Petra

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Petra: The Rose-Red City of Stone

Petra, officially known as Raqmu, is a remarkable archaeological site located in southern Jordan. This ancient city, renowned for its rock-cut architecture and ingenious water conduit systems, has earned the nickname "The Rose City" due to the distinctive red hue of the sandstone from which it is carved. Designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1985, Petra stands out as one of the world's most significant historical landmarks.

Inhabited since prehistoric times, Petra served as a vital crossroads between Arabia, Egypt, and Syria-Phoenicia. Its strategic location made it a bustling hub for trade, culture, and religious exchange. The city flourished under the rule of the Nabateans, an Arab kingdom that thrived from the 4th century BCE to the 1st century CE.

The Nabateans were skilled architects and engineers who developed innovative methods to adapt their urban planning to the harsh desert environment. They built Petra into the surrounding mountains, creating a labyrinthine network of tombs, temples, and monumental structures. The city's most iconic feature is the Al-Khazneh (The Treasury), a magnificent facade adorned with intricate Greek and Egyptian influences.

One of the most striking aspects of Petra is its unique water management system. The Nabateans constructed a complex network of dams, cisterns, and channels to collect and distribute rainwater. These engineering feats ensured the survival of the city during prolonged droughts and enabled the cultivation of crops in the arid landscape.

Petra's rich history extends beyond the Nabatean period. The city was later occupied by the Romans, Byzantines, and Umayyad Caliphs before eventually being abandoned around the 10th century CE. Re-discovered in 1812 by Swiss explorer Johann Ludwig Burckhardt, Petra has since captivated travelers and scholars alike with its enigmatic beauty and fascinating past.

Today, Petra remains an essential destination for those seeking to explore the wonders of human ingenuity and resilience in the face of adversity. As a testament to the enduring spirit of the Nabateans and the countless civilizations that followed, Petra continues to inspire awe and wonder among visitors from around the globe.

To wrap it up, Petra, the Rose City of Stone, offers a glimpse into the rich tapestry of human history. Its rock-cut architecture, ingenious water management systems, and strategic location have contributed to its status as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the New Seven Wonders of the World, chosen in 2007. The city's enduring legacy serves as a reminder of the indomitable human spirit and our ability to create lasting monuments amidst the harshest conditions.

UNESCO Description of the World Heritage Site

Inhabited since prehistoric times, this Nabataean caravan-city, situated between the Red Sea and the Dead Sea, was an important crossroads between Arabia, Egypt and Syria-Phoenicia. Petra is half-built, half-carved into the rock, and is surrounded by mountains riddled with passages and gorges. It is one of the world's most famous archaeological sites, where ancient Eastern traditions blend with Hellenistic architecture.

UNESCO Justification of the World Heritage Site

Criterion (i): The dramatic Nabataean/Hellenistic rock-cut temple/tombs approached via a natural winding rocky cleft (the Siq), which is the main entrance from the east to a once extensive trading city, represent a unique artistic achievement. They are masterpieces of a lost city that has fascinated visitors since the early 19th century. The entrance approach and the settlement itself were made possible by the creative genius of the extensive water distribution and storage system.

Criterion (iii): The serried rows of numerous rock-cut tombs reflecting architectural influences from the Assyrians through to monumental Hellenistic; the sacrificial and other religious high places including on Jebels Madbah, M'eisrah, Khubtha, Habis and Al Madras; the remains of the extensive water engineering system, city walls and freestanding temples; garden terraces; funerary stelae and inscriptions together with the outlying caravan staging posts on the approaches from the north (Barid or Little Petra) and south (Sabra) also containing tombs, temples, water cisterns and reservoirs are an outstanding testament to the now lost Nabataean civilization of the fourth century BC to the first century AD. Remains of the Neolithic settlement at Beidha, the Iron Age settlement on Umm al Biyara, the Chalcolithic mining sites at Umm al Amad, the remains of Graeco-Roman civic planning including the colonnaded street, triple-arched entrance gate, theatre, Nymphaeum and baths; Byzantine remains including the triple-apses basilica church and the church created in the Urn Tomb; the remnant Crusader fortresses of Habis and Wueira; and the foundation of the mosque on Jebel Haroun, traditionally the burial place of the Prophet Aaron, all bear exceptional testimony to past civilizations in the Petra area.

Criterion (iv): The architectural ensemble comprising the so-called royal tombs in Petra (including the Khasneh, the Urn Tomb, the Palace Tomb and the Corinthian Tomb), and the Deir (monastery) demonstrate an outstanding fusion of Hellenistic architecture with Eastern tradition, marking a significant meeting of East and West at the turn of the first millennium of our era. The Umm al Amad copper mines and underground galleries are an outstanding example of mining structures dating from the fourth millennium BC. The remnants of the diversion dam, Muthlim tunnel, water channels, aqueducts, reservoirs and cisterns are an outstanding example of water engineering dating from the first centuries BC to AD.

Encyclopedia Record: Petra

Petra, originally known to its inhabitants as Raqmu, is an ancient city and archaeological site in southern Jordan. Famous for its rock-cut architecture and water conduit systems, Petra is also called the "Rose City" because of the colour of the sandstone from which it is carved. The city is one of the New 7 Wonders of the World and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

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