Abstract
The integration of culture and heritage within the sustainable heritage framework represents a relatively recent achievement, commonly referred to as a ‘paradigm shift’ in the implementation of the World Heritage Convention. Although now fully integrated in the international discourse, turning the theory into practice can represent a challenge, often left to single initiatives to investigate based on trial and error approaches. In Petra, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1985, and a complex site where heritage conservation is intertwined with social development, community participation and tourism management, a pilot methodology has been devised to engage the indigenous community in conservation and risk preventive measures as part of the Italian funded Siq Stability project, a UNESCO Amman Office led initiative implemented since 2012 in partnership with the Department of Antiquities of Jordan and the Petra Development and Tourism Region Authority. This multi-year project aimed at reducing the risk vulnerability of the Siq, a natural gorge shaped by hydrogeological events over the centuries, and the main entrance to the site for hundreds of tourists every day. Despite the technical nature of the project, a highly participatory approach was adopted to demonstrate how indigenous communities and local stakeholders’ engagement in heritage conservation and management, coupled with an awareness of natural hazards risk prevention, can substantially contribute to improving the management of a World Heritage Property and support the sustainability of risk preventive interventions. The present chapter builds on the experience acquired during the implementation of the project to present a useful case study on the crucial role that community participation can play in heritage preservation, with the objective to inspire other initiatives of a similar nature.
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Notes
- 1.
A wadi is a valley, ravine, or channel in regions of southwestern Asia and northern Africa that is usually dry except in the rainy season.
- 2.
The word Bedu, from which the English term ‘Bedouin’ derives, refers to all those who live in the arid and semi-arid areas of the Arab Middle East, whose main economic activity is pastoralism, and who are often nomadic. In Petra, Bedu tribes are represented by the Bdul, the Amarin and the Sa’idiyyin (UNESCO, 2004, 2005).
- 3.
Only the villages of Umm Sayhoun and Beidha strictly qualify as Bedu settlements. The others, for example Wadi Musa, Taybeh, Rajef and Dlagha, are urban settlements mostly inhabited by agricultural communities.
- 4.
In mountaineering, ‘rappelling’ involves descending a rock face or other near-vertical surface by using a doubled rope coiled around the body and fixed at a higher point.
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Acknowledgments
This study has been conducted within the framework of the UNESCO, Italian-funded project, ‘Siq Stability: Mitigation of Immediate Hazards in the Siq of Petra’ (Phase II), and ‘Siq Stability: Managing Disaster Risks in the Siq of Petra’ (Phase III). A special acknowledgement is thus addressed to the Government of Italy and the Italian Agency for Development and Cooperation for having entrusted the UNESCO Amman Office with the implementation of such a strategic project at the Petra World Heritage Site. The authors also wish to acknowledge the substantial support provided by the Government of Jordan represented by the Petra Development and Tourism Region Authority and the Department of Antiquities for their continuous cooperation in the implementation of this pioneering project. Finally, special thanks go to all those who have taken part and substantially contributed to the activities described in this study, from professional climbers, junior technical experts, local stakeholders and the local community, as it is only through team coordination and shared objectives that pioneering and complex initiatives such as the one described can lead to successful results and support a meaningful shift in the management and conservation of heritage sites.
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Cesaro, G., Delmonaco, G. (2022). The Siq Stability Project: a Pilot Approach to Community Engagement and Public Awareness in Petra. In: Badran, A., Abu-Khafajah, S., Elliott, S. (eds) Community Heritage in the Arab Region. One World Archaeology. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-07446-2_6
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