Tell el-Kheleifeh lies northwest of modern 'Aqaba and was excavated between 1938 and 1940 by Nelson Glueck who thought he had discovered Eilat/Ezion-Geber. However, a re-examination of the evidence by Practico and DiVito (1993) suggests that Tell el-Kheleifeh was an Edomite settlement occupied from the late eighth through the fourth centuries BCE.

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Ben-Menahem (1979:259) and Ben-Menahem (1991:20198) report that three structures in the Araba were fortified to withstand earthquakes between the years 9 BCE and 50 CE. This could reflect indirect evidence of a recent earthquake; primarily due to a Nabatean pattern of quickly repairing structures after earthquakes during this prosperous period. He locates these structures in Petra, Tel el Haliefe, and Wadi Ramm. His references were Avi-Yonah (1975) Vol III and IV and Gleuck (1943).

Tel el Haliefe site does not appear to contain any evidence for fortification of structures between 9 BCE and 50 CE. Pratico and DiVito (1993), Avi-Yonah (1975), and Glueck (1940) all state that the site appears to have been abandoned by 4th or 3rd century BCE at the latest.