Levantine

• Little is known, however, about the pathways of these migrations.
• Our evidence suggests this valley had a riverine and wetland zone that would have provided ideal passage for hunter-gatherers as they moved out of Africa and deep into the Levant and Arabia.

Wandering out of Africa

• Researchers hypothesise humans migrating out of Africa would have used platforms in the eastern Sahara, the Nile River Valley, or the margins of the western Red Sea.
• From there, these small bands of hunter-gatherers would have passed into the Sinai – a land bridge connecting Africa with the rest of Asia – following migrating animals and hunting a variety of them for sustenance.
• For many of these hunter-gatherers, the next stop on the journey would have been the southern portion of the Jordan Rift Valley.

When Arabia was a verdant land

• Our findings from sedimentary sections ranging 5 to 12 metres in thickness showed ecosystem fluctuations over time, including cycles of dry and humid environments.
• We also found evidence for the presence of ancient rivers and wetlands.
• Luminescence dating showed the sedimentary environments formed between 125,000 and 43,000 years ago, suggesting there had been multiple wet intervals.
• Towards the south, fieldwork in northern Saudi Arabia has also demonstrated a network of rivers and lakes was once present in the region.

Multiple migrations into South-West Asia

• Our findings from the Jordan Rift Valley indicate there were multiple early human migrations from Africa, and into Asia, during favourable conditions.
• Our results also suggest, together with the Levantine and Arabian evidence, that hunter-gatherers used inland river and wetland systems as they crossed South-West Asia.
• Although ancient DNA evidence indicates Homo sapiens interbred with Neanderthals and Denisovans multiple times as they spread into Asia, on-the-ground evidence for these encounters has generally been lacking.

• The desire to emigrate is strongest among young men and women in the Levant (53%) followed by North Africa (48%), with the primary goal of finding a job.
• Among those who said they are actively considering emigration, nearly half (49%) said the reason was to 'look for a job.'
• Youth in the GCC are the most hopeful (85%), followed by those in North Africa (64%) and the Levant (60%).
• "Despite the bleak economies in North Africa and Levant, what shines through is the youthful exuberance of being optimistic of the future.

• The desire to emigrate is strongest among young men and women in the Levant (53%) followed by North Africa (48%), with the primary goal of finding a job.
• Among those who said they are actively considering emigration, nearly half (49%) said the reason was to 'look for a job.'
• Youth in the GCC are the most hopeful (85%), followed by those in North Africa (64%) and the Levant (60%).
• "Despite the bleak economies in North Africa and Levant, what shines through is the youthful exuberance of being optimistic of the future.

• In response to the catastrophic earthquake in Syria and Turkey, Ammoora restaurant pledges 10% of its proceeds to help devastated earthquake victims
  BALTIMORE, Feb. 7, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Ammoora Restaurant, located at the Ritz-Carlton Residences, in Baltimore's Inner Harbor, pledges 10% of its proceeds in the month of February to assist relief efforts following two massive earthquakes and over 54 aftershocks that devastated parts of northern Syria and southern Turkey early yesterday morning, leaving behind tens of thousands injured or dead.
• This impacted region is already a temporary "home" for millions of refugees in desperate need for humanitarian aid.
• Today, we continue our mission of generosity and pledge support to those impacted by this tragic earthquake," stated an emotional Jay Salkini, owner of Ammoora.
• Those wishing to provide financial donations to help with the Syrian earthquake, please refer to these US non-profit organizations: