Petra is
the treasure
of ancient world, hidden behind an
almost impenetrable barrier of
rugged mountains, boasting
incomparable scenes that make it the
most majestic
and imposing ancient site
still-standing nowadays.. It has
been said "perhaps
there is nothing in the world that
resembles it", actually, for
sure, there is
nothing in the world that resembles
it. The rock-carved rose-red
city of Petra is
full of
mysterious charm, it was
"designed to
strike wonder into all who
entered it".
Petra is
considered the
most famous and gorgeous site
in Jordan located about 262 km south
of
Amman and 133 km north of
Aqaba. It is the legacy of the
Nabataeans, an industrious Arab
people who settled in southern
Jordan more than 2000 years ago.
Admired then for its refined
culture, massive architecture and
ingenious complex of dams and water
channels, Petra is now a
UNESCO world
heritage site that enchants
visitors from all corners of the
globe.
The approach
through a kilometer long, cool, and
gloom chasm (or
Siq) a long narrow gorge whose
steeply rising sides all but
obliterate the sun, provides a
dramatic contrast with
the magic to
come. Suddenly the gorge
opens into a natural square
dominated by Petra's most famous
monument,
The Treasury (El-Khazneh), whose
intricately carved facade glows in
the dazzling sun.
More facades
beckon the visitor on until the
ancient city gradually unfolds, one
monument leading to the next for
kilometer after kilometer. The sheer
size of the city and the quality of
beautifully carved facades is
staggering and leads one to reflect
on the
creativity and industry of
the Nabataeans who made Petra their
capital.
Petra is always
breathtaking, and
never to be
forgotten. It flourished for
over 400 years around the time of
Rome and Christ (pbuh), until it was
occupied by the Roman legions of the
Emperor Trajan in 106 AD.
The Petra basin
boasts over
800 individual monuments,
including buildings, tombs, baths,
funerary halls, temples, arched
gateways, and colonnaded streets,
that were mostly carved from the
kaleidoscopic sandstone by the
technical and artistic genius of its
inhabitants.
Petra sights are
at their best in early morning and
late afternoon, when the sun warms
the multicolored stones, you can
view the
majesty of Petra as it was
seen first when
discovered in 1812 after being
lost by the 16th century for almost
300 years!