Light archaeology and historical landscape. For the global history of the site of al-Wu’ayra (Petra) in Transjordan

The authors present the most recent results achieved by the mission “Medieval Petra” of the University of Florence at the site of the Crusader castle of al-Wu’ayra, pointing out its wide chronology (Nabataean to Late Islamic) and the radical changes of its landscape. A new season of research started in 2011 combining the maximum preservation of the site with the maximum archaeological productivity, aiming at reconstructing the artificial modifications of the landscape, as the result of the changing needs of the inhabitants. A wide Nabataean necropolis/sanctuary area has been identified, including a quantity of different types of rock cut tombs. Most probably during the Late Antique period, the function of the site radically changed and it was transformed into a permanent settlement and some Nabataean sacred complexes were transformed into utilitarian structures meant at collecting water. The Crusaders rearranged the whole site and the Late Islamic reoccupation developed through the building up of a new village inhabited until the late 19th century.