Figure 1
Abandoned vernacular villages in Jordan showing the relationship between old settlements and adjacent new villages: (a) Al-Smakiya (Al-Smakiyeh); (b) Samad; and (c) Gharisa.
Note: Each abandoned ancestral village appears alongside the new village established during the migration of the 1960s–70s.
Sources: (a) Francesca Radcliffe. Copyright © Aerial Photographic Archive for Archaeology in the Middle East (APAAME). Reproduced with permission. (b, c) Robert Bewley (Bewley 2007–16). Copyright © APAAME. Reproduced with permission.
Table 1
Five dimensions of vernacular temporality in Jordan’s abandoned villages.
| TEMPORAL DIMENSION | CORE EXPERIENCE | KEY VILLAGE MANIFESTATIONS | REPRESENTATIVE TESTIMONY |
|---|---|---|---|
| Temporal layering | Coexistence of multiple times | Badhan (architectural palimpsest), Gharisa (ancient remains) | ‘You can see the different times in the stones […]’ |
| Temporal absence | Absented presence | Deir al-Samadia (presence-in-absence), Gharisa (absence as fullness) | ‘You can feel them [i.e. the people of the village] when you walk through [the village’s alleys]. Not ghosts exactly, not like in stories. They are present. The women at the ovens, the children in the paths, the men sitting in the shade. They are still there, somehow. You don’t see them, but you feel them. The village is empty, but it is not empty’ |
| Temporal adaptation | Evolution while maintaining connection | Samad (Eid visits), Gharisa (guest house repurposed) | ‘Heritage is not what was. It is what continues’ |
| Temporal differentiation | Generational variation | Al-Samakiya (home to history, to a playground), Badhan (critical consciousness) | ‘Every generation sees it differently’ |