In 2020, ACOR hosted a two-week faculty seminar in Jordan called “Sustainability at the Margins,” co-sponsored with the Council of American Overseas Research Centers (CAORC). The seminar explored the opportunities and challenges Jordan is facing as one of the most water-poor countries in the world, with a growing population and a fragile economy. I was fortunate to be one of twelve U.S. college and university faculty selected to participate in the program. As a professor of religious studies, I was excited to be hosted by an institute known for its involvement in archaeology and its insights into ancient customs, beliefs, and practices. I was particularly interested in sustainability issues related to researching and preserving ancient cultural sites. I also had a strong interest in Jordan. Every semester I teach a college survey course about world religions, and we discuss how different countries handle religious diversity among its citizens and with other nations. Jordan is a predominantly Muslim country with a significant Christian minority and an influential indigenous tribal network. In 2010, King Abdullah of Jordan proposed the World Interfaith Harmony Week at the United Nations, which continues to be celebrated worldwide every year (United Nations n.d.).

Our seminar was led by Dr. Barbara Porter, then director of ACOR, and Dr. Jack Green, who at the time was ACOR’s associate director. Their knowledge of archaeology and Jordan, their contacts within the country, and their support of our research and teaching interests made this one of the best faculty seminars I have attended. The faculty cohort came from different academic disciplines, and other members of our team have posted excellent articles on topics related to their fields of expertise. Because my research specialty is sacred art, I thought it would be interesting to focus on a cross design we saw at the archeological site of Umm el-Jimal (Umm al-Jimal). This article is a case study about sustainable tourism in Jordan as well as a demonstration of how faculty seminars stimulate academic research and reflection.

The Umm el-Jimal Project

We began the seminar in the capital city of Amman, where ACOR is located. During these first few days, there were lectures and activities to orient us to Jordan’s culture and history. At ACOR I had the pleasure of meeting Dr. Bert de Vries, who championed the Umm el-Jimal Project. His interest in the site began on his first trip to Jordan in 1968. He was a novice architect working on another project when he visited Umm el-Jimal and became intrigued by multistory ancient ruins located in the middle of a modern village (de Vries n.d.). In 1972, he received a grant to map the site, and the Jordanian government designated the archaeological ruins as officially protected. Soon de Vries was excavating at Umm el-Jimal with teams that included his students from Calvin College in the United States and local workers. 

From the beginning, de Vries’ vision always included sustainable tourism. Umm el-Jimal is located in one of the rural “poverty pockets” of Jordan with high illiteracy and poverty rates (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization 2014). Because of limited opportunities, young people leave the village for employment and higher education in the cities. This population shift from rural villages to urban centers is a trend across Jordan, but it is particularly acute in the governorate of Mafraq, where Umm el-Jimal is located. De Vries understood that sustainable tourism at Umm el-Jimal could provide ongoing economic opportunity for the local community, with the archaeological site as its anchor. It also meant approaching tourist development in a way that would neither overuse scarce resources such as water nor erase the local culture that made the area unique. 

The Umm el-Jimal Project has continued to pursue these two goals of archaeological research and sustainable tourism for over five decades. Under the aegis of Jordan’s Department of Antiquities, it has received funding from various sources, including UNESCO and UN Women, as well as ACOR’s USAID-funded Sustainable Cultural Heritage Through Engagement of Local Communities Project (SCHEP) (United States Agency for International Development 2019). The decades of work have produced results, and in 2018 the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities prepared the file to submit Umm el-Jimal to UNESCO for consideration as a World Heritage site (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization 2018).

Our seminar’s first excursion outside Amman was to Umm el-Jimal (Fig. 1). The ninety-minute drive revealed how far the urban density of the capital has extended. Eventually the city gives way to open vistas with occasional Bedouin tents. Along the route there are a handful of rural towns supporting industrial plants, military installations, and refugee settlements. The village of Umm el-Jimal is just a few miles off the highway. The main roads are paved, and the ruins stand in the village center. 

Our tour began at a visitor center designed by Ammar Khammash, a famous Jordanian architect known for his sustainable-tourism projects. On the outside, the deceptively simple buildings are built with local black basalt stone that blends in with the ruins. An open courtyard greets visitors with a panoramic view of the site. Inside the complex is a museum with signage in Arabic and English.

Our tour guide was a knowledgeable and confident young woman. Samar Erman (Figs. 2–3) grew up in the village of Umm el-Jimal and became certified as a tour guide, a relatively new profession for women in Jordan. At university she studied tour guiding and management information systems. She is fluent in English, French, and Arabic. Desiring to make a life in the village where multiple generations of her family of the Masa’eed tribe had lived for almost a century, Ms. Erman returned to Umm el-Jimal to help her hometown revitalize and thrive. The site steward for the archaeological project also accompanied us on the tour. Jehad Suliman (Fig. 2) also grew up in the village, and he shared stories of playing among the ruins before majoring in architecture at university. He has been working for the Umm el-Jimal Project since 2017.

During the site tour, we learned that ancient Umm el-Jimal developed over three distinct periods. In the first period, from the mid-1st century BCE to the 3rd century CE, it was as a Nabataean-early-Roman community situated along a caravan trading route. In the 4th–5th centuries CE, it became a Roman military station with additional buildings that fortified the empire’s frontier. From the 5th to 8th centuries, Umm el-Jimal slowly developed into a prosperous Byzantine-Umayyad farming and trading town. The site was abruptly abandoned when an earthquake destroyed the infrastructure in 749 CE. For the next thousand years, only occasional nomadic communities inhabited the ruins. 

The ruins were largely undisturbed, which was ideal for archaeological exploration. Despite the 8th-century earthquake and the subsequent centuries of erosion, there were many multistoried structures still extant. Umm el-Jimal architecture relied almost entirely on stone for its construction. We saw a stone external staircase built into a stone wall (Fig. 3). There were also full-size solid stone doors built to rest on stone hinges. One such door was still in place in its doorframe. I was astonished that even I could open a multi-ton stone door by myself! In addition, there was evidence of cisterns and developed water irrigation systems that allowed the community to farm and live in tight-knit neighborhood enclaves.

The importance of religion for Umm el-Jimal inhabitants was evident. In the museum, we saw recovered religious statues, jewelry, and stone inscriptions honoring the earliest inhabitants’ Nabatean and Roman gods. During the site tour, most of the religious evidence was from the Byzantine era. Sixteen churches have been uncovered for a city with only 150 houses. In addition, seven or eight smaller churches were built into dense neighborhoods, suggesting private worship, with larger churches at the periphery for more public worship. All the churches face east and feature an elevated space for the priest and a larger central gathering space, sometimes with side aisles and arches. Floors and walls were covered in white plaster, and some churches included colorful mosaics on the floor. There is also evidence of changing liturgical practices in the late 6th century, when some churches remodeled to add a 1-meter marble altar screen to partition the sacred space of the priest from the public space. 

The Umm el-Jimal Cross

Our tour ended at a large church on the western boundary of the ruins labeled “Western Church” on the site map (Figs. 1, 4). The building is two stories high with arched columns, a separate baptistry, three aisles, and an elevated church altar. It also has a mosaic floor. Ms. Erman made sure that we saw a particular cross design that was carved into a stone pillar (Figs. 4, 5). She said it was unique at the site because none of the other fifteen churches at Umm el-Jimal have this cross, and as far as she knew the design had yet to be found in other Byzantine churches. I was intrigued! Was it possible we were seeing a Byzantine cross design that was only now being rediscovered? Even if the cross was replicated elsewhere, it was interesting to ruminate on the unusual design of this religious art. 

In terms of the academic study of sacred art, cross designs are one way to map Christian theological understandings, as well as to document debates in Christian belief and practice. I found it fascinating to see a cross design that might expand our knowledge about religion and art during the Byzantine era. In the museum, a picture of the cross identified it generically as a Byzantine cross roundel. In casual conversation, however, it was already being referred to as the “Umm el-Jimal cross.” Perhaps the design would become famous one day! When Ms. Erman ended the formal tour, the rest of the group departed, but I stayed behind to explore the church further. Ms. Erman and Mr. Suliman stayed with me and provided more information about the church. Their enthusiasm, appreciation, and knowledge of the site fed my own interest as they shared more details and answered my questions.

