The Petra Museum
courtesy:Wikipedia (www.theartnewspaper.com)
The Petra Museum,
Jordan: Futuristic Display of Ancient Epoch
If the UNESCO
World Heritage site of Petra, the 2,000 year-old capital of the Nabataeans is
the ultimate destination for tourists visiting Jordan, then the Petra Museum is
also a must-see because it ably complements the ancient site which got a major
fillip due to the museum.
The
well-located, ultra-modern Petra Museum in Wadi Musa, stands just outside the main entrance
of the Archaeological Park housing the antique Rose city of Petra . On March
2014, PDTRA (Petra Development and Tourism Region Authority) and JICA (The
Japan International Cooperation Agency) jointly signed a memorandum to build
this modern museum near the Visitor Center to showcase the antiquities of the
Nabataean City of Petra. It took 5 years to build this museum and it got a
grant of $ 7m from JICA. The museum is
designed by Japanese architects Yamashita Sekkei. It has 1,800 sq.m of climate
controlled galleries, which present spectacular objects. The museum was
inaugurated on 18th April 2019 by Jordan’s Crown Prince Hussein. Though
Japan played a major role in building the museum, the displays and multimedia
content were developed largely by local expertise such as Jordanian curators,
scholars and designers. The museum is managed by the Petra Development and
Tourism Regional Authority under Jordan’s Prime Minister in co-ordination with
the department of Antiquities.
The atmosphere of the Museum is itself beautiful. We got down at the crowded but organized tourist
bus depot, passed through souvenir shops and climbed down quite a number of
rose- colored steps. There is an accessibility ramp for wheelchair users. Then
we came to an open-to-the-sky campus which has a beautiful, expansive,
courtyard and an ornamental pool. There is not much greenery in the open public
space. The shallow pool surrounds half of the museum campus. This emphasizes
the strong theme of water.
We crossed
the courtyard and came into the precincts of the
museum itself. From here the scene is stupendous… a sweeping panorama
comprising of the winding road, nestled between the mud-colored hills.
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| A View of the Surroundings |
Here too,
there are stairs as well as accessibility ramps which lead right to the
entrance of the museum. The museum is at one level. The exterior and interior
are aesthetically appealing and well-designed giving an aura of vastness and openness.
Entrance Lounge
The emphasis
on water is further carried forward at the entrance, waiting lounge. Water was sparse and the ancient Nabataeans regarded it as a treasure.There is a
detailed explanation of Nabataean aquatic engineering displayed on a LED screen;
about the sophisticated mechanism for water storage and utilization in ancient
times. Jordan being one of the driest countries in the world, the ancient
Nabataeans created an innovatory, water-channeling technology. They had a
thorough understanding of every possible source of water available to them. They
had an extensive understanding of hydraulics system which enabled them to
create runoff rain water-collection arrangement. Diagrams, images and writings
are used in the video to explain the importance of water in the arid region, hence the need
for water management system. A diagram explains the
gist of water harvesting methods of Nabataeans in antiquity (fig.1) and shows
their dexterity in engineering and water harvesting techniques. They harvested
rain water, flood water, ground water and natural springs. The video shows how
the Nabataeans created channels, aqueducts, terraces, reservoirs, dams and
cisterns which provided a constant source of water to the city’s inhabitants
through underground pipelines. They developed an adept process of collecting
and storing water in water holes or cisterns which were hidden underground. These cisterns kept water safe from evaporation and enemies. The video is informative and artistic. The images of the flow of
water through the rock-cut channels of Petra had a very cooling effect after
encountering the scorching sun outside.
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A Triangle Depicting Water Management of Nabataeans
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(Fig.1)
Museum
The Petra Museum contains 280-300 artifacts dating
back from the early Stone Age,later Stone Age, Bronze Age, Beginnings of Iron Age to the present age. They were obtained from the
Department of Antiquities of Jordan. There are 5 exhibition halls showcasing
the history of Petra and the Nabataeans’ life, their civilization and tools
which were discovered from archaeological excavations.
