You're watching FreeSchool! Petra, an ancient city carved into the red
sandstone of Jordan, is a place of secrets and wonder. Hidden deep within a narrow
canyon, this lost city has stood the test of time and still holds many mysteries within its
towering stone walls. Once a thriving metropolis, Petra was abandoned for centuries,
only to be rediscovered in the 1800s. Today, it is one of the most fascinating and
enigmatic archaeological sites in the world, drawing visitors from all over to explore its
hidden tombs, temples, and monuments. Petra is a place where history and mystery collide, and
one of the New Seven Wonders of the World.
Petra is also known as the "Rose City" because
of the color of the stone it's carved into. It was founded around 300 BC by the Nabateans, a nomadic tribe of Arabs who settled in the area
and turned it into a bustling trade center. The city was strategically located at the
crossroads of important trade routes, allowing merchants to bring goods from all
over the ancient world to Petra's markets. This included cloth, spices,
ivory, gold, and incense. These items would be traded with merchants
from as far away as India, China, and Rome, and were in high demand among the
wealthy citizens of the Mediterranean.
Although it was perfectly situated
to take advantage of trade routes, Petra's desert location posed
another challenge: water. The Nabateans were expert engineers, and built
complex systems of dams, channels, and cisterns to collect and distribute water from
flash floods and springs in the area. By turning the desert around Petra into
an oasis, they were able to grow enough crops to sustain a large population, and
even grow a surplus of olives and grapes, which in turn, attracted
more traders to the city. Due to its position as a crossroads, Petra
became a hub of cultural exchange, as well. Merchants and traders from all over the ancient
world would come to Petra, bringing with them new ideas, technologies, and customs, which
would be adopted and adapted by the Nabateans. The buildings in Petra show architectural
influences from as far away as Greece, Egypt, and India, and allowed Petra to become
one of history's most extravagant cities.
One of the most iconic sites
in Petra is the Monastery, a massive building carved into a rock face
that may have been used for religious purposes. At 154 feet or 47 meters high, it is the
tallest surviving building at the site. The Monastery is known for its intricate carvings
and elaborate facade, which features a series of ornate columns and statues, but inside you
will only find a single square chamber. A site with more substance is the Treasury.
The Treasury's façade is also carved out of solid rock, and intricately
decorated with columns and statues. For a building with such a large exterior,
the inside of the Treasury is curiously small. Only one main room and two smaller
chambers branch off to the sides, giving little clue as to its original purpose.
It was once thought to be a royal tomb, but it may have been used for
religious and ceremonial purposes. There was more to Petra than temples and tombs,
and not everything was carved into the cliffs. There were houses, marketplaces, churches, and
even a theater, many of them freestanding in a more familiar style. At its height, Petra may
have been home to as many as 30,000 people. Like all civilizations, however,
Petra couldn't last forever, and its downfall came in the
form of the Roman Empire. In 63 B.C, a Roman general led his army to Petra,
and successfully defeated the Nabateans. The Romans then took control of the city
and made it a part of their vast empire. Despite the defeat, Petra's architectural and
engineering marvels continued to be admired and studied by the Romans. It wasn't until
a massive earthquake hit the city in 363 AD, destroying many of the freestanding buildings
and crippling the water supply system that Petra's decline began in earnest.
The trade goods that had made Petra so wealthy no longer traveled through the desert via
caravan, and were instead transported by sea. Without this money coming in, Petra continued to
deteriorate and was mostly abandoned by 700 AD, about 1,000 years after it was founded.
For centuries, Petra lay empty. In 1812, Swiss geographer Johann Ludwig Burckhardt
was traveling from Nazareth to Cairo when he heard a rumor of a fabulous city hidden in the desert,
carved out of the very stone of the cliffs. He disguised himself as a Muslim
pilgrim and set off on his journey. After weeks of traveling through the harsh desert, he was able to hire a guide who took him through
a narrow canyon that led him to the city. As he walked through the canyon, he was amazed
at the towering rock structures that loomed above him. He saw the famous Treasury building,
carved into the side of a mountain and adorned with intricate sculpture. He explored the city as
much as he could without revealing his identity: he was the first European to lay
eyes on Petra in hundreds of years, and his discovery sparked a renewed
interest in the ancient city.
Thanks to Burckhardt's discovery,
Petra is now a World Heritage Site, attracting hundreds of
thousands of visitors each year. With its unique architecture,
its advanced water systems, and its rich history, Petra is truly a wonder
to behold. As excavations at the site continue, there is no telling how much more of its
history will be discovered in the future.
