Petra, Jordan

Lost rose city

Gods worshipped by the Nabataeans were represented as pillars or blocks, hence the numerous blocks of rocks which appear everywhere at Petra.  Many of these have been decorated with sculptures believed to be water gods as water was so sacred for Nabataeans. The Nabataeans also have the custom of burying the dead in half-excavated caves.  We did climb up to some of the tombs, including the Urn Tomb.  They look quite magnificent from the outside but are pretty much empty except for some wall sculptures in some of them.  Weather and time have done some pretty strange things to the rocks.  The most magnificent structure at Petra (and likely the most famous) is Al Khazneh, also called the Treasury.  Bedouins, a desert-dwelling ethnic group which has been living in the area, believe that the Treasury contained treasures, but a graveyard has been unearthed from the ground of the Treasury, so it is also thought to be a memorial for royalty.  The real use of it remains unclear.  Further on from the Treasury is a magnificent amphitheatre surrounded by tombs, the Street of Facades, and the Great Temple of Petra.  The Great Temple of Petra is the largest building in the city of Petra and it’s pretty cool to still be able imagine what existed here from the wide steps leading to the supreme sacred area and the mirror arches spanning both sides of the temple.  All in all, I was in awe with this amazing place, especially how it has been carved into a whole city with just rocks.

Petra

Lost rose city

Visiting Petra in Jordan brought back memories of watching Indiana Jones and Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, especially when I heard the echoes of horse hooves in the darkened passages of Petra’s famous 1.2km gorge known as the Siq, bringing shivers of excitement down my spine as I walked down this mysterious passage.  As I visited pretty late in the day and the sun’s rays were hitting the rocks from different angles, it was fascinating to see the red, pink, orange and golden hues in the different shapes and forms of rocks that make up Petra.  The half built, half carved ancient city of Petra sits on the south of Amman on the edge of Wadi Araba’s mountainous desert, and is surrounded by rose coloured mountains, hence the magnificent rose colours seen in the rocks of what’s left of this city.  Built with a combination of Ancient Eastern and Hellenistic architectural traditions, this city was established as early as 312 BCE as the capital of the Nabataeans, before it was annexed into the Roman Empire.  Because of its strategic location, Petra was the centre of caravan trade for Chinese silks, Indian spices and Arabian incense.  With a fortress like formation with towering rocks and as the centre of commercial routes passing through to Gaza, Damascus, the Red Sea and the Persian Gulf, this was a successful and prosperous city until the Romans took over later in history.  Being a desert city, water was vital to the Nabataeans and the ability to harness the water from the frequent flash floods enabled the Nabataeans to control and make use of this valuable resource.  The extensive water system built by the Nabataeans can be seen in the Siq which gets as narrow as 2m wide at its most narrow point and up to 7m at other points. There are remnants of channels, tunnels, and even elaborate cisterns and reservoirs beyond the gorge.