Ein Farah, is a spring located at the centre of Wadi Qelt, 325 meters above sea level, between Jerusalem and Jericho. Until 1970, the water of the spring were pumped to supply Jerusalem. Since the 1970s it is part of the Wadi Qelt nature reserve. The spring flows into a natural rock pool, and its output creates a brook that flows all year round.
History
Ein Farah supplied water to the surrounding area since ancient times. In the Hellenistic period an aqueduct was built for the first time, to carry the water for a long distance.
Hellenistic and Roman periods
Several aqueducts have been found originating from the spring, the oldest dating to the Hasmonean period. The aqueducts transported water from the spring valley to Jericho. The winter palaces of Hasmonean kings and Herod the Great stood at the lower end of the valley, where it reaches the Plain of Jericho.
In the late Ottoman period the ancient aqueduct was renovated and the spring kept on supplying water to Jericho and Jordan Valley area. In the end of the 19th century the Ottoman authorities in Palestine searched for an additional major water resource for the evolving city of Jerusalem, and considered pumping water from Ein Farah to Jerusalem. The engineer George Franghia, an Ottoman subject of Greek origin, began a study in 1889 looking at possible new water resources for Jerusalem. His proposal was presented to the municipality in 1894. Franghia suggested to pump water from Al-Arroub springs, about 20 km south of Jerusalem, but at a higher elevation, therefore no pumping will be required. In November 1909, a German engineer, Max Magnus published a report published in November 1909, the director of the in which he challenged the feasibility of the plan to deviate the source of the Arroub spring and argues in favor of deviating the spring at Ein Farah. The geographical location of the Ein Fara spring, 500 meters lower in altitude than Jerusalem, would have required building electric pumps to carry the water to the city, at a total budget of four million francs, double what the Franghia plan would have cost. Neither project was ever carried out because of a lack of funding. On February 14, 1914, a concession agreement for the building and operation of the supply of drinking water to the city of Jerusalem was signed. The bidder awarded the contract was an Ottoman citizen, Euripide Mavrommatis, living in Galata, but due to the outbreak of First World War, the project never materialised.
In 1970, the city Jerusalem was connected to Israel's national water system, and pumping from the spring was stopped. The remains of the Mandate-era pumping station and pipes can still be seen within the nature reserve. The area around the spring was declared a Nature Reserve in 1968, was fenced and requires entry fees. The area of the nature reserve was increased to 28,000 dunam in 1988, and access of the local Bedouin shepherds to spring has been blocked. The cliffs around the spring are a popular climbing destination.
