Giordania

Several years of research on Cruser castles have allowed very reliable data to be recorded, resulted then in surveying large parts of the fortified buildings. The plan hasdealt with the span between the 10th and 13th century , with the purpose of investigating thedevelopment of fortified structures, tracing the main steps of their evolution. A great opportunity for this project has come from the profitable co-operation with Prof. Vanniniat his excavations in Jordan. The collected data have allowed a wider comparative study interms of morphology, which is still under way. Our attention has been turned to therecognizability of masonries, which may derive from the European trition, questioningtherefore the common and followed theory that Arabic styles eventually influenced the new military solutions of 12th and 13th century . Sharing the idea that one cannot speak of ascattered Cruser phenomenon, without taking systematically into account what hhappened in Europe immediately before the Cruses, we have selected some interesting structures, founded in a frontier zone, which might have conclusively given some cluesabout the architectural development of medieval military settlements. Within the Jordanmission, the castles of Shoubak, Wu’ Ayra and Habis have been investigated as functionalunits, and some constant factors, in terms of building typologies and components, seem to have been focused on to estimating the territorial role of each fortified settlement. The building unit has been divided on the basis of standard topics; in principle, we have stressed on: access system, tower system, specific constructions like churches, and water supply system. The comparative study of dimensional analysis and geometric characteristics of those architectural frames has let some considerations arise to new perspectives still under way of verification. As regards the European experience, we have selected some buildings, which were well famous among their contemporaries themselves for their imposing construction and, at the same time, may have indicated models that were opted and evolved during the first Cruser epoch. Our particular interest has been turned to the scattered building pattern of the motta, which can well be assumed as original element of Middle Ages rather than tritional military structures of Classical Age, at least considering the building meaning, that is with regard to the erected architectural element rather than landscape morphological feature. Deep studies in this sense have turned to the European context, both in France and Italy: respectively at Gisors and San Marco Argentano; these two fortifications are upon a motta and characterised byan encircling chemise and a central keep. These three elements appear as connected witheach others and attest to the first stone-built construction during the early Normanexpansion, which forerun garrison’s attack and defence military solutions, that willthereafter have been evolved in the castles of the first Cruses. Their access systemspresent a sequence of towered structures, which have definitely met with success in theHoly Land. Moreover, the tower system indicates building technologies, which may beregarded as standard factors in terms of general dimension and masonry morphology. Asfar as this brief paper concern, in conclusion, some Jordanian sites may be put forward asfortified structures, but not castles stricto sensu, whilst the increase of their role may haveextended over the territory in different ways than assumed hitherto.

The site of Umm er Rasas was built as a military camp of the unity of the Arab cavalry auxiliary troops of the Roman army, under the command of the Dux Arabiae. From the V century AD, the castrum turned into a town. In the Byzantine period, the site reached the peak of its urban development with civil hou
ses built inside and outside the walls and the dozen of churches which were beautifully paved with floor mosaics at the time of Sergius, bishop of Madaba, at the end of the VI century AD. The long term aims of the ITABC project on this UNESCO World Heritage site are: to complete the documentation in order to enrich and deepen our knowledge of a so great and important
archaeological site; to create a valuable and elaborate tool which will be useful for the conservation, the fruition and for the tourist development of the area. The implementation of a process aimed at increasing quality tourism, it will see the creation of a permanent training school addressed to local staff and focused on new technologies for the cultural heritage.

Giordania: Tra resilienza e attivismo da Marco Limburgo | Ago 10, 2019 | Analisi, Medio Oriente | 0 commenti Nel contesto multipolare mediorientale la Giordania costituisce ad un oggi un affascinante anomalia. Paese disegnato a tavolino dai desiderata occidentali, quadrante di terra prevalentemente desertica inserita a cuneo all'interno di una realtà costantemente in agitazione è reduce da decenni di travagliata costruzione storica e identitaria che ha formato un identità particolare. La Giordania, ad oggi, rappresenta pienamente l'esempio delle peculiarità e delle particolarità instabili di un Medio Oriente dove gli equilibri di potenza coesistono con la pervasività di leadership monarchiche desuete. Schiacciata tra la costante conflittualità israelo-palestinese, il gigantismo della petromonarchia saudita, i prodromi dei disastri delle guerre civili in Iraq e Siria e i tentativi di rilancio dell'Egitto dei generali la monarchia hashemita (che regna sui territori dell'ex protettorato britannico transgiordano dal 1921) si è resa protagonista negli ultimi anni di un raffinato equilibrismo all'interno delle diverse crisi che hanno insanguinato un Medio Oriente in costante ebollizione. L'attuale monarca, Abdullah II, seppur in crisi di legittimità, ha mantenuto il suo paese in una condizione di "instabile stabilità" ben conscio delle sfide ma anche delle potenzialità offerta dalla geopolitica. La posizione geografica della Giordania, infatti, ha reso Amman una pedina fondamentale nello scacchiere della contrapposizione per il predominio iraniano saudita, nelle necessità di sicurezza dello stato di Israele e nella cintura di contenimento americano dell'imperialismo persiano di matrice sciita.