The Nabateans were a desert-dwelling people who controlled the spice and silk trading routes between the far east and the Red Sea and Mediterranean Sea for more than 500 years. Nabatean cities and other archeological sites have been found in Syria, Saudi Arabia, Israel, and Jordan. The most famous of these sites is the city of Petra in Jordan.
The word “Petra” comes from the Greek word for “stone.” The Nabateans were sculptors more than architects since most of the buildings in Petra were carved out of the rock rather than built as freestanding structures.
The city is almost entirely carved out of red sandstone which gave Petra its nickname: the Rose-Red City.
Petra was built over a 500 year period and was the Nabatean capital from 312 to 363 BC. At its peak, Petra was home to over 20,000 people. Today, there are over 800 sites in Petra: tombs, storerooms, palaces, temples, etc. The vast majority of these (more than 500) are tombs -- very few homes remain since the Nabateans primarily lived in tents like the modern-day Bedouins.
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| Steps carved in stone leading to a cave home |
Today, the entrance to Petra begins with a half-mile trip downhill from the entrance gate.
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| Taking “Traditional” Transport to Petra |
The surrounding rocks give hints of what is to come even before entering the ancient city:
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| Tombs along the path to the entrance. |
The actual entrance to Petra is through a natural gorge that’s three-quarters of a mile long. The siq (Arabic for shaft) narrows in places to less than 3 feet wide but is surrounded by walls over 650 feet high.
At the end of this impressive entrance, the narrow walls open into the most famous of Petra’s ruins – the Treasury.
The façade of the Treasury is over 140 feet high and nearly 100 feet wide. Even today, this greeting inspires awe in visitors to the city of Petra.
(If the Treasury looks familiar, you may remember it as the location of the Holy Grail in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. Indy is quite popular in the surrounding tourist markets!)
Past the Treasury is the “Street of Facades” – where 40 different tombs are carved into the surrounding walls.
Hidden high up in the hills surrounding the main route through the ancient city of Petra, is the “Monastery.”
Contrary to its name, the Monastery was a tomb, built in the 3rd century BC (centuries later, it was used as a church by the Byzantines who painted crosses in the interior, giving the building its name). The Monastery is larger than the Treasury – about 160 feet wide and nearly 150 feet high.
The ruins of Petra are spread out over seven square miles. The area is dotted with buildings, large and small, carved into the rocks. Since most of the buildings were carved into the hills, much remains intact and standing unlike many other ancient ruins.
One of the only freestanding structures is Qasr al-Bint, a temple built in 30BC. This building was originally 75 feet high but has been damaged by several earthquakes – leaving rubble that’s fun to explore!
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| It's tough to spot me. . .but i'm there. . . |
In 106 AD, Petra and the Nabateans were absorbed into the Roman Empire. Despite the change of ownership, the city continued to flourish. The Romans even continued to build – adding a colonnaded street (complete with Roman baths) through the center of the city.
By the end of the seventh century AD, when trade routes were changing, the city of Petra was abandoned. For centuries, only the local Bedouins knew about the ruins and continued to live among them.
In 1812, the site was introduced to the western world by a Swiss explorer, Johann Ludwig Burckhardt – the first westerner to see the ancient city. Today, millions of tourists visit Petra – the most visited spot in Jordan.
Smithsonian Magazine listed Petra as one of the “28 Places to See Before You Die.” I highly recommend a visit – Petra is breathtaking -- and it manages to bring the desert to life while offering a glimpse back in time.
