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History
The Quran tells of the arrival of Moses (Musa) (peace be upon him) in Midian: « وَلَمَّا وَرَدَ مَآءَ مَدْيَنَ وَجَدَ عَلَيْهِ أُمَّةً مِّنَ ٱلنَّاسِ يَسْقُونَ وَوَجَدَ مِن دُونِهِمُ ٱمْرَأَتَيْنِ تَذُودَانِ » (“And when he came to the well of Madyan, he found there a crowd of people watering [their flocks], and he found aside from them two women driving back [their flocks]”, 28:23). Then: « فَسَقَىٰ لَهُمَا ثُمَّ تَوَلَّىٰٓ إِلَى ٱلظِّلِّ فَقَالَ رَبِّ إِنِّى لِمَآ أَنزَلْتَ إِلَىَّ مِنْ خَيْرٍ فَقِيرٌ » (“So he watered [their flocks] for them; then he went back to the shade and said, ‘My Lord, indeed I am, for whatever good You would send down to me, in need.’”, 28:24, translation of the meaning, Sahih International).
The Quran speaks of “the well of Madyan” without describing it. In the 10th century, the geographer Abu Zayd al-Balkhi, quoted by Yaqut, says that in Midian there is the well where Moses (peace be upon him) watered the flock of Shuʿayb. He adds: « ورأيت هذه البئر مغطاة قد بني عليها بيت » (“I saw this well: it was covered, and a house had been built over it”).
What you see today: a well dug into the rock, with a Nabataean stone lining, largely collapsed, and the remains of basins and channels. It is probably older than the Nabataeans. They restored it, and it was repaired again in the Islamic era. It was the main water point of the oasis and of the hajj station of al-Burj.
What is certain and what is not
- Certain: the episode of the well of Madyan is in the Quran (28:23-24). The well is ancient and was restored by the Nabataeans.
- Tradition: the name “well of Moses” is attested since at least the 10th century (al-Balkhi, in Yaqut). It is a tradition of the geographers, not a revealed text.
- Uncertain: that it is exactly this well. No text allows us to say so.
Sources
1. Quran, al-Qasas 28:23-24 (text verified, Sahih International translation).
2. Yaqut al-Hamawi, Muʿjam al-buldan, vol. 5, p. 76, entry « مدين », based on Abu Zayd al-Balkhi.
3. Saudipedia, “Madyan Shuaib”.
4. Charloux, Sahlah, Badaiwi, “Madian revealed?”, Semitica et Classica 14, 2021.