In terms of design, the cross has arms of equal length, which is typical for Byzantine crosses, but it does not include the common Byzantine embellishment of flared ends. The straight lines of the cross are contained within a circle but do not touch the edges. This feature creates the effect that the cross is raised, but in fact the illusion was created by carving out the negative space around it. The designer made the design even more intricate by carving smaller versions of the same cross-within-a-circle design in each of the four quadrants created by the main cross. The smaller crosses were made by reverse method, keeping the negative space raised and carving out the cross within them. The smaller crosses are not an exact match of the larger one, as the ends of the smaller crosses touch the edges of their circles. 

I liked the design as soon as I saw it. The cross caught my attention because of its intricacy and because it included design elements familiar to me but combined in new ways. It reminded me of the so-called Jerusalem cross, which includes four small crosses in each quadrant of a larger cross, but the Jerusalem cross does not include circles (Seymour 1898, 364). The circles also reminded me of a Celtic cross, although the circle in a Celtic cross is within the cross itself and originally served a structural purpose to support cross arms when large freestanding versions were built out of stone (Werner 1990). The design of a cross within a circle is also reminiscent of Native American medicine wheels (Liebmann 2002).

I was not surprised that I connected what I saw with other designs as circles and crossed straight lines are found in religious and cultural symbols around the world, including independent of Christianity. The examples I recalled were just my initial points of reference. As I continued to reflect on why I was drawn to this cross at Umm el-Jimal, I had to admit I just liked it. I found the design aesthetically pleasing, as it appeared to have an equal balance of crosses and circles. Only later was it pointed out that there was an additional cross carved into the middle of the main cross with the same carving technique used to create the smaller crosses. Whether intentional or not, theological meaning can be inferred from these connections between the large and small crosses.

It is also interesting that this cross design was repeated multiple times around the church. Ms. Erman and Mr. Suliman pointed out where this design had been carved into pillars and archways. Many of these crosses are weathered and worn, but the unique features of multiple crosses and circles can still be identified. Many of these crosses are small and could easily be overlooked if you do not look up to see them. Because of their locations, the crosses appeared to be more decorative than a focus for worship.

It made me wonder who designed it, carved it, and sponsored it? The design is intricate and required specialized carving skills and time to make. I was intrigued. Why did they spend the extra time and effort? Did someone want to leave their personal mark on the grandest church at Umm el-Jimal? Who was behind this work? Was it a patron who paid for the work? Or was it a cross designer with more latitude (because it appeared more decorative than liturgical)? Or perhaps it was a carver who wanted to showcase their talent? All of this was whimsical speculation, but one thing was certain — someone really liked the design! Whether it was a patron, an architect, a designer, or a carver — someone found the cross design pleasing enough to repeat, repeat, repeat.

When it was time to rejoin the seminar group at the bus, I found that many of my colleagues had purchased handmade souvenirs carved from the local black basalt stone at a women’s co-op across the street. (By the time I arrived, all that was left were larger stone bowls that seemed too heavy for the remainder of my travels.) This is a good example of sustainable tourism, as the souvenirs are made from an abundant local material. The co-op provides income for villagers while preserving a local cultural heritage of stone carving and enhancing the tourist experience at Umm el-Jimal.

I was delighted to learn that Mr. Suliman and Ms. Erman have a sustainable tourism project of their own. They are two of four partners in a company called Hand by Hand Heritage, which was established with the aid of ACOR’s SCHEP. All four founders are younger, college-educated residents of Umm el-Jimal. They had chosen the name Hand by Hand to express their desire to help their village, and their website (handbyhandheritage.com) is professional and comprehensive. Their tourist services include homestays, archaeological site tours, food, and drink. They also offer interactive tourist experiences such as carving basalt, cooking local cuisine, experiencing a Bedouin evening, and camping in the Azraq Desert. You can also rent bicycles, with or without a guide. A statement on the Hand by Hand website echoes conversations I had with Ms. Erman and Mr. Suliman:

When we were younger, there were only two types of jobs available in our village: women became teachers, men went to the army. And if we didn’t choose one of these, we would have to move out of our home. [….] Our dream is to preserve the site while economically lifting our local community. [….] We support one another, together (Hand By Hand Heritage n.d.).

Our seminar group was treated to a Hand by Hand experience with a meal prepared and served in the traditional style by a local family in their home (Fig. 6). In keeping with the Hand by Hand orientation, the experience was not just enjoying food but also engaging with members of the family about their way of life. As we drove back to Amman, I had a better understanding of what sustainable tourism looks like in practice. I was also inspired to see a younger generation from Umm el-Jimal developing sustainable tourism with respect and caring for their community and cultural heritage.

Byzantine Mosaics and the Role of the Artist

After our day excursion to Umm el-Jimal, our team prepared for a more extended trip to other Jordanian archaeological and cultural sites. In Madaba, I was fascinated by the oldest map of the holy land built with mosaics into the floor of a Greek Orthodox church (Fig. 7). Dated to the 6th century, the map was rediscovered in the 19th century during a church renovation. We were fortunate to have esteemed archaeologists interact with us during the seminar to expand our understanding of what we were seeing. Dr. Konstantinos Politis told me the Madaba mosaic map is surprisingly accurate and actually helped him to locate Lot’s Cave (or, to be more exact, the cave identified by early Christians as the cave where Lot and his daughters hid, as described in the biblical book of Genesis) when he discovered a 7th-century church built in front of the cave site. Not only was it interesting to learn firsthand how ancient maps have helped modern archaeologists do their work, but it was also exciting to meet the people who have used these maps and have made such major discoveries in our lifetime.

Many of the most beautiful and elaborate mosaics we saw were of animals, plants, and human forms representing the seasons. Such mosaics are often found inside Byzantine-era churches, and they seem more aligned with nature-based religions than early Christian understandings. I had the opportunity to discuss the topic with archaeologist, historian, and Byzantine mosaic expert Dr. Robert Schick, who explained to me that the Byzantine era was a time of transition. Religious beliefs often changed quickly, either through conversion, military conquests, or emperors’ edicts. What patrons and artists found aesthetically pleasing, however, as well as what artisans knew how to make, often changed more slowly. Mosaic makers would already have had the patterns for nature symbols. If patrons enjoyed the designs, and they were paying for the most expensive floor material (mosaics) for a new church, it is understandable how these designs would be approved. As for Christian clergy, it was conceivable that they may have been less concerned about what appeared on the floor than on the altar.

Discussions with these archaeologists expanded my own understandings and highlighted the importance of studying sacred art. The field of religious studies is often text based, and texts privilege educated religious authorities. When certain written texts become “the” tradition, it is hard to know what ordinary people really believed and practiced. Luckily, the perspectives of non-religious specialists, including artists and financial patrons, can still be inferred from the art they created and endowed. These archaeological discoveries help us to see what was important to others besides official scribes and leaders, and they introduce alternative perspectives about belief and practice. The expression of status based on materials used, practical concerns of artistic craftsmen, and the social norms of beauty are important considerations. I am very grateful for the Umm el-Jimal site visit. There is something profound about experiencing a recent discovery of religious art in its physical context, as well as developing scholarly inquiry based on what I am seeing. Having these first-hand experiences augmented by conversations with experts from related fields has had a lasting influence on my scholarship.

Petra, Wadi Rum, and Challenges to Sustainable Tourism

The archaeological site of Petra is the most visited tourist attraction in Jordan, and it is truly magnificent (Fig. 8). We were privileged to be guided by ACOR archaeologists who were actively involved in its ongoing research and documentation. Petra spans historical periods similar to those of Umm el-Jimal (Nabatean, Roman, and Byzantine), but on a significantly grander scale. Petra was the capital of the Nabatean kingdom and a major trading location, and the ruins stretch over 102 square miles. When sea transport became preferable to land in the early Islamic period, the importance of Petra diminished and much of the population left. Similar to Umm el-Jimal, the Petra ruins remained largely undisturbed for more than a millennium.

