An Ancient Rock City

Are you someone who is fascinated by ancient cities? Here is one - Petra, Jordan

Petra, an ancient rock city in present-day Jordan, known to the Arabs as Wadi Musa because of the stream that flows through it, was the capital of the Nabataean kingdom until its defeat by the Romans in AD 106. It then became part of the Roman province of Arabia. After several centuries as a flourishing trade centre, it declined with the shifting of trade routes away from the city. It was captured by the Muslims in the 7th century.

Its ruins were rediscovered in 1812 by the Swiss traveler Johann L. Burckhardt. Excavations since the mid-20th century have revealed many rock-cut monuments, including tombs with elaborate facades carved in the rose, crimson, and purple sandstone of the surrounding hills.

A narrow winding pass between towering walls leads to the open plain upon which stood the ancient city, while the plain is surrounded by hills in which tombs have been carved in the pink sandstone. Throughout Petra every available rock surface has been worked into a vertical face and in many cases sculptured into the façade of a temple, shrine, palace, or dwelling. The site includes some 800 structures, the best known of which is the Khazneh el-Farun (or so-called Pharoah's Treasury), a mausoleum, monument, or temple with a two-story facade and Hellenistic split pediment.

Petra was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1985.

Photo Credits: Google Images