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Desert inspirations through time
The Exhibition “Out of the Desert” at Darat
al Funun echoes with the voices of those who lived in
the desert and recorded their heritage on the eternal
rocks of the Jordan. A visual celebration of man’s
journey in time, from Nabataean to modern day, Nabataean
artifacts, Safaitic stones and papyrus scrolls are all
on display for the first time at Darat al Funun, allowing
the public to relive their glory. The installation setting
them apart was designed by architect Sahel al Hiyari.
Modern inspirations by the Jordanian desert include
video art by Suha Shoman titled "I am Everywhere",
and graphic art by Hakim Jamain titled "Salt of
the South".
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The
archaeology installations highlight
the latest antiquities discovered in the sites
of Beidha and Rajl. In Beidha,
a nomadic group appeared who, by the first century
B.C., had established themselves as the masters
of one of antiquity’s major trade routes.
The site of Beidha, about 10 km north of Petra,
was a place where wine was produced; it also seems
to have served as a retreat for the citizens of
Petra. In May 2005, and after three years of excavations
in Beidha, headed by Dr. Patricia Bikai (American
Centre of Oriental Research), 30 stone heads and
a number of capitals were unearthed. Believed
to have decorated a banquet hall dating back to
the first Century B.C., these finds are on display
for the first time.
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Jordan’s
Eastern Desert inspired nomads over millennia,
and the rocks of Rajl are a fine
example. The stones, arranged into circles and
mounded groups called cairns, often had carvings
of texts and figures. In Jordan, the cairns vary
in size. Some have more than a hundred stones
while others have only a few. The function of
these formations is not yet established; they
may have been desert rallying points, camping,
herding or burial sites. The incised images on
the stones include wild and domesticated animals,
men and women, as well as hunting and caravan
scenes. The Cairn of the Mermaids, being documented
by Dr. Pierre M. Bikai of ACOR, is a spectacular
rock art site with beautiful images and inscribed
texts, written in Safaitic, those in Arabic are
in Kufic script, thus indicating a late period,
perhaps the eighth century.
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Also
on display in the main building of Darat al Funun
are “Petra Papyrus Khalid &
Suha Shoman”. The papyrus scroll
is part of a group of scrolls found at Petra during
excavations conducted by ACOR under the general
direction of Dr. Pierre M. Bikai (1993). Written
in Byzantine Greek and dating back to the 6th
century A.D., the scrolls contain unique evidence
of the history and development of the Arabic language;
many of the personal names on the scrolls, although
sounding Greek or Latin, may in fact be Semitic
or, more specifically, Arabic. The scrolls were
stored in a room adjacent to the Petra Church
and were carbonized - and thus preserved - when
the church burnt down.
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Parallel
to the archaeological exhibition are contemporary
inspirations by the desert. Suha Shoman’s
video art “I am everywhere”
is “a reflection on the opposite forces
of existence, presence and absence, visible
and invisible, fear and faith”. The
film resonates with the spirit of Beidha
where the silent rocks echo with life.
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In
the Blue House, Jordanian artist Hakim Jamain
shares his nomadic experience with a series of
graphic art prints and drawings, inspired by the
same desert.
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press
clips