Because of its enormous popularity, Petra has competing interests that challenge its sustainability. In 1994, UNESCO issued a 300-page report describing the harm caused by unrestricted mass tourism (Powell 1994). In 2007, tourism dramatically increased when Petra was named one of the Seven New Wonders of the World. The government’s official tourist statistics show a staggering 2,500% increase in tourists from 1984 to 2019 (Petra Development and Tourism Region Authority n.d.). While many maintain that Petra cannot support this accelerated growth, tourism is critically important for the economy of the nation. Jordan is a Middle Eastern country with little oil or other natural resources, and efforts to manage Petra’s tourist growth have been met with resistance. Unsustainable development, however, threatens what makes Petra worth visiting.

Tourism is not the only challenge to sustainable tourism. Once ancient ruins have been discovered by archaeologists, or even before, the sites become targets for looters. When looters remove artifacts for profit, the objects disappear and the knowledge gained from analyzing them in their physical context is lost forever. The environment is also a challenge. After excavation, a site is exposed to natural elements that contribute to its disintegration. Graffiti can also be a problem. We saw this when we visited the spectacular Wadi Rum Desert. Two hundred and eighty square miles of Wadi Rum have been designated as protected wilderness, and they contain significant petroglyphic art. These ancient images tell the stories of those who lived in this barren desert, and they remain largely unprotected. [In 2021, ACOR received a grant from National Geographic to employ drones to monitor vandalism and illegal excavation in Wadi Rum. —Ed.]

Visiting the petroglyphs at Wadi Rum made me feel at home. I teach in the desert metropolis of Phoenix, Arizona, in the southwestern United States, and we have significant ancient rock art left by the Hohokam people who once lived here. I am well aware of damage caused by people carving their initials into these rocks as well as by other forms of vandalism. Unfortunately, the many petroglyphs and other archaeological sites of Wadi Rum have also suffered from graffiti.

Scholars from my hometown of Phoenix have contributed to developing techniques to remove graffiti from petroglyphs in Jordan. The ACOR team knew my colleague, Niccole Cerveny, a professor of geography and sustainability, who wrote her graduate thesis on petroglyph restoration and has been to Jordan as an advisor on graffiti removal at Wadi Rum. [To learn more about this work, see Groom and Bevan 2020. —Ed.] To be standing in the Wadi Rum Desert with Mohammed Domayan, the WRPA (Wadi Rum Protected Area) antiquities supervisor, as he sent personal greetings back to my colleague in Arizona was both surreal and heartwarming. And it wasn’t the only connection. When our seminar team visited Dr. Ahmad Majdoubeh at the University of Jordan, I presented him with a letter from another colleague, English professor Lufti Hussein, who wanted to express his gratitude for his Jordanian college mentor. Even I was able to connect with a scholar who had presented at our college the previous year and who hosted me for dinner at her home when our seminar team was in Aqaba. Everyone in our group had their own special moments interacting with those we met in Jordan. Friendships were forged, academic collaborations were initiated, and cross-cultural student projects were designed. As we prepared to return to the United States, all of us expressed a desire to return to Jordan.

Reflections

The CAORC-ACOR “Sustainability at the Margins” seminar took place on January 2–17, 2020. Our seminar group never expected that we would be the last group hosted by ACOR for the remainder of the year and beyond. The COVID-19 virus soon became a global pandemic. On March 17, the country of Jordan shut down its borders and airports, and ACOR sent staff home. Bustling Jordanian tourist sites became dormant, and the economic downturn for the country was acute. The same was true in the United States, although the USA has more resources and is not as dependent on tourism for its economy. My college closed its campuses mid-March 2020 and reverted to all-online teaching for our 18,000 students. It is now 2021 and my college has reopened its campus for all teaching subjects. Tourism in Jordan has also opened again, although the pandemic continues. It is a privilege to finally be writing my reflections about this incredible experience. 

I wrote this article to show my appreciation for the CAORC-ACOR seminar. Faculty seminars such as these can inspire scholars and teachers in ways that are impossible to predict. I am grateful for this faculty development experience hosted by an institute as esteemed as ACOR. I now have a deeper appreciation for the many complexities and challenges archaeologists face while doing their work, as well as how related fields contribute to my own field of study.

My deep thanks to Dr. Barbara Porter, whose leadership directed ACOR for fourteen years. She told us in Jordan that ours would be the last group she hosted before retiring and returning to the United States. Our faculty seminar benefited from the culmination of her experience, knowledge, and wisdom. I also want to thank Dr. Jack Green, who was associate director of ACOR while we were there. I am grateful to Dr. Konstantinos Politis and Dr. Robert Schick, who both helped me understand the importance of artisans and artisan workshops for creating the religious symbols we see today, and to Samar Erman and Jehad Suliman for showing me what sustainable tourism looks like in action.

I hope this article raises interest among scholars who have knowledge of other Byzantine crosses similar in design to the Umm el-Jimal cross. In addition, perhaps Hand by Hand Heritage or the Umm el-Jimal Women’s Co-op might consider producing replicas to sell either locally or online. If others respond to the cross design as I have, it might have strong appeal and offer something unique that could help in publicizing the Umm el-Jimal Project. I would welcome the opportunity to stay involved in any ongoing efforts as they develop.

I am delighted that Dr. Pearce Paul Creasman, the current ACOR director, has successfully spearheaded renovation of the center and that it is again hosting scholars. [At the time of writing, ACOR’s library and archives remain closed to the public. —Ed.]

Finally, it was an honor to meet Bert de Vries, the champion of the Umm el-Jimal Project. Once I was home, he kindly responded to follow-up questions I had about the site. My last email with him was in December 2020. I was saddened to learn that he passed away in March 2021 after dedicating over fifty years of his life and scholarship to Umm el-Jimal. He demonstrated what a difference one person can make to expand knowledge of ancient communities while helping contemporary ones. May this article about sustainable tourism be one of the many tributes to his memory and legacy.

Elizabeth Ursic is a professor in the Philosophy and Religious Studies Department at Mesa Community College in Phoenix, Arizona. She is author of Women, Ritual, and Power: Placing Female Imagery of God in Christian Worship. Her essay “Christian Feminist Theology and the Arts” appears in the Oxford Encyclopedia of Religion and Art, and her chapter on musical metaphors is forthcoming in an Oxford University Press book series on music and Christian theology. She holds an MDiv from the Yale Institute of Sacred Music and a PhD in religious studies from Arizona State University. She co-chairs the American Academy of Religion Women’s Caucus. Her research interests include religion, imagination, the arts, and gender. For more information, visit her website.

References

De Vries, Bert. n.d. “Director’s Welcome: A Letter from Bert de Vries.” Umm El-Jimal Project.

Groom, Kaelin M. and George Bevan. 2020. “Wadi Rum: Community-Based Rock Art and Epigraphic Recording (2018–2019).”Archaeology in Jordan 2: 142–143

Hand By Hand Heritage. n.d. “Our Story.” HandByHandheritage.com.

Liebmann, Matthew. 2002. “Demystifying the Big Horn Medicine Wheel: A Contextual Analysis of Meaning, Symbolism, and Function.” Plains Anthropologist 47, no. 180: 61–71.

Petra Development and Tourism Region Authority. n.d. “Petra Visitors Statistics 1984–2019.” VisitPetra.jo.

Powell, Nicholas 1994. “Petra Is Suffering from Mass Tourism.” Originally published as “The Rose Red City Wears Away.” The Art Newspaper, 29 September 1994.

Seymour, William Wood. 1898. The Cross in Tradition, History and Art. London: Putnam and Sons.

United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. 2014. “Cultural Heritage Celebration at Umm el-Jimal.”UNESCO.org.

