The
Arabah (,
HaAravah, lit. "desolate and dry area"; , ), known in Hebrew as
Aravah, is a geographic name used with two different meanings in antiquity and in modern times. The old meaning, which was in use up to the early 20th century, covered almost the entire length of what is today called the
Jordan Rift Valley, running in a north-south orientation between the southern end of the
Sea of Galilee and the northern tip of the
Gulf of Aqaba at
Aqaba/
Eilat. This included the Jordan River Valley between Sea of Galilee and Dead Sea, the Dead Sea itself, and what is commonly called today the Wadi Arabah or Arava Valley. The modern use of the term is restricted to this southern section alone. In both cases, it forms part of the border between
Israel to the west and
Jordan to the east.