AMMAN — Near
Petra, sits a lesser-known site called Beidha
that
archeologists think was inhabited and abandoned thousands of years before the
first pyramid was built in Egypt.
اضافة اعلان
Beidha, which is part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site, translates
to “white,” and is located 10km north of Petra.
This site is mostly visited by guests who prefer entering Petra
through the so-called “Petra back trail,” which starts at Little Petra, ends at
the Monastery, and passes though Beidha.
The entrance to the site starts at a short trail with stones
that act as a timeline, beginning with World War II and marking other
historical milestones, including the building of Egypt’s oldest pyramid. The
last stone on the trail reads: “This site was abandoned.”
Beidha was inhabited and abandoned three times; the first
settlement was built during the Natufian era (during the 11th millennia
BC), the second during the
Pre-Pottery Neolithic period (8800BC), and the third
during the Nabataean period (during the first century AD).
During excavations conducted in the 1950s, hearths were
found at the site and were dated to the 11th millennia BC. The fire
places were used by hunters for cooking what they caught or collected.
Archaeologists have found no permanent buildings, burials,
or storages, which has led to them believe that during this period, Beidha was a
seasonal camping area.
During the next era (the Pre-Pottery Neolithic), Jordan was
one of the first regions in the world at the time, whose people were farmers,
so they settled in villages that became more and more developed over the years,
outpacing other contemporary villages.
Beidha became one of the earliest agricultural villages in
the region, marking the transition from hunter-gatherer to settled farmer.
At the site, visitors can see a group of round stone
cottages that probably had wooden roofs. The round shape did not allow for the
addition of more rooms.
In addition to the houses, archaeologists have found the
remains of a wall and a public structure (possibly a temple).
The wall and possible temple are a feature of a new type of
lifestyle, characterized by the emergence of leadership that controls and
decides on public and private matters.
Agriculture and other economic activities eventually led to
the emergence of individual ownership, which resulted in conflicts between
people, such as the struggle over water resources and fertile land.
During the Nabataean era, the site was surrounded by several
structures such as agricultural terraces and aqueducts, but Beidha was one of
Petra’s suburbs and not a true settlement on its own.
Beidha’s unique history stretches back millennia, which
makes it the perfect place to get a glimpse how the way we live and interact
with both people and nature has changed throughout history.
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Lifestyle
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