The rock dwellings of Shawbak and nearby area - Jordan

As part of the archaeological mission "From Petra to Shawbak - Archaeology of a Frontier", specific research was addressed to the identification and study of artificial hypogea that develop on the extensive cliffs around the crusader castle of Shawbak, located in southern Jordan. The structures known as Jaya and Habis, positioned in the immediate vicinity of the fortification and related to it, are of particular interest. Above all, some of these settlements may have been part of the Ayyubid-Mameluke town already pinpointed and certainly present at some time during the 13th-14th centuries. The original configuration of the underground environments is easily identifiable even from outside because of recent collapse, but their exploration is complex due to the fact that the sites are vertical, although it is clear that the site was settled on a continued basis. The earlier phases, presumably Byzantine and revealing its use as a place of worship with burials and simple depictions, were followed by agricultural periods, with definitive interruption presumably only in the last century. The examination of the sites included not only surveys but also hydro-geological readings, radon gas sampling and landscape-settlement analysis. These multidisciplinary studies intend both to safeguard the cultural identity of the sites and to foster the most suitable technical and scientific activities for their enhancement and promotion in the tourism sector.