Having withstood the test of time, the site remains largely un-tampered with in contrast to the terrible

development sprawl of Wadi Musa that lays at its foot. The lack of planning around the Wadi Musa area
has resulting in a chaotic urban setting. The surrounding hotels, residences and tourist facilities are
non-uniform in both scale and aesthetic. As a result, a Strategic Master Plan for the Petra region is
born to enhance the value of the site and upgrade the importance of tourism for sustainable
development and diversity in economic activity. At the entrance of the master plan the Petra Gateway
delicately transfers the visitor from the chaotic setting of Wadi Musa to the serene journey in Petra.
This site mitigates movement through a coherent urban solution that includes a modernized visitor’s
center, multiple plazas, an existing old hotel and the proposed Petra Museum

Standing at the edge of history, the Petra Museum will showcase the antiquities of the Nabatean city,
provide an appropriate venue for exhibiting historical cultural property and preserve the archaeological
site. The structure forms at the tipping point between the historic and the new, forming a dialectic
relationship with the landscape, accentuating its minimal intervention and disruption to the natural
topography. The design is not imposing in order to maintain the hierarchal importance of the historical
site itself. The museum is a 2000 m² indoor space that features gallery halls and audio-visual displays
of the history of Petr
concept also looks to maintain the natural views beyond, characterized by scattered greenery, a
descending Wadi and the vast canyon formations. The museum will illuminate the Wadi at night
through its perforated façade, echoing the mysterious journey into the Siq ahead

The driving force of the design is conceived as a product reacting to and acting within an extensive field
of forces. At the podium, the museum carves its walls from the existing landscape, borrowing from the
voices of the land by reflecting its texture and color as the Nabateans once did. In line with the spirit of
the contemporary, perched on top of these walls, a minimalistic geometry forms in an aim to celebrate
our current time that is deeply rooted in the past. These polar opposites are fused together
harmoniously into an unparalleled union of overlapping desires that seeks to mediate between the
global and the local languages of architecture. The shadow cast from the museum is accentuated with
reflective water beds, which add a cooling effect to the hot tempered environment. The museum stands
open to the surrounding elements, forming outdoor vibrant and interactive plazas where locals and
visitors can gathe
Client: Japan International Cooperation System - JICS
Location: Wadi Mousa, Jordan

Consultant: Yamashita Sekkei Inc. Maisam Architects And Engineers

Type of Work: Buildings