Collection of Photographs – The Naharayim Power Station – 1920s-1930s

Collection of Photographs – The Naharayim Power Station – 1920s-1930s
Collection of photographs documenting the Naharayim power station. [Late 1920s to late 1930s].
About 55 photographs documenting the working conditions, the workers' daily lives, the buildings and the power station in its first years. Photographs depicting the digging of the canal between the Yarmouk and the Jordan River, the digging of the reservoir, removing dirt by railroad cars, installing wheel mechanisms in one of the dams, opening the spillway, the establishment of the Tel Or cooperative settlement near the station, and more.
The Power Station in Naharayim was built during the years 1927-1932 at the initiative of Zionist industrialist Pinchas Rutenberg. Building the station involved diverting two large rivers, the Jordan River and the Yarmouk, and was considered one of the most ambitious enterprises of the Yishuv. The station's name, "Naharayim" (Hebrew for two rivers), refers to its location between the Yarmouk and the Jordan rivers.
The station was abandoned during the War of Independence, occupied by the Jordanian army, and later destroyed and looted. After the signing of the Israel-Jordan peace treaty, it was decided to accord the place special status enabling both countries to use it. In 2018 the King of Jordan announced the termination of the agreement.
Most of the photographs are with divided postcard backs. Some are captioned by hand on verso or in the plate. Some stamped on verso "Photo Zmani, Haifa" (Hebrew).
A total of about 55 photographs. Approx. 8.5X5.5 cm to 8.5X14 cm. Condition varies. Good overall condition. Stains and blemishes, mostly minor. Traces of mounting, scuffs and additional stamps to verso of some photographs.
Provenance: The Rimon Family Collection.