The adjacent valley, Wadi al-Badhan (also known as Wadi Sajour), is a picturesque natural area located 5 km northeast of Nablus on the road leading to the Jordan Valley. The area is characterized by abundant springs and diversity of wildlife. The area is considered one of the most beautiful natural areas in the
West Bank and has a nature reserve to preserve wildlife.
At the time of
Roman and
Byzantine rule, the nearby ruin of Khirbet Ferwe was home to the
Samaritan town of Baddan, which was well-known for its
pomegranates.[2]
History
Al-Badhan has several sites of archaeological interest including 12 ancient watermills.
Scholars today hold that al-Badhan is to be identified with the Badan (
Hebrew: בדן; באדן) citied in the 2nd-century CE
Mishnah and
Tosefta, said to be a place then settled by
Samaritans and renowned for its
pomegranates.[3][4][5][6] Badan is featured prominently in Samaritan tradition;[7][8] According to one of these, the
Israelites purified themselves at Badan after crossing the
Jordan River and on their way to
Mount Gerizim.[7] The ancient site was located in Khirbet Ferwe, and a
Herodian tomb was discovered at the site.[2]
Ottoman period
Victor Guérin passed through the region in 1870, where he described its geographical features.[9]
Since 2003, al-Badhan has been governed by a Village Council which is currently administrated by 10 members appointed by the
Palestinian National Authority (PNA).
^Yoel Elitzur, Ancient toponyms in the land of Israel: preservation and history (2nd edition), Jerusalem 2012, p. 350 (Hebrew)
ISBN965-481-034-4
^Shimon Dar &
Ze'ev Safrai, Shomron Studies, An Anthology of Researches (Heb. title: מחקרי שומרון: קובץ מחקרים), Hakkibbutz Hameuchad Publishing House: Tel-Aviv 1986, p. 148 (Hebrew)
^Amar (2015), p. 152, note 797 (Hebrew), where he writes: "[The pomegranates of Badan], see Maimonides' commentary on the Mishnah (Orlah 3:7) where Maimonides points out that it refers to a place inhabited by 'Samaritans' (Maimonides' commentary on the Mishnah, Kelim 17:5). Its identification has, in fact, been brought down in the Tosefta, Kelim - Baba Metzia 6:10. That is, Badan is to be identified in the area settled by the Samaritans during the period of the Sages. It is commonly accepted to identify the settlement of Badan as being near Wadi Bidan, to the northeast of Shechem (Nablus), a place flowing with running springs of water, emptying into the brook of
Tirzah."
^
abConder and
Kitchener, 1882, SWP II, p.
231. "Badan - A place where the congregation purified itself after passing Jordan and before going up to Gerizim, according to Samaritan tradition. (See Juynboll's '
Samaritan Book of Joshua,' note p. 314)."