2.7 Petra (Jordan) stone town

Petra (Jordan) the stone city


Petra is an important archaeological enclave in Jordan, the name means stone in Greek and the capital of the ancient Nabataean Kingdom. The name of Petra means stone in latin, and his name is perfectly adequate; It is not a city built with stone, but, literally, carved and sculpted in stone. The most famous buildings are the Temple of the winged lions and the Treasury.
Petra is a monumental set only that from December 6, 1985, is inscribed on the World Heritage list of UNESCO. The area surrounding the place is also, since 1993, archaeological National Park. Since July 7, 2007, Petra is part of the new seven wonders of the world.

The settlement of Petra is located in a narrow valley, to the East of the Valley of the Arava, which extends from the dead sea to the Gulf of Aqaba. They are the remains of the capital of the ancient Nabataean Kingdom, founded around the 300 BC. The most famous remains of Petra are undoubtedly its buildings carved into the same rock of the Valley (hemispeos), in particular, the buildings known as the Khazneh (the Treasury) and the Deir ("the monastery").

Founded in ancient times towards the end of the 7th century BC by the edomites, was occupied in the 6th century BC by the Nabataeans which made it thrive thanks to its location on the caravan route that carried the incense, spices and other products in luxury between Egypt, Syria, Arabia and South of the Mediterranean.

To the 8th century, changing trade routes and suffered earthquakes, led to the abandonment of the city by its inhabitants. It fell into oblivion in the modern era, and the place was rediscovered for the Western world by a Swiss Explorer Johann Ludwig Burckhardt in 1812.

A motorway reaches Petra since 2004. Wiki Travel recommends that you recruit a Bedouin at the entrance of the archaeological, in the visitor centre Park, since one can thus take advantage of the knowledge that have these guides that sometimes even have lived his entire life in Petra. And for the rental of a donkey or a camel, you will be told the history of the site.

Then begins the street of facades, a long barrel on whose sides are lined up the facades of tombs. At the end of the call, you can see a carved rock theater, expanded in the time of Roman domination, for 7,000 spectators. Yet it still in use in some performances. Front of the theatre are the so-called Royal Tombs, which are more important and great that the street of the facades. And finally the monastery or temple, the largest monument of Petra, which was excavated in stone in 100 BC. It has 800 steps up to it, that might take an hour to overcome. Some visitors prefer to climb on the back of a donkey.



Map legend

  1. Hotel, resort
  2. Tomb «Djinn»
  3. Tomb of the obelisks (image)
  4. Conduction of water tunnel.
  5. Al - Madras sector
  6. The Siq (image)
  7. The treasure or Khazne (image)
  8. Terraces with facades of tombs
  9. Roman Theatre (image)
  10. Tomb of Uneishu (image)
  11. The URN Tomb
  12. Corinthian Tomb
  13. Tomb of floors
  14. North wall
  15. Tomb of Sextius Florentinus (image)
  16. Tower Conway
  17. Tomb call «Turkmaniyeh»
  18. Nymphaeum
  1. With columns (image)
  2. Temple of the winged Lions
  3. Arch of Trajan (Triple arcco)
  4. Qasr al-Bint (Image)
  5. Museum
  6. Quarries (image)
  7. Necropolis of Umm al - Biyarah
  8. The Deir (image)
  9. Qattar ad-Deir 5
  10. High place of Madhbah
  11. South wall
  12. Aqueduct (image)
  13. House of Dorotheos
  14. An-Nasarah Mughr necropolis
  15. Shrine of Al - M'aysrah
  16. Biclinium urn
  17. Triclinum of Lions
  18. Shrine of Isis
  1. Umm al - Biyarah shrine
  2. The snake monument
  3. High place of Jabal Al - Nmayr
  4. Wadi Al - Nmayr graves
  5. Wadi Farasah (image of the tomb of the gardener)
  6. Graves
  7. Niche of the Eagle
  8. Fortress Al - Wu'ayrah of the Crusaders
  9. Great Temple
  10. High place and fortress of Al - Habis
  11. Dike (image)
  12. Church (image)
  13. High place of Jebel Khubtha (view from the Summit)
  14. Wadi Siyagh (image)
    The 2 and 3 to 50. Khazne al - Firaun