180 CE)·Nabataean Ma'an desert oasis then Roman Arabia Petraea·🇯🇴 Ma'an Governorate, Wadi Araba Eastern Desert, Bir Alikhan 18 km east of Ma'an (East Qanat), Jordan
About
About Bir Alikhan East Qanat (Maan East Desert Qanat)
Eastern desert gallery (1,020 m) 18 km east of Ma'an town, Wadi Araba eastern limestone plateau. Qanat 2.8 km with 44 shafts (mother 18 m) tapping Ma'an sandstone aquifer under limestone cap, delivering 8 L/s to Bir Alikhan oasis gardens (date palm, olive). Gallery 0.7 m × 1.3 m with dry-stack limestone voussoir roof — Nabataean–Roman technique similar to Petra Siq channel but subterranean. Dated Nabataean 120 BCE with Roman 180 CE repair (vault keystone inscription MAAN 180). Shaft spacing 55 m. Disused 1960s after pumped bore but gallery preserved 2.1 km walkable. Threat: unregulated Maan aggregate quarry 1 km.
Why it mattersOnly Nabataean vaulted subterranean qanat east of Petra — desert continuum beyond Siq channel to Ma'an sandstone.
Open questions
Mysteries & theories
Mysteries
- 01Vaulted subterranean vs open Siq channel choice — water loss vs labour
Theories
- 01Ma'an–Petra caravan oasis chain qanat diffusion
Theories are interpretations, not findings. The seal above tells you how much scholarly weight the place carries.
History
How it came to be
- Built
- c.120 BCE (Nabataean), Roman repair 180 CE
- Period
- Nabataean to Roman (120 BCE–180 CE)
- Culture
- Nabataean Ma'an desert oasis then Roman Arabia Petraea
- Builders
- Nabataean Bir Alikhan engineers, Roman 180 repair
- Purpose
- Ma'an sandstone aquifer qanat 2.8 km 44 shafts 8 L/s to Bir Alikhan date palm oasis east of Ma'an
- Abandoned
- 1960s (pumped bore) preserved 2.1 km walkable
- Rediscovered
- 1994 Ma'an eastern desert qanat survey; 2018 vault inscription 180 CE
- Excavation
- Unexcavated
120 BCE
Nabataean qanat vaulted 2.8 km
180 CE
Roman repair inscription MAAN 180
1994
Bir Alikhan survey
On the ground
Structures & features
30.1800° N · 35.9500° E · 1020 m · 2 mapped features
Mother Well East (18 m) Sandstone
structure18-m mother well in sandstone aquifer under limestone cap
30.1790° N · 35.9510° EVaulted Gallery Voussoir Section
aqueduct0.7×1.3 m dry-stack limestone voussoir vault — Nabataean 120 BCE
30.1820° N · 35.9530° E