GIORDANO (Hebr. Jardên, Arab. el-Urdunn). — The most important and perennial river of Palestine, formed by the confluence of three watercourses whose sources lie at the foot of snow-capped Hermon.
The most famous source gushes from a cave, now blocked, which was once dedicated to the god Pan, whence the name of the present-day village of Banjás (alt. 329 m.), which in turn gives rise to the Nahr Banjás; the second, the most abundant, is near Tell el-Qâdi (alt. 154 m.), the ancient Dan-Laish, and produces the Nahr el-Leddân; the third is at Hasbejjah (alt. 563 m.), with the river el-Hasbânî. The three tributaries unite to form the G., which, after flowing for about 10 km. through the reeds, rushes, and papyrus of the marshy Ard el-Hûleh, collects in the swampy Lake of Hûleh or Semaconite. It then becomes turbulent and plunges down a narrow valley, along which, over a distance of 17 km., it descends from 2 m. above sea level (the height of Lake Hûleh) to 208 m. below, emptying into Lake Galilee. From there to the Dead Sea the straight-line distance is 109 km., but the Jordan winds so tortuously through the meanders of the valley (Gör) that the actual course is tripled (320 km.), descending another 200 m. Of the numerous tributaries that feed it, the principal ones are the Jarmuk and the Jebbûq on the left, the Nahr Galûd and the Wâdi Fâs’ah or de tra. In the first 20 km. the Gör, 2–3 km. wide, spreads out to 15–20 km. near Jericho. The valley through which the river flows, 500 m. to 3 km. wide, is marked by evergreen shrubs and flooded during the months of high water; the current reaches 40–50 m. in May. Near the tributaries there is luxuriant tropical vegetation, and in the oases, ancient