Petra
Petra (English: Petra) is a city located in Jordan, and it became one of the new seven wonders of the world after voting in 2007 AD, and because of its valuable historical and architectural position was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1985 AD.
Petra, which means stones in the Greek language, is famous for its stone monuments carved into the rock, in addition to the system of water canals in it, and it is also known as the Rose City, and the reason for this designation is due to the color of the rock city stones.
Petra website
The city of Petra is located in the south of Jordan in the Ma’an governorate specifically, about 240 km from the capital, Amman, and 120 km north of the city of Aqaba overlooking the Red Sea, and its coordinates extend between the lines ″ 43 ′19 ° 30 north and شمال 31 ′26 ° 35 east.
The Rose City is located in a city called Wadi Musa, a city full of restaurants, cafes, and hotels, where visitors to Petra can stay while they visit the city.
History of Petra
The city of Petra is considered the capital of the Nabataean Kingdom (English: Nabataean Kingdom), and it had a high position among the kingdoms at that time, and it is not known exactly when the city was built, but since the first century BC it has gained this status; as the capital of the Nabatean Kingdom, and a major center of trade, especially Trade incense, myrrh and spices. As a result of its economic prosperity, the Nabateans managed to control the trade and economy routes in the region.
The Nabatean kingdom flourished in the second century BC, and its prosperity was very prominent, as Petra was a commercial city with a distinctive architectural character and a rational government, which was able to expand its area of control that extended to large areas from the northern desert in the south, to Syria in the north, and from Sinai Westward, to the valley of Sarhan and Al-Jawf in the east, as the Nabataeans made their own money, which was in the form of coins.
The great economic growth of the city raised the concern of the Romens who attacked it in 63 BC, but it resisted the attack, and later the Nabateans ceased with the Parthian Empire against the Romens, but when the Parthians were defeated, the Nabateans had to pay tribute to the Romens, and when they failed to pay it, the Romens attacked them, and they controlled a wide From the Nabataean kingdom in the year 31 BC, at that time, the last king of the Nabataeans, Lord of Deer II, entered into an agreement with the Romens not to enter the city until his death, and in 106 AD the Romens controlled the city.
Discover the city of Petra
The region witnessed a very large earthquake in the year 363 AD, which led to the destruction of large parts of the city, as well as its filling under the rock, and as a result of these events the city disappeared for 7 centuries, and no one knew its location or history, except for the local population, and the Bedouin tribes that settled the area.
In 1812 AD, the Swiss explorer and traveler John Louis Berckhart heard accounts from the local people in the region, talking about the existence of a city called the Lost City, located between the mountains of the Wadi Musa region, and in an attempt to explore the city in complete secrecy, Barckhart disguised as a need, and wanted to make a sacrifice at The mausoleum of the Prophet Harun located in the region, and in this way was able to reveal the city, where it was known for its new civilized form as it is now known.
Petra monuments
The effects of the city of Petra, which bear witness to the ancient Nabataean civilization, are varied. Some of the most important are:
- Driving: It is one of the most important and most impressive monuments of the ancient city of Petra, and it is a narrow crevice in the rock, with a length of about one thousand two hundred meters, and the height ranges between three meters and twelve meters, and most of it are natural features of amazing pink colors, and the remaining part is carved by the hands of the Arabs of the Nabateans.
- the safe: At the end of the Siq, the treasury shows the most important landmark of the ancient city of Petra, of breathtaking beauty and splendor of design. It is the most famous landmark of the city at all, with a height of about 39 meters, and a width of 25 meters.
- Monastery: It is one of the important buildings in Petra. Its size is greater than the size of the safe, with a height of 48.3 meters, and a width of 47 meters, and it contains moving statues of crowns.
- The Nabatean amphitheater in Petra: It is a very large amphitheater, in the form of a semicircle, and contains rows of seats carved in the rock, with a capacity of 4000 spectators. Above the amphitheater are rock pieces dating back to some ancient burials.
- Girl’s Palace: The height of this palace is 23 m, and it is surrounded by a staircase in which there are seats. It was placed during the reign of the fourth Nabati King Harith with two different inscriptions, one of which is still visible between the seats to this day.
- Court building or the Tomb of the Jar: This building is located on the opposite side of the amphitheater, and there are three outlets; they are used to be small burials. It was built in the year 70 AD, and in the year 446 AD it was used as a Byzantine church.
- The altar: The altar contains two rocky obelisks, standing next to each other, and the distance between them is 30 m, and they symbolize the god of evil, and the god of comfort, the most important god of the Nabataeans, and the offering was made to these two gods in it.
- The Great Temple: It is the largest building of the ancient city of Petra, and it contains a large square and wide stairs, and it is called the Holy of Holies, and its area reaches 76 km2.
- The baptized streetIt is an ancient Nabataean road, renovated in the Romen era in 106 BC, with a width of 6 AD, at the end of which there is a large gate where the girl’s palace is located.