"TOURISM & ANTIQUITIES" PRESS RELEASES

Queen Noor and President of the Swiss Confederation Flavio Cotti inaugurate Siq Restoration project in Petra.

Saturday 16 May 1998

The restored historic Siq of Petra was official inaugurated Saturday by Her Majesty Queen Noor and the President of the Swiss Confederation Federal Councilor Flavio Cotti. The Siq, which is a natural gorge that the Nabataeans used as their entrance to the city of Petra, was excavated, consolidated and restored with funding from the Swiss government.

In November 1993, Jordan and the Swiss Confederation signed an agreement to reduce the country’s external debt and create a counterpart fund. 15% of the fund was allocated to the preservation and development of tourism in Petra. The Petra National Trust (PNT), a non-governmental organization for the preservation of Petra, became the beneficiary of the fund. PNT, in cooperation with the Department of Antiquities, financed the exposure of the original pavement of the Siq and its consolidation as well as the restoration of the components of the Nabataean hydraulic systems flanking the Siq to protect it from flash floods.

Queen Noor, who is PNT’s Honorary Chairperson and Patron, said that this event not only "honors our Jordanian-Swiss partnership’s achievements in conserving and rehabilitating the Siq" but also recreates and perpetuates "the positive values that inspired the Nabataeans to great deeds in their time." The Queen noted that the Nabataean legacy "reminds us that we can best promote sustainable human and economic development by respecting our environment, our heritage and the dignity of our fellow human beings." She expressed her hope that "this successful start to our journey together … (will lead to) a world defined by the elements of beauty and creativity, enriched by the forces of productivity and cross-cultural interaction, and perpetuated by the values of nature conservation and human humility."

In his speech, President Cotti said the Siq is where a beautiful and intense relationship between Jordan and Switzerland began 200 years ago with the Swiss explorer Johann Ludwig Burckhardt, who rediscovered Petra for the West in 1812 and converted to Islam assuming the name of "Sheikh Ibrahim ibn ‘Abdullah." He expressed his pride in that Switzerland through its contribution has rendered "the Siq its ancient beauty and real significance and to become once again the living gangway to one of the most precious and refined civilizations of the beginning of the first millenium in the Middle East: the civilization of the Nabataeans."

His Royal Highness Prince Raad, who is the President of PNT, said that the two studies were conducted on the Siq restoration project by Swiss archaeologist Ueli Bellwald and Mr. Ma’an Al-Huneidi and that these studies formed the basis of the restoration activities. He added that the results of the "excavation findings, which are now being studied in conjunction with another Swiss institution, the Lichtenstein University of Basle, will constitute a major contribution towards the knowledge and understanding of our Nabataean heritage." Prince Raad said that the restored Nabataean hydraulics system could play an important role in water harvesting for use in the Petra region. The Prince noted that the success of the project was only possible through the very close team work of the Ministry of Tourism, the Department of Antiquities, the Petra Regional Planning Council and the Jordanian Swiss Bilateral Committee.