Project Rainkeep is a development research component of the Madaba Plains Project which aims to discover and disseminate best practices for restoring and reusing ancient water cisterns in the country of Jordan.

Initiated in 1992, Project Rainkeep activities have included identification of hundreds of abandoned water cisterns in the vicinity of Hesban, Umayri and Jalul in Central Jordan; ethnoarchaeological and ethnographic investigations of indigenous knowledge related to the constrution, care and repair of such ancient cisterns; restoration of over 30 of these cisterns in collaboration with a local development agency (ADRA-Jordan); and analysis of lessons learned based on this experience in cistern restoration, including identifiction of issues of relevance to policy makers concerned with management of rainwater resources in Jordan and beyond .

This web site makes available key articles and documents related to the progress of Project Rainkeep. It also announces forthcoming lectures relating to the project and provides links to selected research papers which have cited it.
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Øystein S. LaBianca, Ph.D.
Project Rainkeep Principal Investigator