Pierre and Patricia Bikai, both archaeologists, were respectively the Director and Associate Director of the American Center of Oriental Research (ACOR) in Amman from 1991 to 2006. Their publications and numerous archaeological findings were all major contributions to the archaeology and cultural heritage of Jordan.

In 1993 Darat al Funun's archaeological site was excavated under Pierre Bikai's direction. In 2006, Pierre and Patricia presented their new archaeological findings at Darat al Funun in the exhibition Out of the Desert.

The above painting The Ridge Church Petra (looking East toward the Abse) (1998) by Ali Jabri was dedicated to Pierre and Patricia and shows one of the many important archaeological works they did in Petra.