Khirbet al-Khalde Archaeological Project
The Khirbet al-Khalde Archaeological Project was an international research initiative directed by Craig A. Harvey (University of Alberta, Canada), Emanuele E. Intagliata (University of Milan), and Rubina Raja (Centre for Urban Network Evolutions, Aarhus University). The project aimed to investigate the imposing remains of Khirbet al-Khalde, a site located along the Via Nova Traiana in the Wadi al-Yutm, approximately 26 km northeast of Aqaba. The main archaeological features included a fort with four corner towers and a caravanserai; two watchtowers, a cemetery, an aqueduct, and at least three rock-cut cisterns were also preserved.
A campaign of systematic survey was conducted in July 2023. On that occasion, a multidisciplinary approach was adopted, combining surface collection, architectural recording, assessment of damage and risks to the archaeological heritage, and the analysis of aerial photographs and satellite imagery. The results indicated that the site was occupied from the Nabataean period through Late Antiquity.
The project was funded by the Augustinus and Carlsberg Foundations and by the Danish National Research Foundation (grant 119, awarded to Rubina Raja). Craig A. Harvey also obtained an ACOR – S. Thomas Parker Memorial Fund grant to support the 2023 fieldwork.
The project concluded in 2025 with the publication of the final volume by Brepols, Khirbet al-Khalde: Final Publications from the Khirbet al-Khalde Archaeological Project 2023 (edited by C.A. Harvey, E.E. Intagliata, and R. Raja), available here: https://www.brepols.net/products/IS-9782503618623-1.
Conferences and seminars
C.A. Harvey, E.E. Intagliata, R. Raja, “The military and long-distance trade along the eastern frontier”. Session 36 at the XXVI International Congress of Roman Frontier Studies – Limes (Batumi, Georgia – 08–14/09/2024):
- C.A. Harvey, E.E. Intagliata, R. Raja, “Past geopolitics in the borderlands: New research on military and trade presence at Khirbet al-Khalde – Wadi al-Yutm, Aqaba Governorate” (Batumi, Georgia – 14/09/2024).
C.A. Harvey, E.E. Intagliata, R. Raja “From pencils to drone. A multi-scalar approach to the study of Khirbet al-Khalde (Aqaba governorate, southern Jordan)”. Persisting with change. 30th Annual Meeting of the European Association of Archaeologists (Roma, 28-31 August 2024).
Craig A. Harvey, Emanuele E. Intagliata, R. Raja, “Éclairages nouveaux sur le site archéologique de Khirbet al-Khalde (l’ancien Praesidium): un castellum et caravansérail situé le long de la frontière de l’Empire romain en Arabie”. Classical Association of Canada 2024 Annual Conference (Quebec City, Canada – 14–16/05/2024).
Craig A. Harvey, Emanuele E. Intagliata, Rubina Raja, Mara Zoppi, “Khirbet al-Khalde e Archeobenessere. Un’occasione mancata?”. Archeobenessere – spunti di riflessione dagli scavi e ricerche condotte dall’Università degli Studi di Milano (Fondazione Luigi Rovati, Milano – 10/04/2024).
Craig A. Harvey, Emanuele E. Intagliata, Rubina Raja, “Introducing the Khirbet al-Khalde Archaeological Project: Initial Results from the Inaugural 2023 Survey Season”. Annual meeting of the American Society of Oriental Research, session # 5B. Archaeology of Jordan I – Excavation Reports (Hilton Chicago, Chicago – 17/11/2023).
Publications
Harvey, C.A., Intagliata, E.E., Raja, R. (eds) 2025. Khirbet al-Khalde. Final publications from the Khirbet al-Khalde Archaeological Project 2023 (The Archaeology and History of Western Asia, 1). Turnhout: Brepols.
- Harvey, C.A., Intagliata, E.E., Raja, R. “Preface and acknowledgements”, 1
- Harvey, C.A., Intagliata, E.E., Raja, R. “Overview of the Khirbet al-Khalde Archaeological Project 2023 campaign”, 3–28
- Harvey, C. A., Intagliata, E. E., Mokránová, K., Raja, R., Zoppi, M. “Damage assessment at Khirbet al-Khalde”, 29–52
- Wenner, S.E. “Khirbet al-Khalde ceramics”, 53–156
- Harvey, C.A., Intagliata, E.E., Raja, R. “Ceramic building material”, 157–184
- Harvey, C.A., Intagliata, E.E., Raja, R. “Other finds – coins, metal and stone artefacts, metal slag, crucibles, and coral”, 207–214
- Reese, D.S. “Animal bones and marine shells”, 215–238
Boschetti, C., Schibille, N., Harvey, C., Intagliata, E.E., Raja, R. 2025. “Broken glass on the Via Nova Traiana: Roman, Late Antique, and Early Islamic activity at Khirbet al Khalde (south Jordan)”, Antiquity: 1–18. doi:10.15184/aqy.2025.10248
Harvey, C.A., Intagliata, E.E., Raja, R. 2025. “Asserting control through water in the Roman period: the evidence from southern Jordan and the case of Khirbet al-Khalde”. American Journal of Archaeology 129(2), 203–218. https://doi.org/10.1086/734062
Harvey, C. A., Intagliata, E. E., Raja, R. 2024. “Implementation of a multi-scalar approach to the survey of military and trade architecture in Jordan: the case of Khirbet al-Khalde”. Antiquity 2024, 1–7. https://doi.org/10.15184/aqy.2024.74
Harvey, C. A., Intagliata, E. E., Mokránová, K., Raja, R., Zoppi, M. 2024. “Cultural heritage damage assessment at Khirbet al-Khalde in a longue durée perspective: the impact of legacy data and multi-scalar methodologies on survey results”. Journal of Eastern Mediterranean Archaeology and Heritage Studies 12 (2), 172–195. https://doi.org/10.5325/jeasmedarcherstu.12.2.0172
Harvey, C.A., Intagliata, E.E., Raja, R. 2024. “Global trade and mobility in the Desert. New investigations at the fort and presumed caravanserai of Khirbet al-Khalde in the southern Jordanian Desert”. Current World Archaeology 123, 28–35. https://the-past.com/feature/surveying-khirbet-al-khalde-global-trade-and-ancient-mobility-in-southern-jordan/
Harvey, C.A., Intagliata, E. E., Raja, R. 2024. “Khirbet al-Khalde — A Road Station in the Wadi al-Yutm”. Archaeology in Jordan 4, 173–175. https://publications.acorjordan.org/articles/khirbet-al-khalde-a-road-station-in-the-wadi-al-yutm/