The ancient city of Petra is located in southern Jordan, about 250 kilometers from the capital Amman. Petra means "rock" in Hebrew. The Old Testament is called "Sela." Petra is located in an alpine valley at an altitude of 1,000 meters, almost entirely carved from the rock, and the red sandstone of the ruins of the ancient city of Petra shines in the sun and shows a beautiful color, so it is also known as the "Rose Ancient City". In 1985, Petra was inscribed on the World Heritage List by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee as a cultural heritage.
Petra
Located between the Red Sea and the Dead Sea, this Nomadic Nabataean city dates back to prehistoric times and was originally a transportation fortress between Arabia, Egypt, Syria and Phoenicia. Petra is one of the most famous archaeological sites in the world, where ancient Oriental traditions meet ancient Greek architecture.
A city carved out of steep rock walls
Wander through the ruins of the ancient city of Petra
Amphitheater
The author of this article is at the Petra Terrace Theatre
Ruins of the ancient city
Also known as the "Lost City", Petra is full of traces of history, carved into the cliffs and printed in the canyon, like a colorful epic carved into the canyon. Petra was the capital of the Nabataean kingdom from the 4th century BC to the 2nd century AD. It was extremely prosperous in the 1st century BC, but in 106 AD it was conquered by the Armies of the Roman Empire and became a province of the Roman Empire, which flourished as a major trade route. From the 3rd century onwards, petra began to decline due to the rise of Red Sea trade instead of overland trade routes, and by the time it was conquered by Arab armies in the 7th century, it was an abandoned empty city. It was not until 1812 that it was rediscovered by the Swiss explorer Johann Beckhardt. From prehistoric times to the Middle Ages, a wide variety of archaeological and architectural remains provide a unique testimony to the now-extinct civilization. On July 8, 2007, it was selected as the New Seven Wonders of the World.
Wander around the ruins of the ancient city
Stone Pillar Street
At the end of Pillar Street is the monastery
Ruins of the ancient city
Ruins of the ancient city
Ruins of the ancient city
Ruins of the ancient city
Wander around the ruins of the ancient city
Petra's geographical location is extremely mysterious and special, with the only entrance being a narrow mountain gorge. Entering the canyon, the yongdao loops around, steep and deep, and the road is covered with pebbles. The canyon is about 7 meters wide at its widest point and only about 2 meters at its narrowest point, allowing a carriage to pass through, with a total length of about 1.5 kilometers. There are caves and rock tombs carved on both sides. The rocks on the cliffs have become flat and smooth under the long-term action of wind and rain, like a knife cutting axe. Looking up at the sky along the cliffs, the blue sky is a line, and the name of "a line of heaven" comes from this. It is said that in the 1st century AD, Roman soldiers who invaded Petra had a fierce battle with the Nabataeans here.
Looking up at the sky along the cliffs, the blue sky is a line, and the name of "a line of heaven" comes from this
"A silver lining"
Ruins of the ancient city
Ruins of the ancient city
Ruins of the ancient city
Ruins of the ancient city
Wander around the ruins of the ancient city
At the end of the canyon is a mountain carved ancient Greek style building, the El Kozner Treasury. It is about 40 meters high and about 30 meters wide, with a majestic shape, with 6 Romanesque doorposts, divided into two layers, upper and lower, until the top of the cave. The beams and door eaves are carved with intricate patterns. Legend has it that the treasure cave of Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves in One Thousand and One Nights is here. Continue around the El Kozner Treasury with the remains of the Roman Theater. There is an open field behind the theater, and on the rock walls of the surrounding cliffs, the eaves are interspersed, and the temples overlap, which is very spectacular. The city is built on a hill with temples, palaces, baths and dwellings. There are also canals dug out of the rocks. Carved into the mountain rocks of the northeast, there is a majestic three-story grotto, facing the Roman palace style, which is the mausoleum of the kings of the past.
El Kozner's Treasury, where the legend is that the treasure cave of Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves in One Thousand and One Nights is located
El Kozner's Treasury
El Kozner's Treasury (partial)
This article is written by petra (2016)
Petra, a city hidden in a canyon surrounded by cliffs, is known as "a relief gem embedded in a rocky cliff". Petra of the Nabateans is still a mystery, once so prosperous and magnificent, in its heyday, the territory of the Nabataean Kingdom extended from Damascus to the Red Sea region, but always set the capital city in Petra surrounded by mountains, easy to defend and difficult to attack. After the defeat of the Nabataeans to the Romans, they suddenly disappeared without a trace, leaving no clues at all, only some patterns and words carved on the stone cliffs, which have not yet been deciphered, leaving this mysterious stone city for future generations to think, explore and crack.
Sun Keqin wrote and photographed
bibliography
Sun Keqin, Sun Bo, 2018, Into the World Heritage Site. Beijing: Peking University Press.
Keqin Sun, Bo Sun, 2020, World Heritage Site. Beijing: Peking University Press.