United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. 2018. “Umm el-Jimal.” UNESCO Tentative Lists.

United Nations. n.d. “World Interfaith Harmony Week, February 1–7.” UN.org.

United States Agency for International Development. 2019. “Sustainable Cultural Heritage Through Engagement of Local Communities Project.” USAID.gov, accessed 26 July 2021.

Werner, Martin. 1990. “On the Origin of the Form of the Irish High Cross.” Gesta 29 (1): 98–110, doi:10.2307/767104.

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ACOR Proudly Presents:
“Preserving the Cultural Heritage of the Madaba Region… Together: The Madaba Regional Archaeological Museum Project (MRAMP) and Recent Community Archaeology”
An Online Lecture by Prof. Douglas R. Clark (La Sierra University) on January 19, 2021

About the Lecture:

The Madaba Regional Archaeological Museum Project (MRAMP) has always been about “community archaeology,” which views archaeology as a public asset to be embraced by a wide spectrum of local and international stakeholders. Supported by generous grants from several U.S. and Italian development agencies and others, and in collaboration with longstanding and recently acquired partners, the MRAMP team has witnessed considerable progress toward its goal of establishing a new, state-of-the-art regional archaeological museum in historic downtown Madaba. And, while COVID has slowed progress considerably in some respects, it has also forced us to explore a broad range of virtual options for the study, storage, storytelling, and display of the region’s extensive material culture. This presentation will encompass recent progress toward the accomplishment of the project’s objectives and the outcomes of collaboration with vibrant partners in an internationally shared endeavor to preserve the region’s cultural heritage.

This topic was presented by Dr. Douglas R. Clark in collaboration with MRAMP co-directors Dr. Suzanne Richard (Gannon University), Dr. Andrea Polcaro (Perugia University), Dr. Marta D’Andrea (Sapienza University of Rome), and Dr. Basem Mahamid (Department of Antiquities of Jordan). We hope to see you again soon for future ACOR lectures!

The post “Preserving the Cultural Heritage of the Madaba Region… Together: The Madaba Regional Archaeological Museum Project (MRAMP) and Recent Community Archaeology” appeared first on ACOR Jordan.

Since I traveled to Jordan for the first time, for the January 2020 ACOR-CAORC Faculty Development Seminar “Sustainability at the Margins,” life in the United States, in Jordan, and around the world has changed noticeably. The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and massive worldwide protests against racism stemming from the Black Lives Matter movement have had palpable global impacts. Two months after my return to Southern California, my family and I were—like virtually everyone else—living under a series of rolling public health edicts, proclamations, quarantines, and urgent news updates. We would also find ourselves exposed to repeated televised incidents of violence and brutality targeting mostly people of African descent. The most extreme example to date was arguably the grisly videotaped death of Mr. George Floyd, in Minneapolis, Minnesota. After the murder of George Floyd, a series of protests exploded within the United States and in many cities across the globe. Coping with the combined effect of media portrayals of protests for racial justice and human rights in the U.S., together with the ongoing effect of COVID-19 worldwide, has proven to be an extremely jarring set of personal experiences.

It is in this context that I have taken the time to reflect on my time in Jordan as an African American who is fluent in Swahili and has lived, worked, and studied in various parts of the world, most especially Africa and the Middle East. Consider this essay a kind of alternate perspective on an issue of Black Lives: the diverse nature and experiences of people of African descent in one small area of the Middle East, the Ghawr region of the Jordan Valley in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. This issue is complicated by notions of how Jordanians of African descent—the Ghawrani—choose to identify themselves (Curtis 2012)—which is not necessarily how an African American like me might choose to identify them.  

Black Communities in the Middle East

It is probably fair to say the vast majority of Americans have no idea about the various African-descended communities currently living in the Middle East—how they got there and where they came from. Back in late 2019, when I was initially preparing to travel to Jordan for this Faculty Development Seminar, I certainly did not plan on finding a significant community of people of Black people where I would be heading. Once there, however, at the southern end of the Dead Sea, I found a small but enduring community of Afro-Jordanians.[1] They had been living in this region and working primarily as farmers for generations. This broader part of the Jordan Valley is called the Ghawr (an Arabic place name, with many English spellings), hence the name of its people, the Ghawrani. The specific city we visited was called Ghawr as Safi.

Ghawr as Safi, the town Dr. Pope and the CAORC group visited, is one of several similar communities situated towards the southern end of the Dead Sea in the Jordan valley.

Encountering these people in this place kind of blew my mind. Here I was, 7,500 miles from my home in California, literally about half-way around the planet, looking at a group of African-descended people living in the Jordan Valley. Some of the people’s faces reminded me of my own relatives in my mom’s agricultural hometown of Bakersfield, in California’s San Juaquin Valley.

This gave me a fresh perspective on the breadth and diversity of the global African diaspora community. African diaspora communities in the Middle East actually go back many, many centuries—to at least the 9^th century CE, according to some historians (Hunwick and Powell 2009). I have also discovered that, in addition to Afro-Jordanians, there are Afro-Palestinians, Afro-Israelis, Afro-Saudis, Afro-Iraqis, Afro-Iranians, and so forth. Each of these communities has a unique history worth exploring, I now know.[2]

Exploring why we seldom see or hear about such people represented in the media is perhaps best left for another day. This can be a complex and touchy subject in some settings. I have also been told that many Ghawrani feel they are “Jordanians” plain and simple, albeit of a somewhat darker hue. Consequently, I will suffice to say these elements of Africana tucked away in various corners of the Arab region present an area of potentially fruitful modern social-science research. Finding information on these groups can be very challenging; yet the people themselves are there, in plain sight, for any and all who take the time to seek them out.

History, Economics, and Labor Migration

“Jordan’s geographical location as a crossroads between Africa and Asia and the long history of racial intermarriage in the Middle East have contributed to this Jordanian genetic mélange. Africans have been settling in the region since 6000 BCE…”

Edward E. Curtis IV, 2011. “The Ghawarna of Jordan: Race and Religion in the Jordan Valley,” in Journal of Islamic Law and Culture 13 (2–3):1–17.

Much of my own African-studies background was focused on the West African diaspora communities that came to populate the Americas. In that scenario, African prisoners of war were sold to European business concerns in a new and evolving form of slavery that would come to be known as “chattel slavery.” This was a type of enslavement wherein—contrary to more traditional forms of “temporary slavery”—one was made a slave for life, as were one’s children. The chattel slavery of the Americas ended up being a large-scale labor migration process that helped to fuel early capitalist expansion in the Americas. The concept of labor migration is fundamental, and it is important to bear it in mind in the case of Jordan.

In order to understand Jordan’s Southern Ghawr today, we have to look at history—and in order to do that, we have to look at the Crusades. One of the key economic motivations behind these religious wars of the 11^th to 13^th centuries was establishment of direct control over the highly lucrative sugar-production activities in the region, including the Jordan Valley. Those sugar-production facilities under control of western European economic interests would go on to serve as models for elsewhere in the Mediterranean and, later, as for plantations in the New World of the Americas (Jones 2016, 5).

The growth and development of the global sugar industry is best viewed as a long-term evolutionary process, spanning vast stretches of both space and time. Its business models—like the sugar product they were designed to produce—were refined over time. And sometimes, in some places, as those models developed, the labor of people of African descent became critical. This may have included the southern Jordan Valley (Curtis 2011, 3).

The Jordan Valley Sugar Industry: A Brief History

The large-scale production of commercial sugar is a complex process requiring technical skills and expertise in a range of fields. Sugarcane must be planted, harvested, shredded, crushed, and pressed for juice, which is subsequently boiled and poured off so that the sugar crystals left behind can be collected (Taha 2015). It is important to put sugar making (and the human labor it requires) into historical context. The industry is, in part, a product of the 7^th century collapse of the Eastern Roman (Byzantine) Empire in western Asia and its replacement by the Rashidun Caliphate. With the establishment of that new caliphate, or Islamic empire, came a new political, economic, and technological revolution.

