| Petra the Ancient Magic of the Lost City |
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| Jordan - Jordan Attractions |
| Tuesday, 15 April 2008 00:00 |
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You approach through the cool gloom of the Siq, by a long narrow gorge the steeply risen sides , all but obliterate the sun and this provides a very dramatic contrast to the magic that lies ahead. Then without warning the gorge suddenly opens into a natural square, that is dominated by Petra's most famous monument, (the Khasneh). Its intricately carved facade glows in the dazzling sun. There are more facades that beckon you the visitor onward until the Ancient city gradually unfolds as one monument leads you to the next kilometre after kilometre. The sheer size of the city is awesome, the quality of the beautifully carved facades is staggering. This leads you to reflect about the creativity and industrious Nabateans, who made Petra their capital city over 2,000 years ago. The Nabateans established an elaborate network from their capital, Petra in Trade. The caravan routes which brought gold, incense, myrrh, silver and precious stones in from India and Arabia, then would be traded onto the west. From all the acquired wealth, they adorned their city with palaces, arches and temples. Many of those that were freestanding all have largely disappeared, but many were carved into the rock itself for example, The Treasury, The Monumental Tombs and the High Place of Sacrifice. These all still remain today in a perfect condition, its so staggering you feel as though you have entered a time wrap. Petra is so enchanting it captivates and excites all the senses. The size is so overwhelming, its stunning surroundings, rich textures combined create an ambiance almost impossible to describe. There are dozens of sacred sites here at Petra. The Nabatean people, on a windswept ridge high above the city, extolled their gods at, (El-Madbah) known as the High Place. Many classical Nabatean ruins can be seen in this area known as The Street of Facades. The Outer “Siq” then suddenly takes a turn leading northwards to the Roman Theatre, it was built in typical Roman style. The Palace of the Pharoah’s daughter (Qasr El-Bint Faroun) is quite a substantial building, it clearly demonstrates the Nabateans were very capable in creating free-standing buildings. Petra’s second spectacular construction following The Treasury is (El-Dier) The Monastery. Making this trip is essential, you gain the immense feeling and sheer power of the rock. Across from the (Qaser El-Bint) are jubo-size steps that lead you up to Petra’s Museum. This is the most monumental exhibit of all, this room houses a small collection of artefacts for you to see. The Siq.The word Siq is believed to have origin from the Syrian language and the Old Arabic language, in all it means the hallway or ally and more of the same, that word describes the entrance to city of Petra.The passage way or the entrance to the city of Petra, is a pathway between two rocks, it is approximately 1200m long, and the width of the pathway can be in some places only 2 metres wide, it reaches a height of 80 to 100m. On the left side of the pathway there is channel that was man made to carry the water from the Mousa springs out side the city into the city of Petra. The rocks on both sides of the pathway, are naturally decorated with rich colours of the rocks, a mixture that adds more magic to the place, and if you take into consideration the wind blowing in the pathway giving it a dreaming music to the ears. At the end of the pathway you will be stroke by a must fabulous structure of them all AL-Khaznah (The treasury). The Treasury (El-Khazneh)A carved building into the stone, reaches the height of 39.5 metres and 28 metres wide. The place was called the Pharaohs treasury because the locals believed that the Pharaoh had buried his treasures in the Jar founded in the second level, which is probably why they did try to shoot it, to take whatever treasures are in there. Al-Khaznah is actually a Tomb and a Temple consisting of 2 levels, decorated with engraving on the walls of eagles and flowers. The Roman Theatre.Consisting of 33 rows, engraved in a grey yellowish stone, and can hold about 3000 people. On the other side of the theatre there are few tombs engraved in the stone, some wine and jewellery were found there and also some silver coins dated back to king Ubidah 30-9 B.C. Near the tombs the Romans Have built a pathway (Road), made with stones (typical Roman road building) and decorated with Columns on both sides. The Palace of the Pharoah’s daughter (Qasr El-Bint Faroun) was built by the Nabateans in the first century B.C, as a temple to honour the god “do Shara” The Monastery (El-Dier).A huge temple with a front reaching approximately 47 metres in width and 40 metres in height. Engraved in a yellow grey stone, has a small room used by the monks as a living quarter. The temple’s front is decorated by two lions and was called the lion tomb. The Sacrificial Altar (High Palace of Sacrifice). Is located between the pharaohs treasury and the roman theatre, contains a huge square of 64 metres long and 20 metres wide, the Nabateans built a well inside to gain access to water for cleaning the Sacrificial Altar. The monastery is located to the west. Brief history of Petra.Petra is connected to the Nabataean people who made Petra their capital city. The Nabataeans are Nomad Arabic Tribe that use to move from one place to another looking for water and food for their cattle, some of them made it to Petra. The Adomians where living in Petra during that time. The significance of Petra’s location between Egypt, Palestine, Syria and Iraq, is it soon started to attract wealth and prosper, so the Nabataeans abandoned the life of the Nomad and started to lead caravans filled with wealth consisted of gold, silver, spices, jewellery and precious wood from the Persian Empire to the eastern districts in that part of the world. According to Arab tradition, Petra is the spot where Moses struck a rock with his staff and water came forth, and where Moses' sister, Miriam, is buried. The Nabataeans established Petra as a Place where they will store their precious goods. And also as a stronghold to protect them from enemies and bandits. The Romans were attracted by the wealth of Petra, even tried to steal the treasures of Petra, but the Nabataeans caught up with them and a bloody battle was fought near the coast of Tabaria between the King Ubaidah the first and Alexander Janius in 90 B.C. It resulted in a win by the Nabataeans and conquering the South part of Syria, which made the Nabataean Empire prosper even more. The Romans didn’t manage to overcome the Nabataeans even with continuous campaigns against them. In the end the Nabataeans bought the Romans with gold but that didn’t last so long, the Roman launched a campaign and took Petra and the Nabataean kingdom in 105 and they named it the Arabian Petraea. In 636 Petra was under the Arabic rule, and the remaining of the people of Petra who lived there became farmers, until the earthquake that struck Petra in 746/748 made it a ghost town. The City was lost until its discovery in 1812, hence the Name “The Lost City” it was rediscovered by the Swiss explorer Johann Ludwig Burckhardt. John William Burgon described Petra as "a rose-red city half as old as time" Comments (1)
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This place is absolutely awesome and cannot be compared to anywhere else in the world. The filming of Indiana Jones movie scenes were shot in this location, during a time when Petra was still virtually unknown to the outside world. Petra is hidden behind an almost impenetrable barrier of rugged mountains that provided much needed protection in the old world, this rock-carved city is full of mysterious charm.
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Will be coming back very soon