Jawa is an Early Bronze Age archaeological site located in northeastern Jordan’s Black Desert. Dating back to the late 4th millennium BCE, it represents one of Jordan’s earliest known proto-urban settlements. The site encompasses approximately 10 hectares and features remnants of a walled town, indicating a sophisticated level of social organisation and urban planning for its time.

A remarkable aspect of Jawa is its advanced water management system, crucial for sustaining life in the arid environment. The inhabitants constructed a series of dams and reservoirs to harness and store water from the Wadi Rajil’s seasonal floods. Notably, the largest of these is a masonry gravity dam, considered the oldest known dam in the world, with initial construction dated between 3500 and 3400 BCE.  This innovative infrastructure supported agriculture and livestock, enabling the settlement to thrive despite the harsh desert conditions.