Wadi Mujib, Jordan

Wadi in Nachal Paran, the Negev, Israel

Some names of Spanish rivers are derived from Andalusi Arabic toponyms where was used to mean a permanent river, for example Guadalcanal, Seville or Guadalquivir from al-w?d? al-kab?r = "the great river".

The term is very widely found in Arabic toponyms. Wadis tend to be associated with centers of human population because sub-surface water is sometimes available in them.

Crossing wadis at certain times of the year can be dangerous because of unexpected flash floods. Such flash floods cause several deaths each year in North America and many Middle Eastern countries.

Holocene wadi deposits in a modern wadi north of Phoenix, Arizona.

Wadi deposits

Wadis are the streams in a desert environment and generally are dry year round except after a rain. The desert environment is characterized by a sudden but infrequent heavy rainfall often resulting in flash floods. Deposition in a wadi is rapid because of the sudden loss of stream velocity and seepage of water into the porous sediment. Wadi deposits are thus usually poorly-sorted gravels and sands. These sediments are often reworked by eolian processes.

Biblical references

Job speaks of his friends whom he calls brothers as being like these wadis. The Jewish Study Bible transliterated the word "brook" in for the word "wadi". The commentator notes, "Wadi, a seasonal stream that may be dangerously overflowing in winter and dry in summer". Albert Barnes (1798?1870), in his commentator books notes, "The idea here is, that travelers in a caravan would approach the place where water had been found before, but would find the fountain dried up or the stream lost in the sand; and when they looked for refreshment, they found only disappointment.

References

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