Abstract
The ancient city of Petra in Jordan, declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1985, is famous for its monuments and buildings carved out of sandstone rock. A rock-cut interior in Siq al-Barid, a suburb of Petra, preserves the only in situ wall painting with figurative subject matter, dating to the first century AD. Given our limited knowledge of Petra’s Nabataean art and culture, the importance of this unique survival cannot be underestimated. From 2006-10, the Petra National Trust, a NGO, collaborated with the Courtauld Institute to conserve and clean the painting. Emerging from beneath obscuring dirt and graffiti, its extremely high quality and stylistic indebtedness to Hellenistic art were recognised. Scientific examination revealed a sophisticated original technology. This paper considers the techniques of the painting and its conservation, including issues of balancing site protection requirements against the demands of tourism, and the need to integrate local communities in these efforts.
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Acknowledgements
The conservation project was commissioned by the Petra National Trust (PNT). Particular thanks are due to its then Executive Director, Aysar Akrawi, for her dedication to the project, and to her staff in facilitating it. Thanks are also due to the late Dr Fawwaz al-Khraysheh (Director-General, Department of Antiquities of Jordan), and Mr. Suleiman Farajat (former Director, Petra Archaeological Park), for their support. Tahani al-Salhi (PAP) provided on-site logistical help and organisation. The project’s development, including research presented in this paper, is indebted to the professionalism and dedication of Lisa Shekede, the author’s co-conservator. At the Courtauld Institute, Professor David Park and the late Professor Sharon Cather provided unstinting direction and support. Thanks also go to Dr. Giovanni Verri for multispectral imaging work and to Jennifer Porter for ELISA organic analysis. Finally, thanks are due to Maram Na’es for conservation assistance.
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Rickerby, S. (2021). At the Western Edge of the Silk Road: Challenges of Conserving a Unique Nabataean Wall Painting in Petra, Jordan. In: Aoki, S., et al. Conservation and Painting Techniques of Wall Paintings on the Ancient Silk Road. Cultural Heritage Science. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-33-4161-6_5
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-33-4161-6_5
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