Beidha Neolithic Village

Located just 9 km north of the Petra Visitor Center and 800 m from the entrance of Siq al-Barid (Little Petra), the Neolithic village of Beidha (also spelled Bayda) is a uniquely preserved and interpreted archaeological site which provides important insights into the origins of human development. It enables visitors to imagine how people lived 10,000 years ago, during the final phase of the Stone Age, when farming and animal domestication began. This change in food procurement marks the transition to a more sendentary mode of life. Permanent settlements such as Beidha were established and the social structures and symbolic belief systems became more complex.
The village at Beidha was inhabited from about 8,500 BC to 5,500 BC. The remains of houses found there demonstrate the evolvement of early architecture from circular buildings to houses with rectangular shapes that could be easily extended and compacted, enabling also upper storeys. This was an important factor as the population grew, relying on stable food supply from barley cultivation and goat keeping. Some 40 m away from the domestic area, a group of oval structures, unusual large slabs with shallow cup-marks ground in them, standing stones, and a great basin is believed to have been a ritual space.
At the entrance of the village precinct, archaeologists have built actual size replicas of the Neolithic houses, based on evidences found on site. Together with trails and interpretation signs, these reconstructions help visitors to understand the archaeological structures of the settlement, and how this ancient community may have lived.

Approaching the Neolithic village
From the entrance of Siq al-Barid (Little Petra), the archaeological site of the Neolithic village is about 800 m walking distance.

Map of the site
The map shows the recommended footpath through the site, which passes by the reconstructed houses, the sanctuary, and the round and rectangular buildings that characterize this archaeological site, where the evolvement of early architecture can be traced.

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At the entrance, archaeologists have built actual size replicas of the Neolithic houses based on evidences found on site, to help visitors to understand the archaeological structures.
The remains of houses in Beidha demonstrate the evolvement of early architecture from circular buildings to those with rectangular shapes that could be easily extended, and compacted, enabling also upper storeys.
The houses were divided into a number of cells for living as well as to provide storage space. Storage was a vital part of a farming economy, preserving food supplies between harvests. Bringing the storage space into the buildings suggests the development of the notion of private property, and reflects changes occurring in society.