What is "arabah"

The Arabah (, HaAravah, lit. "desolate and dry area"; , Wādī ʻAraba), known in Hebrew as Arava or 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 and Palestine to the west and Jordan to the east.