GRIPS has successfully organized a webinar “Flood Control and Water Management in Nabatean Petra” on October 19, 2020 with Professor Nizar Abu Jaber of the German Jordanian University (GJU) as a lecturer.  It was a collaborative event with the Embassy of Jordan in Japan and the Institute for Disaster Management and Reconstruction (IDMR) at Sichuan University in China and attended by over 100 participants, including students, researchers, and experts from Jordan, China and Japan.

Following the greetings by Professor Hiroki from GRIPS, and by H.E. Ms. Lina Annab, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotential of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan to Japan , Professor Abu-Jaber presented an overview of the climate, geology and landscape of Petra, the Nabateans and their footprint on the region as well their flood and water control systems. This was followed by a discussion about GJU’s projects that are aimed to better understand the hydrology of the area, mimic the flood control technology and explore how the lessons learnt can be used in modern contexts.

The webinar highlighted the interaction and management of the difficult land scape of Petra, which shows that ancient civilizations coped with not only water-related issues, but also flood-control and water management. The webinar also called for further future collaborations among various relevant stakeholders on culture and heritage to share the lessons learnt in managing modern challenges relating to global climate changes.