Being Bedouin Around Petra

A paradoxical tension emerges at Petra, Jordan, where the Bedouin—resettled from their traditional habitat due to UNESCO World Heritage designation in 1985—were later recognized as a Masterpiece of Oral and Intangible Heritage in 2005. This study examines how Bedouin identity persists despite displacement, shaped by competing narratives such as tourism, heritage protection, national discourse, Islamic Revival, and New Age spiritualism. The research explores the disconnection between lived experience and cultural recognition, revealing how oral traditions and landscape relationships endure even when physical habitation ceases.

Bille, M. (2022). Being Bedouin Around Petra. https://doi.org/10.1515/9781789201215