The city of Petra is the treasury of the Arabian Desert, the capital of the ancient Nabataean kingdom, which is more than 2 thousand years old and the main attraction of modern Jordan. The road to Petra ran through a deep gorge, which is about a kilometer long, along narrow, rocky paths between sheer cliffs and boggles the imagination of even the most sophisticated travelers.
Petra or, as it is also called, the pink city, half as old as time itself, is carved right into the rock and keeps many secrets and mysteries. The construction of this miracle began in the Edomite era, as a well-defended fortress. A little later, these lands passed into the possession of the Nabataeans, who continued construction and created a real oasis. Petra became the capital of the kingdom and gained wide popularity and unprecedented influence. The Nabateans not only knew how to skillfully work stone, but also learned how to collect water during torrential floods, which allowed them to calmly survive long periods of drought.
In the 1st century A. D. The Nabataean kingdom became a Roman protectorate, and later, under the Emperor Trajan, it was completely conquered. As the years passed, everything changed around, the sea trade was gaining more and more strength. A new powerful commercial center, Palmyra, was flourishing. Old trade routes shifted and the city of Petra was left out of business. Trade became completely hopeless for the Nabataeans and the "pink city" was deserted. For many centuries, Petra remained forgotten and abandoned, only rare nomads - Bedouins and the wind were infrequent guests of the former capital of the Nabataean kingdom.
Only in the 19th century did the world hear about the beautiful city of Petra again. In 1812, the Swiss traveler Johann found the lost city - a legend. To date, the territory of Petra has been explored only 15% - and this is already more than 800 objects! How many more amazing and mysterious things are hidden in the sands among the rocks. The territory of Petra is huge and it will take several days to even get a glimpse of most of the "treasures" found there. To better navigate and choose for yourself the best option for visiting the city lost in time, in which, by the way, the famous film about Indiana Jones was filmed, see this map:
- - Entrance
- - "Al-Wuheira"
- - The beginning of the Siq gorge
- - "Treasury of the Pharaohs"
- - Place of sacrifices
- - Theatre
- - Tomb "Cathedral"
- - Tomb of Sextus Florentinus
- - "Nymphaeum"
- - Church
- - Temple of the Winged Lions
- - Big Temple
- - Temple of Uzza
- - Archaeological Museum
- - Lion Triclinium (dining room)
- - El Deir Monastery
In December 1985, Petra was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List, and in July 2007 was named one of the Seven New Wonders of the World. You can visit Petra not only while in Jordan, but also excursions from Israel and Egypt are very popular here.
Travel, enjoy, learn new things!
