We employ approximately 20 young workers from the Bedol village and from the Jordanian village of Wadi Mousa, and we rent housing and meal services from the Bedol village, contributing badly needed resources to the struggling local economy. It is premature to state the full impact of our archaeological discoveries on the development of the national park at Petra, but we share our finds with dozens of tourists and tour groups visiting the site during our work seasons. The presentation of this extraordinary oasis will provide a significant new dimension to Petra when the work is complete and the site opened to the public.
impact statement issue
My involvement in this project began at Dumbarton Oaks as part of an interdisciplinary effort to develop techniques of garden archaeology. Petra was the case study chosen for the project and has served to develop and publish a coordinate methodology. The research supports archaeologists, historians, soil scientists, hydrologists, paleoethnobotanists, historic preservationists, and remote-sensing specialists.
In 2008, Petra was declared to be one of the ancient wonders of the world and is a major tourism site supporting the economy of Jordan. The discoveries at this garden contribute to the value of this archaeological park to the economies of the local Bedouin population, the local Jordanian village, and the country as a whole.
impact statement response
In the four field seasons since 2001, the project has employed the proposed methodology with great success and has, in turn, contributed much to the site's development. The discoveries at the site have been widely disseminated by the project director, Leigh Ann Bedal, to Jordanian and international audiences. I have shared the results with scholarly organizations, landscape architectural organizations, and public audiences.
impact statement summary
The Petra Pool and Garden Complex Project is exploring a monumental public garden in the civic heart of ancient Petra, an important Nabataean trading capital on the Arabian spice trade route. The garden displays the Nabataean's skill at water harvesting, creating an artificial oasis—and even waterfalls—in this desert canyon.
