Al Bada’, the oasis town having around 18.000 inhabitants, is part of the former Madyan region (Midian) in the far north-west of the Tabuk Province. It lies around 25 km east of the Gulf of Aqaba in a seismically active region in a narrow valley of the Wadi Afal. More than 2,000 years ago, its location contributed to it becoming an important stopover on the caravan route to the Levant and Petra in resent-day Jordan. This economic position seems to have been maintained throughout the settlement and rule of various tribes. One of them was the Midianites, who lived in this area between the 2nd and 1st millennia BC and later by the Nabataeans.
For the sake of completeness, I would like to mention Moses’ Well (Bir Al Saidni or Bir Al Sauaidani), which should not be confused with the Moses Spring in Maqna (as is often the case on many websites). The well, which can be visited today, is dry and rather unimpressive and is fenced off. It is of more religious importance.