The Jordan Valley had been a center of agricultural productivity since well before Roman times. The Islamic conquests of Byzantium’s eastern provinces in the 7^th century would transform it into an even more lucrative zone of agribusiness. The nature of that revolution was not strictly in the domain of agriculture, either. The intensive features of sugar production also required entirely new procedures of business and legal administration. Richard Jones (2016, 15) gives credit to the Arabs for making possible the

Today, the ruins and other remnants of hundreds of medieval industrial sites where sugar was processed pepper the Jordan Valley. At the height of its industrial power, during the Ayyubid period (roughly from the 12^th to the 15^th centuries), many hundreds of workers connected to the sugar industry in some way may have lived in this area (Chandler 2012).

The specific site we visited at Tawahin es-Sukkar in Ghawr as Safi, was one of the best preserved in the region. And, for nearly a thousand years the agricultural community of Ghawr as Safi has included people of Black African ancestry. As Edward Curtis (2011, 3) has observed, most Jordanians today consider the story of the Ghawarna people to be “shrouded in mystery.” Much of their unique history is yet to be told.

Socio-Economic Issues in Ghawr as-Safi Today

Today the Ghawrani experience challenges of low employment, low income, and low education. To overcome these circumstances, they are developing their community through a set of economic initiatives focusing on micro- to small-size enterprises ( what people in the economic development field call simply “MSEs”). This includes leisure and tourism focusing on hotels, restaurants, ecotourism, general guided tours, agritourism, and culture- or community-based tourism (Jordan Southern Ghawr Co. n.d.).  

The traditional economic mainstay of the Ghawr as Safi community has been in diversified agriculture, which today is economically stressed. While there I was told that this sometimes results in farmers going into debt to try to sustain their farms through periods of financial crisis. These farmers can lose their property when that debt load becomes unsustainable, and they may end up as tenant farmers on the very lands that they formerly owned (see also Curtis 2011, 8.)

I initially traveled to Jordan seeking to generate material on economic development from the late Roman period in Syria and Arabia, focusing on water resources. What I came away with is a burning desire to learn more about the Ghawrani people. There are still many unanswered questions that time and resources have not yet allowed me to explore. Where exactly in Africa did these people originally come from? What were their original ethnic and linguistic affiliations in Africa? Under what socioeconomic conditions did they arrive the Levant? When exactly did they arrive? What were the terms or conditions around their slavery—and their freedom? What is their millennium-long story?

If given the opportunity I would definitely return to Jordan and to Ghawr as Safi. I would like to bring my wife and daughter on that trip so that they can see what I have seen. I want them to meet a community that includes people who look like us deep in the heart of the Middle East. The energy and enthusiasm I found among the people in Safi was very energizing, upbeat, and encouraging.

On a very personal level, what I saw and felt there in Safi is hard to put into words. Maybe it was the familiarity of things there—such as the local Jordanian version of “soul food,” barbequed chicken and collard greens together with falafel and humus. The sense of connectivity between us was also not lost on our host, Mr. Abdaljawad Oshaibat (see video insert above). He mentioned to me that he too felt something simply by seeing me and other people in our group who looked like him.

As a result of my trip to Jordan, I now see and understand more about the wider world. Again, my trip to Ghawr as Safi was simply one stop among many in a region rich in cultural, political, and religious history. It afforded me the chance to pause and wonder at the depth and complexity of history in general, and, unexpectedly, at African diaspora history in particular. I hope to return to Jordan and to Safi one day after the shadow of the pandemic has lifted. Until then, I can take pleasure in knowing that, as a result of this trip to the Middle East, new horizons and new vistas have been opened up within me.

About the Author

Dr. Blaine Pope has worked most recently as a lecturer in business administration at California State University, Northridge, in Los Angeles, teaching business strategy and international business. In the past, he has also taught public administration, sociology, global studies, and environmental science and policy.  Prior to university teaching, he worked in emergency relief and development projects in Africa and the Middle East. This was his first trip to Jordan, as a part of the January 2020 ACOR-CAORC Faculty Development Seminar “Jordan: Sustainability at the Margins. To read more about the Seminar overall, click here.

Editor’s Notes

[1] Edward E. Curtis IV conducted ethnographic research in the Ghawr in 2011, and, in his subsequent article, “The Ghawarna of Jordan: Race and Religion in the Jordan Valley,” he discussed the importance of situating social studies in a theoretical framework which accommodates for specific, local linguistic and historical contexts. He observed that: “the racial categories used by [external] researchers (Caucasian versus African) do not reflect the social identities constructed in Jordanian racial discourse itself” (2011, 6) and ”most Ghawarna do not have any sort of ‘black consciousness’” (2011, 9).

[2] For a recently recorded symposium of researchers in this field, please see “Blackness in the Middle East: A Virtual Panel,” from the University of Pennsylvania Middle East Center (co-sponsored by the Department of Africana Studies and Center for Africana Studies). The discussion featured Professor Eve Troutt Powell, Dr. Sheren Seikaly, Ezgi Çazmak, Razan Idris, and Kamal Suleiman, with Jane Abell moderating.

REFERENCES

Chandler, Graham. 2012. “Sugar, Please.” Aramco World 63 (4), July/August.

Hunwick, John, and Eve Powell. 2009. The African Diaspora in the Mediterranean Lands of Islam. Princeton: Markus Weiner Publishers.

Jones, Richard. 2016. Medieval Sugar Production in the Mediterranean Viewed from the 2002 Excavation at Tawaluin es-Sukkar, Safi, Jordan. Glasgow: Potingar Press.

Jordan Southern Ghawr Company. 2020. Visit Safi: Community Based Tourism. Amman: Printed with support from the USAID Sustainable Cultural Heritage Through Engagement of Local Communities Project.

Taha, Hamdan. 2015. “The Sugarcane Industry in Jericho, Jordan Valley.” In Konstantinos D. Politis (ed.), The Origins of the Sugar Industry and the Transmission of Ancient Greek and Medieval Arab Science and Technology from the Near East to Europe. Proceedings of the International Conference, Athens, 25, May, 2015, Athens, 51–79. Athens: National and Kapodistriako University of Athens.

SUGGESTED READINGS FROM THE EDITORS:

Curtis IV, Edward E. 2011. “The Ghawarna of Jordan: Race and Religion in the Jordan Valley.” Journal of Islamic Law and Culture 13 (2–3):1–17.

Gubara, Dahlia E. M. 2018. “Revisiting Race and Slavery through ‘Abd al-Rahman al-Jabarti’s ‘Aja’ib al-athar.” Comparative Studies of South Asia, Africa and the Middle East 38 (2): 230–245.

Middle East Studies Pedagogy Initiative. 2020. “Race in the Middle East and North Africa: Peer-Reviewed Articles 1979-2019.” Jadaliyya, 4 August 2020.

Rawashdeh, Saeb. 2018. “Scholar Explores Lives of Female Agricultural Labourers in Ghor Mazra.” The Jordan Times, 11 August 2018.

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ACOR Proudly Presents:
“Heritage vs. Development: The Bayt Ras Tomb Project 2017–2019”
An Online Lecture by Jehad Haron on September 29, 2020

About the Lecture:

In November 2016, a Roman-era tomb was discovered in the town of Bayt Ras, Irbid, by a team working to dig a sewage line in the area. In 2017, USAID SCHEP worked with the Department of Antiquities (DOA) and ACOR to form an international consortium with partners from Italy (ISCR and ISPRA) and France (CNRS and Ifpo) to document and preserve this important discovery. The consortium has worked hard over the last three years to reveal the secrets of this tomb. In this lecture, Bayt Ras Tomb Project Co-Director Jehad Haron will present on behalf of the project the main accomplishments so far, and explain what this tomb can tell us about ancient Capitolias, one of the Roman Decapolis cities.

