The Architectural Aspects of the Traditional Villages in Petra Region With Some Anthropological Notes

Abstract

There are many 19th-early 20th centuries villages in the region of Petra, southern Jordan, which are still well persevered but facing a high risk of modern urban expansion. These villages were a subject of full documentation project conducted by the authors in 2011-2013. This paper presents the results of this project in terms of the architectural aspects, including top plan, the general spatial layout of the villages, building technique, building materials, roofing systems, coating materials and other architectural elements. Some anthropological aspects of the inhabitants are also presented. The data collected has many ethno archaeological implications including spatial organization and spatial use, settlement growth and settlement abandonment. Results show that these villages share similar architectural aspects with other rural villages in Jordan in specific and the Levant and Arabia in general. The study has also show that social background of the villagers is well indicated in the spatial organization of the villages. Moreover, results suggest that sedentarized nomadic societies tend to occupy larger space and room areas than rural communities.

DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2016.v7n4p336