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| The first thing you see as you walk through the Gorge |
Words can hardly do justice to the true magnificence that is Petra. Some archaeologists have ranked ancient Petra as the eighth wonder of the ancient world – a truly justifiable claim. Petra is unique in every respect, having something to offer to the historian, anthropologist, archaeologist, geologist, architect and the naturalist, all of whom regularly come to Petra to conduct their studies and be in touch with the ancient past. You do not have to be a specialist in any field though to appreciate Petra because, once inside of it, you will be quickly awe-struck and you will want to know the how, why and where about it.
It costs a fortune to go in however, $70.00 cdn per person!! Ouch, but we’d come this far so what the hell. This remote dead city is one of the great archaeological treasures in the world, undoubtedly; it is the most important famous attraction of Jordan.
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| All carved out of the Mountain |
Built by the Nabataeans, one of the most gifted people in history, were ancient Arab tribes who originally came from the Arabian Peninsula, more than 2200 years ago.
The city was throbbing with life, crisscrossed by paved roads, agricultural terraces, water harvesting systems, artwork and temples, not to mention theatres. After reaching its historical peak , Petra was gradually abandoned and after the 14th century it was completely lost to the West, until a Swiss traveller named Johann Ludwig Burckhardt rediscovered it in 1812.
The ancient main entrance to Petra is an impressive, 1200m long, deep and narrow gorge of stunning natural beauty. As you continue on, you come to “Al-Khazneh (treasury), emerging from it you suddenly come face to face with the pride and joy of Petra and the most beautiful monument here. Carved in the 1st century BC as a tomb of an important Nabataean king; some scholars believe it was later used as a temple.
I cant imagine standing in front of a big rock and saying “OK guys lets carve a tomb for our king” and then to have it turn out like this? Wow. I remember speaking to the soapstone carver on Salt Spring one day and he said that he uncovers what is already hidden under the stone, so I guess thats what they did back then too, uncovered what was already there, how cool? So pretty, so angelic, so clever...
I cant imagine standing in front of a big rock and saying “OK guys lets carve a tomb for our king” and then to have it turn out like this? Wow. I remember speaking to the soapstone carver on Salt Spring one day and he said that he uncovers what is already hidden under the stone, so I guess thats what they did back then too, uncovered what was already there, how cool? So pretty, so angelic, so clever...
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| The Details are Amazing |
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| 30 m wide and 43 m high |
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