Prepared By:

Jehad Haron, Deputy Chief of Party and CHR Development Lead, USAID SCHEP; Co-Director, Bayt Ras Tomb Project
Nizar Al Adarbeh, Chief of Party, USAID SCHEP
Ahmad Lash, Head of Loans Division and International Cooperation, Department of Antiquities; Co-Director, Bayt Ras Tomb Project
Amjad Batayneh, Assistant to the Director General, Department of Antiquities

Presented By:

Jehad Haron, Deputy Chief of Party and CHR Development Lead, USAID SCHEP; Co-Director, Bayt Ras Tomb Project

About the Lecturer:

Jehad Haron has served as CHR Development Lead for USAID SCHEP since May 2016, and as Deputy Chief of Party since November 2018. He joined SCHEP after a 24-year career with the Department of Antiquities, which took him from Wadi Araba to Azraq and everywhere in between, working as an Inspector of Antiquities, Chief of Bureau, Director of Excavations and Surveys, Director of Site Management, and Technical Assistant to the Director General. Jehad has experience in 22 international projects and 12 salvage excavations, and has authored 3 books and numerous articles. In addition to his position within SCHEP, Jehad serves as Co-Director of the Bayt Ras Tomb Project.

A recent ACOR lecture given in Arabic may be found here. 

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In January 2020, ACOR kicked off the new decade in the company of twelve faculty members visiting Jordan from the U.S. They were joining us for just over two weeks through a program put on in partnership with the Council of American Overseas Research Centers (CAORC) under the theme of “Sustainability at the Margins.”

This program was just one of a broader series of Faculty Development Seminars CAORC has held in recent years; other seminars have taken place in India, Pakistan, and Senegal. Planned and executed in partnership with American Overseas Research Centers like ACOR, these courses are specifically designed for faculty from U.S. community colleges and minority-serving institutions (“MSIs”).* The goal is provide a more global perspective to students from these campuses, which have historically been left out of the experience of undergraduate study abroad, even as millions of students turn to these institutions each year for opportunities in higher learning.  In the case of “Sustainability at the Margins” at ACOR, none of the dozen faculty participants had ever been to Jordan before, and most had never been anywhere in the Middle East or Global South at all. Thus, this was an opportunity not only to explore Jordan but also to immerse themselves in discussion about regional and global issues from a totally new perspective.

Educators from these particular educational institutions—community colleges and MSIs, including, in this cohort, schools serving historically Black, Latino, and Native American student groups—face a unique set of challenges and opportunities in the classroom. As regards “global perspectives,” students at these schools often have first-hand experiences of internationalism, coming from communities in which migration and multiculturalism are personal realities as much as academic subjects. At the same time, community colleges and MSIs are tasked with teaching historically under-represented and under-resourced populations of students, many of whom, in the words of one ACOR Seminar participant, “have never set foot on a plane.” Furthermore, across the hundreds of thousands of U.S. students studying abroad for academic credit in a given year, the MENA region only attracts a tiny fraction.** So, what will it mean to bring a taste of Jordan to community colleges and MSIs? How would traditional study-abroad models of global learning have to be adapted to reach more socioeconomically and ethnically diverse learning institutions?

“Sustainability at the Margins” participants were here with us in Jordan in order to lay the foundation for solutions to these questions, particularly as pertains to topics of academic interest in the Middle East. The twelve participants were chosen from more than 80 total applicants and represented a wide array of academic and professional expertise. With our local partners from various sectors opening the space for collaborative learning and dialogue, participants in this seminar deepened their knowledge of local history and culture while also taking on issues that are common the world over.

LOCAL EXPERTISE, GLOBAL KNOWLEDGE

Through this program, ACOR was certainly true to its mission to “advance knowledge of Jordan, past and present.” Though some readers may wonder if this focus is highly specific, in fact what ACOR’s geographic commitment means in practice is that we hold a deep awareness of local issues, an awareness that is necessarily complex and interdisciplinary in nature. Thus, throughout seminar activities, ACOR could ensure that the many interests and specializations of each faculty participant were brought to the table for discussion.

Topics addressed were manifold, including but not limited to: belonging and identity, environmental sustainability, political systems, urban development, religious studies, refugees and migration, gender, tourism, economic development, archaeology and ancient history, higher education, and more. “ACOR organized an array of lectures in such a way that local experts were able to help us appreciate and understand the country…. [E]ven if we were non-specialists in their particular field, they communicated in a way that we could make links to our own field of research,” commented Elizabeth Ursic of Arizona’s Mesa Community College. “We’ve had the opportunity to see things and do things that we would never normally get to do if we just came to Jordan on our own,” observed Marjolein Schat, who teaches biology at Tompkins Cortland Community College in New York, as well as through the Cornell Prison Education Program.

Seminar activities were not only lectures but also hands-on learning opportunities, including literally breaking bread with Jordanians in their residences. The theme of sustainability returned again and again, whether in conversations about long-term refugee assistance strategy or local cultural heritage preservation. Dialogue was open and critical questions encouraged; the ultimate goal was to facilitate exchange. “We were not led down a path, and no clear agenda was being expressed,” said Joylin Namie, an anthropologist at Truckee Meadows Community College in Nevada.

The diversity of subjects addressed was a strength, even in ways that surprised participants, most of whom had preconceived expectations about which sessions would prove most useful to their learning needs. For example, Laura Penman, of Monroe Community College in New York, was particularly eager to learn about contemporary water management. She was pleasantly surprised to find that engagement with the ancient world during the seminar provided meaningful lessons on such current affairs. “One of the most fascinating parts for me is to see how culture and technology work together to help create solutions to problems,” she commented, reflecting on the use of ancient water management techniques by present-day local communities near Petra and Umm al-Jimal.

Much of the program took advantage of ACOR’s center of operations being located in the capital city, Amman. However, trips to other regions of Jordan were also useful for putting topics of learning into a wider context. Visits to Ghawr As-Safi, Umm al-Jimal, Aqaba, and Wadi Rum allowed participants to connect with distinctive local communities across the country, their uniqueness reflected in the diversity of present-day customs on top of a varied archaeological record apparent in each location. Overall, the geographic breadth of program activities added a sense of dynamism that kept participants agile in their approach to a plethora of academic subjects.

THE CLASS CONTINUES: TEACHING AND LEARNING

Though seminar participants may have been playing the role of student while at ACOR, they have since returned to their campuses in the U.S. to teach. Now they bear a unique responsibility to carry the torch of global learning on their campuses, sharing what insights they have gleaned about their subject matter’s connections with phenomena in Jordan. Each will report back with the lesson plans they develop and implement, and they will also be composing reflection essays on the ideas that stick with them most. They will have this experience at ACOR to lean on in the semesters ahead.

“I know the value of study abroad,” said De’Etra Young of Tennessee State University. “International opportunities better prepare students for the global workforce.” Young was particularly excited to use her observations in Jordan as a starting point to spark conversations with students about environmental justice and agritourism, topics salient in her local community. Similarly, faculty from New Mexico and Nevada were excited to bring back international comparison points related to tourism and water management.

As observed by Bryan Shuler of Hillsborough Community College in Florida, an experience like this can inspire reflection on a philosophical as well as practical level. “What I’m taking away from this is the term fluidity—fluidity in terms of people, in terms of culture, in terms of society, in terms of history…. [In Jordan] people are related to each other by business, by family, by culture, by language, by society…. [T]herefore we need to be aware that things can be affected by an action in another place.”

Some faculty participants were eager to enact cultural exchange in their classrooms in a more literal fashion. While in Jordan, they exchanged contact information with local professionals and educators so as to facilitate virtual exchanges later on and even explore opportunities to build study abroad options for their students. Bryan Shuler’s application of his newfound knowledge was going to be almost immediate. “I am working right now with the IREX Global Solutions Sustainability Challenge with my students and students from Jordan this coming semester,” he explained. The initiative will entail his bringing together of a binational team of students to research and present solutions for a particular global sustainability problem. His time with ACOR, therefore, was invaluable: “I want to have a good basis!”

