October 2004
THE SOUQ EL-HADAYA* GIFT SHOP, FEATURING JORDANIAN HANDICRAFTS,
OPENS IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE PETRA: LOST CITY OF STONE EXHIBITION
AT THE PRINCE CONFERENCE CENTER, CALVIN COLLEGE
The Prince Conference Center at Calvin College, will open a Jordanian marketplace, the Souq elHadaya Gift Shop in conjunction with Petra: Lost City of Stone, the most comprehensive
exhibition ever presented on the ancient city of Petra, on view April 4 through August 15, 2005.
Much of the merchandise in the Souq el-Hadaya Gift Shop is from Jordan, handcrafted by local
artisans. During the exhibit, Jordanian artisans will visit the gift shop, demonstrating their crafts
and selling hand-painted artwork.
The Souq el-Hadaya Gift Shop offers a wide selection of authentic handicrafts from Jordan
including handmade notepaper, soaps, ceramics, jewelry, books, decorative pillows and
children’s items.
Highlights include:
 Decorative ceramic plates and mugs, painted with the image of the Treasury
 14-inch-diameter decorative ceramic bowl etched in stylized desert animal motif
 Six royal-red velvet napkin rings with embroidered edges and gold tassel
 Dead Sea aromatic bath salts packed in a hand size decorative fabric bag with
drawstring
 Bar of Jordan River extra virgin olive oil hand soap
 Sterling silver bracelets, earrings, and necklaces set with semiprecious stones
 Blown-glass egg-shell-thin vases of varying shapes and sizes, richly marbled in
eye-catching hues of blue, green, yellow, brown, and rose
 Five-inch-high decorative ceramic olive oil vessel on a metal wire stand
 Plush 36-inch-tall camel, perfect for a child’s room
 Plush 17-inch-tall Asian elephant puppet
 Hand-blown red and green glass ornaments with raised designs in gold paint
 Selection of brightly colored pillows with varied and complex stitching patterns
 Accessories including embroidered purses and hair bands
 Whimsical Petra t-shirt emblazoned with a camel train, and a t-shirt with photo
reproduction of the Treasury
 Selection of history and art books on Petra and Jordan
Museum admission is not required to enter the Souq el-Hadaya Gift Shop. Merchandise from
the Souq el-Hadaya Gift Shop is also available online at www.calvin.edu/petra.
The Petra: Lost City of Stone exhibit was organized by the Cincinnati Art Museum and
American Museum of Natural History, New York under the patronage of Her Majesty Queen
Rania Al-Abdullah of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. Air transportation generously
provided by Royal Jordanian.
For more information about the Petra: Lost City of Stone exhibit, running April 4 – August 15,
2005, at the Prince Conference Center, contact Calvin College at 3201 Burton S.E., Grand
Rapids, MI 49546; 616.526.7800; 800.PETRA05; or log on to www.calvin.edu/petra. Exhibit
hours: M/W/F/Sat., Memorial Day and Fourth of July, 9:30am-6pm; T/TH, 9:30am – 9pm;
Closed Sunday.
-end-
______________________________________________________
For Release:
October 2004
Calvin College
Phil deHaan
Director of Media Relations
616.526.6475
dehp@calvin.edu
Professional Marketing
Diane M. Jones
President
616.949.9104
pmconsulting@aol.com
______________________________________________________
[*Souq el-Hadaya = “Gift Market”]
About Petra and Petra: Lost City of Stone:
Petra: Lost City of Stone is the first major cultural collaboration between Jordan and the United States. This groundbreaking
exhibition offers North American audiences the opportunity to learn about the ancient metropolis of Petra, which was literally
carved from the red sandstone in the desert cliffs of southern Jordan. Located in the Jordan Rift Valley at the crossroads of
international trade routes, Petra was one of the most influential and prosperous commercial centers in antiquity. The rich cultural
life of the city reflected a confluence of Eastern and Western styles and traditions.
The forbidding desert was transformed by the Nabataeans into a bustling metropolis with monumental tombs carved directly into
the red sandstone hills, and hundreds of other structures including burial chambers, funerary banquet halls, residences, theaters,
bath complexes, arched gates and a complex system of water channels and reservoirs. The Nabataeans were skilled engineers and
developed and maintained an elaborate system of damming, terracing and irrigation that allowed them to maximize the
agricultural potential of the surrounding Petra plateau.
From the second century B.C. through the third century A.D., Petra prospered. A massive earthquake in A.D. 363 destroyed much
of the city, and, although partially revived after that, Petra was no longer the economic powerhouse it had been. Much of the
technological infrastructure that had made life in Petra possible fell into disuse, and political and religious changes in the ancient
world led to the eventual abandonment of the city in the seventh century A.D.
From its rediscovery by Swiss explorer Johann Burckhardt in 1812, Petra, with its savage beauty, desolate setting, the mystery
and splendor of its rock-carved architectural ruins and the variegated color of its cliff faces, has been a source of deep fascination
for Westerners. It became a major pilgrimage site for 19th century European and American artists and other travelers, and it
continues to enthrall. It was even used as a location for the popular 1989 feature film Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.
About Calvin College
Founded in 1876, Calvin College has become one of the largest Christian colleges in North America with over 4,000 students
from the U.S., Canada and another 50 countries around the globe. Calvin College offers nearly 100 majors and areas of study
and has 10 off-campus program options for students, including such places as China, Ghana, and Honduras. Calvin is widely
recognized for its outreach by means of scholarly study and works of art by its faculty and by student and alumni service in their
various communities. Special events also broaden Calvin’s outreach. Among them is the biennial Conference on Faith and
Writing, which brings noted writers to campus, and the annual widely-recognized January Series, a 15-day educational and
cultural series, which brings to campus internationally recognized musicians and scholars on timely topics. The archaeological
exhibit Petra: Lost City of Stone is brought to Calvin College as part of its dedication to community education and outreach.