The Arabah Valley is located in Jordan and Israel west of Mount Sodom, 40 kilometers northwest of the Faynan copper-ore district. Ashalim was discovered in 1964 by a research team led by Yoram Tsafrir and is believed to be associated with the Faynan ore deposits, as the nearest significant source of ore was over 100 kilometers away. In 2002, Y. Israel re-surveyed the site.