For teaching support, participants ultimately have each other to rely on, as well as ACOR. Since returning home, WhatsApp and email have served as lively forums for crowdsourcing multimedia classroom materials and addressing pedagogical challenges as they arise; these twelve educators, with shared goals and environments, are thankfully able to provide nuanced mutual support. ACOR also has many digital resources that can be of use in their classrooms, even at a distance. Such electronic learning resources will be especially crucial this year, due to the outbreak of COVID-19 and its impacts on global travel and academic programming.

Ultimately, ACOR is eager to learn from these educators just as much as they learned from their time with us. How will the ideas and experiences they had in Jordan translate to diverse educational contexts in the U.S.? How can ACOR better serve the upcoming generation of study-abroad students and researchers, the demographics of which will undoubtedly be different from the past as American society grows more and more ethnically diverse? On top of supporting the development of these faculty members as global educators, we at ACOR greatly value this incredible opportunity for our team to see Jordan through their eyes.

Please check back soon for further blogs on this topic, written by program participants for publishing on the ACOR and CAORC websites. ACOR would like to extend its gratitude to the partnering organizations who helped bring about the success of this initiative, as led by former ACOR Director Barbara Porter, Associate Director Jack Green, and Glenn Corbett, Program Director of the Council of American Overseas Research Centers. We would also like to extend our gratitude to the support of the Petra Moon company in Jordan and the many implementing partners of the SCHEP team.

The ACOR-CAORC faculty development seminar to Jordan was generously supported by funding through the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. 

For more on trip activities conducted during this Seminar, please click here to be taken to the corresponding Facebook photo album.

* Minority-Serving Institutions are institutions of higher education in the U.S. that serve historically underrepresented populations. This includes Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Hispanic-Serving Institutions, Tribal Colleges and Universities, and Asian American and Pacific Islander Serving Institutions. To learn more about MSIs, explore a summary article from the U.S. Federal Government at https://www.doi.gov/pmb/eeo/doi-minority-serving-institutions-program

** Just 2.7% of all Americans study abroad for academic credit do so in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), according to 2019 data from International Education Evaluators.

ACOR is a nonprofit academic organization supported by grants, endowments, and contributions from foundations, corporations, and individuals. Please consider making a donation today, online or by check to our office in Alexandria, VA.

The post “Jordan: Sustainability at the Margins” | Looking back at the 2020 ACOR-CAORC Faculty Development Seminar appeared first on ACOR Jordan.

The Temple of the Winged Lions (TWL) in the World Heritage Site of Petra is a Nabataean temple and complex constructed in the early 1^st century AD and destroyed in the earthquake of AD 363. First excavated by Phillip Hammond from the 1970s to the early 2000s as part of the American Expedition to Petra, ACOR got involved with the Temple of the Winged Lions in 2009 by establishing the Temple of the Winged Lions Cultural Resource Management (TWLCRM) Initiative which has since helped document and preserve the site alongside training and education programs. More information about the initiative can be found on ACOR’s website and in ACOR Newsletters.

In partnership with the Department of Antiquities (DOA) of Jordan and the Petra Development and Tourism Regional Authority (PDTRA), and with substantial support from the U.S. Ambassador’s Fund for Cultural Preservation (AFCP, 2012-2016) and the USAID Sustainable Cultural Heritage Through Engagement of Local Communities Project (SCHEP, 2015-2018), ACOR has worked closely with members of the local community in and around Petra alongside specialists in conservation, geology, archaeology, and architecture, with the aim to document, preserve, and present the site to current and future generations. This short article focuses on site presentation through signage and pathways, and how this is helping visitors, tour guides, and educators better experience and understand the site and its history.

Prior to recent interventions, TWL was difficult for visitors to access due to a lack of clear pathways and exposure of architectural remains. The Cella (the inner sacred area of the complex) could only be reached by clambering over walls in front of the temple, leading to damage to the site. As with much of Petra at the time, there was very little or no information to help visitors interpret what they were seeing. Tour guides and guidebooks can also be vital interpretive tools for visitors, though not everyone has access to them when they visit Petra. The lack of signage was in part remedied with one sign added to the TWL site through a recent United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) intervention, as well as the Visit Petra mobile app which provides additional information about the site. Yet visitors still have fundamental challenges interpreting the site and what cannot be seen today. For example, the commonly asked question by visitors is: “Where are the winged lions?” The temple in its current setting had no intact or visible fragments of winged lions because these highly ornate pieces which once adorned the tops of capitals in the Cella are too small to be left on site, though there are future plans to produce an on-site replica.

So what about more dynamic ways to help interpret sites? Augmented Reality (AR) is a concept often discussed in terms of digital applications of visual content that can be used to overlay or interact with a real world environment and has been employed in heritage tourism settings. Just one example is the Römerstadt Carnuntum app. Such digital tools may well be employed at Petra in the future, yet it is noted that simple analog methods can also be effective. For example, at Heidentor, the ruined city gate at the entrance of Roman Carnuntum in Austria there is an AR glass sign with a reconstruction drawing lining up with the ancient ruins, allowing visitors to visualize this partially preserved structure. This formed the inspiration for an AR glass sign at TWL developed by Elena Ronza, Qais Tweissi, and Jehad Haron and produced by the Modern Advertising Center signage company in Amman under the direction of then ACOR Associate Director, Glenn Corbett. The sign, installed in 2017 as a follow up to a 2013 pilot project to partially restore the temple with faux column capitals (see ACOR Newsletter 25.2) presents a visualization of the inner sanctum of TWL along with imagery of a winged lion column capital. This provides visitors with a way to interpret the architectural space as an interplay between past and present, allowing them to see what is preserved and what was once present.

In Spring 2018, a series of new signs were installed to mark the end of our main program of site improvements through the SCHEP project. This included a second glass sign down on the Colonnaded Street, some distance from the site at a much lower level. It allows visitors to see the two story temple dramatically emerging from the hillside and further builds awareness of TWL for those passing through the “main drag” of Petra. The glass signage is still a pilot project, and it is unclear how long they will last. The first glass sign in the Cella was sadly damaged, though subsequently replaced thanks to AFCP support.

Another challenge for the signage design at the Temple of the Winged Lions is the plethora of diverse materials and styles already in use across Petra. For example, the Petra National Trust (PNT) installed a number of metal signs around two decades ago, some of which are still in use today. Durable wall-mounted metal signs, produced by Brown University, can be seen at the Great Temple in Petra. Signs made from printed ceramic tiles, produced during the USAID Siyaha project (2005–2008) have survived at some locations, with the fullest set extant at the Petra Church. Engraved aluminum signs produced through UNDP (2015–2016) may last longer but are expensive. A number of UNDP signs were substituted in 2018 with metal signs sponsored by Hyundai.

As there was no signage standard or template yet in place in Petra at the time the TWL signage was in development, it was determined that any new signs should be made from inexpensive materials to allow future changes once a template is created. This may take place as Petra’s future Integrated Management Plan is implemented (currently in development).

The current chosen design consists of a painted steel base with a single leg and frame that supports a lightweight label holder. The graphic panel (ca. 70 x 40 cm) takes the form of a reverse-printed sticker on a clear acrylic cover mounted onto the frame at each corner. This simple design allows for inexpensive reprints in the future, perhaps necessary every few years due to sun exposure. This may not seem that sustainable, but this was viewed as the best option until a future standard can be determined. Perhaps in the future, site signage production for Petra might be integrated into local, community-based initiatives, as is already the case at the site of Umm el Jimal. It is worth noting that similar site presentation initiatives are taking place at this and other SCHEP sites.

The six graphic panels present introductory information as well as key points around the site, including the Fallen Columns, the Southwest Quadrant, the Northern Complex, and the Architectural Gallery (Lapidarium). The panels also carry the logos of project partners and funders, providing recognition for the support and collaboration involved.

