Preserving Petra Sustainably (One Step at a Time): The Temple of the Winged Lions Cultural Resource Management Initiative as a Step Forward

Abstract

ABSTRACT A mystery that still needs to be solved for the World Heritage site of Petra, Jordan is how to sustainably preserve it for the future. This article reviews some of the many complex issues faced in efforts to protect this important cultural heritage resource. It then presents a summary of the excavated Temple of the Winged Lions, a 2,000-year-old Nabataean temple in the ancient city center, which is the focus of a new initiative that is attempting some first steps forward toward helping to solve this mystery. The Temple of the Winged Lions Cultural Resource Management Initiative is introduced and some of the project's subcomponents that are endeavoring to establish a holistic, grassroots approach to cultural resource management in Petra are presented.