The main aim
is to represent Petra’s local identity through archaeological discoveries,
inscription, frescoes, mosaic floors, stone pillars, statues, utensils, maps, historic and prehistoric remains. We learn at the beginning of our tour of the museum
that the ancient name of Petra was Raqmu. The exhibits are arranged in
chronological order. The halls are spacious enough to encourage unhindered visitor
movement. There is also adequate space to stop, read and examine particular
objects.The lighting over the exhibits is adequate so that there is no problem in close inspection or reading the literature associated with them.
The museum is
very high-tech. There are many multimedia touchscreens throughout the
museum and also some video displays.
The
touchscreens and the written material complement each other. The literature
associated with each exhibit is sufficient. There are display boards with the literature
of each exhibit and there are also interactive touchscreens which provide
detailed contextual content and histories to specific exhibits. The narrative
is effective and simple. The bilingual text
in English and Arabic is very organized and concise.
The first hall presents geology, climate, flora
and fauna, agriculture and lifestyles of Petra region.
Here, there
is a colossal bust of God Dushara/Dhu Shara, a pre-Islamic, ancient, Arabian
God worshiped by the Nabataeans at Petra. He was their supreme deity and the
official God of the Nabataean kingdom. In Greek time He was associated with
Zeus because He was the chief of the Nabataean Pantheon as well as with
Dionysus. The name Dushara is from the Arabic word ‘Dhu ash-shara’, the lord of
the Shara or Seir, the mountain range of Edom in Genesis, referring to the Shara
mountain range around Petra.
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Dushara
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The next
enclosure is the Stone Age and from then onward there are designated halls
and sections for respective ages and dynasties. The most impressive spectacle is
in the inner hall, called Active
Nabataeans. There is a huge screen in a large, circular, sunken space and
we watched the images springing into life from the landing which was secured by a parapet, so that
there was no fear of falling into the well. The multimedia floor projection
describes the early settlement of Nabataeans in Petra in 5th century
BCE .They became prosperous due to their expansion of incense trade routes in the Eastern Mediterranean in the 3rd
century BCE. They reached their pinnacle of prosperity and aggrandizement in the first century BCE and CE.Their downfall came in the second century CE due to foreign annexation. Quite a number of sculptures and architectural
elements tracing the rise of the Nabataeans are displayed in the
floor projection. A marble torso of Venus from the Roman era which was obtained
from Petra’s theater is on display.
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Greek Inscription Mentioning Petra
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The Nabataean Zenith focuses on the famous
treasury tomb at Petra (the Al-Khazneh).A
video projection shows the chronological development of the Al-Khazneh.
Nabataean
Expressions present scripts in Nabataean, Greek and Latin which showed that
the ancient incense traders had a multicultural outlook and they were
conversant with other trading partners of ancient world civilizations which
played an important part in their evolution. Nabataean Life features objects
of domestic use such as -Nabataean pottery ovens, bronze statues, trading coins, ornaments, jewelry and a collection of lamps. The gallery, Waning of Petra refers to the period of Roman annexations and other
foreigners.
The final gallery is Revitalization of Petra which tells of the local Bedouin traditions, the site’s rediscovery by European explorers in the 19th
century and the many archaeological and heritage projects conducted here today. It also focuses on conservation projects.
The visit to
the museum was totally an enriching experience. The multimedia touch screens as
well as the written information displayed on boards against the exhibits are
measured and do not bombard the visitor with too much information. You need at least a couple of hours to go through the entire museum thoroughly. Most of
my time was taken up by the sunken gallery, ‘Active Nabataean’ because of its
stunning visual technology, its aesthetic treatment of ancient history, its
eye-catching display of archaeological objects and above all, the
well-explained and well-thought-out narrative.
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| Location of Ancient Petra |
If the Petra Museum is educative and pleasing to the eye in the morning, in the evening it acquires a magical,mysterious and ethereal quality.The dark,towering Shara mountain range border the lit-up museum and the setting looks like an oasis of light in a desert of darkness, preparing the traveler for the enchanting journey to Siq and the world famous Al- Khazneh that lies ahead.
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The Petra Museum at Night
Courtesy: Wikipedia (www.maisam.com.jo) |
Photographs: Bulbul Sur
Tags: Petra, Siq, Petra Museum, Dushara, Nabataean water technology, Active Nabataeans.
Sections: Entrance Lounge, Museum