The panels present clear Arabic and English text accompanied by simple graphics aimed at engaging the visitor and indicating nearby visible features. The Fallen Columns panel, for example, allows visitors to relate the line of huge sandstone column drums on the ground in front of them with a reconstruction drawing showing the façade of the temple as it would have appeared in antiquity. In the Southwest Quadrant, a panel is positioned to allow the visualization of the supporting arches in this partially backfilled area, indicating the role that local community members played in preserving the site.  In addition, simple wayfinding and warning signs have been created, encouraging visitors to stay on the paths (not always easy) and not to climb on the remains, particularly on the recently conserved temple podium.

A review of the signage is ongoing. Initial observations suggest the signs are already serving an important role in informing visitors and tour guides. It is hoped that a future evaluation by Jordanian university students will be undertaken to ask visitors about their experiences. This in turn may be used to inform future positioning, design, and effectiveness of interpretative signage.

The site panels are presented here in pdf format online for ease of access and for educational use. We hope that this will be useful for anyone who wants to gain basic information about the site. Thanks to the all in what was a team effort, especially TWL team members, our partners at PDTRA and DOA, as well as funding provided by the AFCP and USAID.

Acknowledgements. The text of the TWL panels was co-written and edited at different stages by Chris Tuttle, Glenn Corbett, and Jack Green, with editorial input from the Department of Antiquities, PDTRA, SCHEP team members, and TWL Site Stewards. Arabic translations were by Hanadi Taher of the Department of Antiquities. Graphics include artwork by Qais Tweissi and Chrysanthos Kanellopoulos. Design and layout was done by Miriam Saleh of ACOR and Abed al Ghareeb of ACOR and SCHEP.

By Jack Green

Please click here for more information about the author.

Learn more about the TWLCRM Initiative, and consider supporting ACOR’s ongoing, vital conservation work at the Temple of Winged Lions

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تحت رعاية معالي وزير السياحة والآثار لينا عناب، أقامت دائرة الآثار العامة وبالتعاون مع مشروع “استدامة الإرث الثقافي بمشاركة المجتمعات المحلية” والممول من الوكالة الأمريكية للتنمية الدولية، فعالية بحضور أفراد المجتمع المحلي في بيت راس ليعلن من خلالها النتائج الأولية للأعمال القائمة في مشروع مدفن بيت راس والخطط المستقبلية

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The ACOR Video Lecture Series provides accessible discussions of new research into the past and present of Jordan and the broader Middle East and Eastern Mediterranean worlds. This video was adapted from the August 2017 public lecture delivered at ACOR by Dr. Kaelin Groom, whose research interests in environmental science include cultural stone decay and quantifying tangible impacts of tourism in culturally protected landscapes.

About the Lecture

As a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Wadi Rum is a prime tourist destination, home to thousands of rock inscriptions and petroglyphs—many of which are actually in grave danger of decay. This lecture discusses the many challenges facing current rock art management in the Valley of the Moon and the different ways these issues are being addressed in a current USAID SCHEP project, including:

• This importance of focusing on a ground up approach and including the local community in not only the protection, but the research and assessment of countless rock art/inscriptions sites throughout the area.
• The Rock Art Stability Index (RASI) as a rapid field assessment method that encourages non-specialist participation in rock art research.
• Current progress of our August field season involving local youths from Rum village in rock art research and tour guide training in rock art stewardship.

Cultural heritage management involves the blending of science, history, art, architecture, and policy.  Hence, an understanding of rock art and its decay is fundamental to its conservation and protection. Through these efforts we hope to help establish management policies that will ensure Wadi Rum’s irreplaceable rock art and inscriptions endure increased tourism, human contact, climate change, and time.

About the Lecturer

Kaelin Groom was recently awarded her Ph.D. in Environmental Dynamics at the University of Arkansas.  She specializes in heritage science and cultural stone decay, with a special focus on rock art.  Her interests also included geomorphology, cartography, cultural resource management, and heritage tourism.  Read Kaelin Groom’s 2016 article Heritage in Stone—Assessing the Geologic Stability of Jordan’s Rock Art in the ACOR Blog.

This video lecture is not official U.S. Government information and does not necessarily represent the views or positions of the U.S. Agency for International Development or the U.S. Government.

The post Community Engagement in Rock Art Management in Wadi Rum – An ACOR & USAID SCHEP Video Lecture by Dr. Kaelin Groom appeared first on ACOR Jordan.

The ACOR Video Lecture Series provides accessible discussions of new research into the past and present of Jordan and the broader Middle East and Eastern Mediterranean worlds. This video was adapted from the July 2017 public lecture delivered at ACOR by Dr. Bert de Vries, Professor of Archaeology at Calvin College and Director of the Umm el-Jimal Project.

“Why Umm el-Jimal Should Be Included
in Tourism Packages and Itineraries”

About the Lecture:

Umm el-Jimal is a truly one-of-a-kind site in Jordan, distinct from other popular sites such as Petra, Jerash, and Umm Qais. One of the longest continually inhabited sites in Jordan, Umm el-Jimal’s history is of great interest to both Jordanians and foreign visitors.

Recent work on the site has made it even more accessible to visitors as it is now equipped with a tourism trail, brochures, interpretive center, as well as rest rooms, snacks, and a new visitors center. This hospitality infrastructure is largely managed by the local community, providing a distinct experience for visitors.

Just a little over an hour northwest of Amman, Umm el-Jimal is perfect on its own as a day trip or included in wider tours that explore Hauran culture, the Desert Castles, or other surrounding sites such as  Umm es-Surab, Umm el-Quttein, Deir Kahaf, Qasr Burqu, and Jawa.

About the Lecturer:

Professor de Vries retired from teaching in the History Department of Calvin College in May 2013. He continues to administer the Archaeology minor program at Calvin College and also teaches archaeology, and directs the fieldwork and publication of the Umm el-Jimal Project during his retirement.

Bert de Vries’s history writing is informed by his specialization as an archaeological architect. He works on sites in the Near East and counts studies of rural towns, churches, forts, baths, and agricultural landscapes among his favorite sites. His current research focuses primarily on Umm el-Jimal, a Roman-to-Islamic era town in north Jordan.

Please visit the Umm el-Jimal website for more information about this site.

This video lecture is not official U.S. Government information and does not necessarily represent the views or positions of the U.S. Agency for International Development or the U.S. Government.

The post Include Umm el-Jimal in Tourism Itineraries – An ACOR & USAID SCHEP Video Lecture appeared first on ACOR Jordan.

Public Lecture Announcement:

About the Lecture:

As a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Wadi Rum is a prime tourist destination, home to thousands of rock inscriptions and petroglyphs—many of which are actually in grave danger of decay. This lecture discusses the many challenges facing current rock art management in the Valley of the Moon and the different ways these issues are being addressed in a current USAID SCHEP project, including:

• This importance of focusing on a ground up approach and including the local community in not only the protection, but the research and assessment of countless rock art/inscriptions sites throughout the area.
• The Rock Art Stability Index (RASI), as a rapid field assessment method that encourages non-specialist participation in rock art research.
• Current progress of our August field season involving local youths from Rum village in rock art research and tour guide training in rock art stewardship.

Cultural heritage management involves the blending of science, history, art, architecture, and policy.  Hence, an understanding of rock art and its decay is fundamental to its conservation and protection. Through these efforts we hope to help establish management policies that will ensure Wadi Rum’s irreplaceable rock art and inscriptions endure increased tourism, human contact, climate change, and time.

About the Lecturer:

Fervently dedicated to fieldwork, discovery, and maintaining the delicate balance between historic preservation and educational experience/exposure, KAELIN M. GROOM has a Ph.D. in Environmental Dynamics form the University of Arkansas, where she also obtained her masters in Geography. Her specialties include geomorphology, cartography, cultural resource management, and heritage tourism. With wide interests, Dr. Groom’s current research includes analyzing cavernous rock decay (tafoni), quantifying tangible impacts of tourism in culturally protected landscapes, and serving as an advocate for rapid field assessments for cultural stone decay and heritage management.

The post From the Ground Up: Community Engagement in Rock Art Management in Wadi Rum appeared first on ACOR Jordan.