Hello From Ottawa Doubling Up On Antiquity At The Museum Of Civilization
Below is a MRR and PLR article in category Travel Leisure -> subcategory Vacations.
Hello From Ottawa: Doubling Up on Antiquity at the Museum of Civilization
Summary
Today, I immersed myself in culture. After enjoying two intriguing exhibits at the Canadian Museum of Contemporary Photography, I crossed the river to Gatineau (formerly Hull) to explore Canada's most popular museum: the Canadian Museum of Civilization. Known for its remarkable architecture, this esteemed institution also hosts the Canadian Postal Museum, the Canadian Children's Museum, and an IMAX Theatre, which I planned to visit later.
Exploring the Museum
The Canadian Museum of Civilization features three main galleries: the Grand Hall, Canada Hall, and the First Peoples Hall. The Grand Hall is especially notable, with its impressive 112 x 15 m (365 x 50 ft) glass wall offering stunning views of Ottawa's Parliament Buildings and showcasing the world’s largest indoor collection of totem poles.
My main goal was to see a special traveling exhibition organized by the Cincinnati Art Museum and the American Museum of Natural History, under the patronage of Her Majesty Queen Rania Al-Abdullah of Jordan. Titled "Petra: Lost City of Stone," it provides the most comprehensive portrait of Petra, a mysterious ancient city at the crossroads of historic trade routes.
Discovering Petra
The Nabateans, Petra's inhabitants, built this magnificent city in a harsh desert with only about 15 centimeters (6 inches) of rain annually. Ingeniously, they controlled the water supply by capturing and storing flash floodwaters in over 200 underground cisterns, redistributing it via clay pipes. This system not only sustained the city but also enabled it to profit from water sales, effectively creating an artificial oasis.
Originally, the Nabateans were nomadic merchants. Settling at the intersection of caravan trade routes, they flourished by serving and taxing other travelers, integrating various cultural elements into their art and architecture. Asian elephants symbolized strength, while Greek artistic influences were prominent. Later, Byzantine Christian art was widely adopted.
Petra's natural environment is spectacular and geologically unique. The Siq, a narrow sandstone gorge, forms the eastern entrance to the city, culminating in the breathtaking Treasury (Al Khazneh), a façade carved from natural stone. Petra once boasted 3,000 temples, tombs, and dwellings, with a peak population of 20,000. These structures were originally coated with stucco and brightly painted, a stunning sight in the desert.
Religious and Historical Insights
Little is known about the Nabateans' religion, but it is believed they worshipped a small number of gods, with Dushara and Al-Uzza being the most significant deities.
Petra thrived between 200 B.C. and 200 A.D., serving as a major trading hub linking the Silk Road with buyers in Greece, Rome, Egypt, and Syria. In 106 A.D., Roman Emperor Trajan annexed Petra. During the Byzantine era, Petra had its own bishop, and large Christian churches were constructed.
However, Petra’s seismically unstable location led to many earthquakes, with a devastating tremor in 363 A.D. destroying half the city and disrupting its water system. As ocean trade increased, land-based trade routes declined, leading to Petra's inability to recover. The early 7th century saw a peaceful transition to Islamic rule, but Petra was abandoned by the end of that century. Rediscovered in 1812 by Swiss explorer Johann Burckhardt, less than five percent of the city has been excavated, leaving many secrets yet to be discovered.
Exhibition Highlights
The exhibition includes artifacts, architectural details, jewelry, vases, and more. Highlights include a gravestone with a man's likeness, an elephant-head column capital, a standing eagle relief, and a sculpted garland frieze from a main temple. Nineteenth-century paintings, drawings, and prints depict Burckhardt’s 1812 rediscovery of Petra. An 8-minute film, "Petra: Crossroad of the Ancient World," provides cultural insights and showcases Nabatean rock-cutting and water management techniques.
Enhancing this historical exhibition, "The Bedouin of Petra" features 25 color photographs by award-winning photojournalist Vivian Ronay. These images, taken between 1986 and 2003, document the transition of the Bedoul Bedouins from pastoral life to tourism. They moved from tents and caves among ancient ruins to modern housing provided by the Jordanian government for preservation reasons, marking a significant lifestyle change.
A Glimpse into Greece
I capped the day with another brush with antiquity at the Museum’s IMAX Theatre, watching "Greece: Secrets of the Past." This IMAX Theatre, the first of its kind, combines two IMAX technologies. Its massive vertical screen, ten times the size of a typical movie screen, immerses viewers in a near-real experience.
This film opened with a breathtaking aerial view of the Mediterranean and Greek islands, exploring the powerful volcanic eruption on Santorini?"the most significant in history. Scenes of Athens and the Acropolis highlighted Greece’s role as the cradle of Western civilization 2,500 years ago. The film followed archaeologists, introducing innovations in the field. Narrated by Nia Vardalos (of "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" fame), the film is a feast for the eyes, as good as being there.
Overall, it was a rich cultural journey, bringing ancient worlds vividly to life.
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