| Today culture was on my mind. After enjoying two | | | | experienced many earthquakes, but a tremor in 363 |
| interesting exhibits at the Canadian Museum of | | | | AD hit the city particularly hard. Half the city was |
| Contemporary Photography, I made my way across | | | | destroyed and the water system was disrupted. With |
| the river to the City of Gatineau (formerly Hull) to visit | | | | the increase of ocean trade, the decline of land-based |
| Canada's most popular museum: the Canadian | | | | trade routes through this area had already affected |
| Museum of Civilization. This rewowned Canadian | | | | the city earlier and it seems that Petra was unable to |
| institution is known for its unique architecture and is | | | | muster the resources to rebuild itself. In the early 7th |
| host to the Canadian Postal Museum, the Canadian | | | | century, Muslim Arabs arrived in Petra from the south. |
| Children's Museum, an IMAX Theatre (which I was | | | | The transition to Islamic rule appears to have been |
| going to visit later today) and a variety of special | | | | relatively peaceful in Southern Jordan. |
| exhibitions. | | | | By the seventh century Petra was finally abandoned |
| The Canadian Museum of Civilization has three major | | | | and remained virtually lost to the outside world. It was |
| galleries: the Grand Hall, which is the architectural | | | | not until 1812 that a Swiss explorer, Johann Burckhard, |
| centerpiece of the museum, Canada Hall as well as | | | | rediscovered the city. Today, less than five percent of |
| the First People's Hall. The 112 x 15 m (365 ft x 50 ft) | | | | the city has been unearthed, so this ancient city of |
| glass wall of the Great Hall features a magnificent | | | | stone still has many secrets to reveal. |
| view of Ottawa's Parliament Buildings and hosts the | | | | The exhibit itself consists of many components, |
| world's largest collection of indoor totem poles. | | | | including artifacts, architectural detailing, jewellery, vases |
| My goal today was to see a special exhibition: a | | | | and other objects. Some of the highlights of the |
| traveling exhibition organized by the Cincinnati Art | | | | exhibition are a striking gravestone bearing the likeness |
| Museum and the American Museum of Natural History | | | | of a man's head, a recently discovered column capital |
| under the patronage of Her Majesty Queen Rania | | | | with elephant heads, a relief carving of a standing |
| Al-Abdullah of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan." | | | | eagle and a recently reassembled sculpted garland |
| Petra - Lost City of Stone" is the most complete | | | | frieze from one of the city's main temples. 19th century |
| portrait ever assembled of the amazing and enigmatic | | | | paintings, drawings and prints illustrate the city's |
| city of Petra. This exhibit tells the story of a | | | | rediscovery by Burckhard in 1812 and Petra - |
| once-thriving metropolis at the crossroads of the | | | | Crossroad of the Ancient World is an 8 minute film |
| ancient trade routes. | | | | that presents a brief cultural history of this city. It also |
| Its inhabitants, the Nabateans, constructed a | | | | illustrates the Nabateans' unique rock-cutting process |
| magnificent city in a harsh desert environment. Petra | | | | as well as their water management and storage |
| only receives about 15 centimeters (6 inches) of rain a | | | | techniques. |
| year. Ingenously its residents were able to control the | | | | This historical exhibition is augmented by a photo |
| water supply of the city by capturing and collecting | | | | exhibit: The Bedouin of Petra is a collection of 25 |
| water from flash floods in more than 200 underground | | | | colour photographs by award-winning photojournalist |
| cisterns which would then be redistributed through the | | | | Vivian Ronay. The photos were taken at various times |
| city through a system of clay pipes. This stored water | | | | between 1986 and 2003 and document the life of the |
| was used during periods of extended drought and the | | | | Bedoul Bedouins, and their transition from a pastoral life |
| city even prospered from the sale of the water. In | | | | to a lifestyle based on tourism. The Bedoul had lived in |
| effect the ancient Nabateans had created an artificial | | | | tents and caves among the ruins of the ancient city |
| oasis. | | | | until the Jordanian government became concerned |
| Originally the Nabateans were traveling merchants, but | | | | about the city's preservation. They were then invited to |
| they became even more prosperous once they | | | | move to a nearby village where modern housing and |
| settled down and started serving and taxing other | | | | facilities would be provided. The majority of them |
| traveling merchants. Being located at the intersection | | | | moved from tents and caves to conventional houses, |
| of several caravan trade routes, the Nabateans | | | | giving up their old life as herders and farmers to work |
| integrated art and architecture from other cultures. | | | | in the tourism industry. A fascinating look at an ancient |
| Asian elephants, for example, were a popular symbol | | | | people who have undergone an enormous change in |
| for strength, many carvings found show artistic | | | | lifestyle. |
| elements from in the art and mythology of Ancient | | | | As if Petra wasn't fascinating enough, I decided to add |
| Greece. Several centuries later, Byzantine Christian art | | | | another encounter with antiquity. I walked over to the |
| was widely adopted. | | | | Museum's IMAX Theatre to see a special presentation: |
| Petra's surrounding natural environment is visibly | | | | Greece - Secrets of the Past. This IMAX Theatre is |
| stunning and geologically unique. A dark and narrow | | | | the first of its kind in the world and actually combines |
| gorge called the Siq (the "shaft") cut into sandstone | | | | two IMAX technologies. The size of the vertical |
| forms the eastern access to the city. In some places | | | | screen is 10 times the size of a conventional movie |
| the Siq is only 3 to 4 metres wide and its end stands | | | | screen and tilts into place to convey a multi-dimensional |
| the magnificent ruin of the Treasury (Al Khazneh), an | | | | experience, as close as possible to actually being |
| absolutely stunning decorated façade hewn out | | | | there. |
| of the natural stone. In total, Petra had 3000 temples, | | | | This realistic quality was definitely appreciated since |
| tombs and dwellings and during its heyday the | | | | one of the movie's opening sequences starts with a |
| population was an estimated 20,000 people. Originally | | | | flight over the Mediterranean and a stunning look down |
| these structures were covered with stucco and | | | | on some of the Greek islands. In dramatic pictures I |
| brightly painted, which must have been a spectular | | | | learned about the formation of the island of Santorini |
| view in this desert environment. | | | | and its volcanic eruption: the most powerful explosion |
| Despite the abundance of temples we actually know | | | | in history. |
| relatively little about the religion of the Nabateans. They | | | | Images of Athens and the Acropolis demonstrated |
| apparently had a small number of Gods, with Dushara | | | | that 2500 years ago Greece was indeed the cradle of |
| being the most important male god, and Al-Uzza | | | | Western civilization. Art and architecture flourished |
| representing the most important female deity. | | | | while science, philosophy and literature reached |
| Petra celebrated its zenith between 200 B.C. and 200 | | | | impressive heights. The camera follows in the |
| A.D. when it was one of the major trading centers | | | | footsteps a team of archeologists and introduced the |
| linking the Silk Road and the spice routes that | | | | audience to innovations in this scientific field. |
| connected China, India and Arabia with buying | | | | Greece: Secrets of the Past is a MacGillivray |
| consumers in Greece, Rome, Egypt and Syria. In 106 | | | | Freeman Film produced by Alex G. Spanos in |
| A.D. Petra was annexed by the Roman Emperor | | | | association with the Canadian Museum of Civilization |
| Trajan. During the Byzantine period the city had its | | | | and Museum Film Network with major funding |
| own bishop and later large Christian churches were | | | | assistance from the National Science Foundation. |
| built. | | | | Incidentally Nia Vardalos (from "My Big Fat Greek |
| Being located in a seismically unstable area, Petra had | | | | Wedding") narrates the feature. |