Petra, the city carved into the rock, a magical and sublime place in the middle of the Jordanian desert, one of the seven wonders of the world and UNESCO World Heritage since December 6, 1985.
Cited in the Qumram manuscripts , with the Semitic name of Reqem or Raqmu (La Variopinta), the city appears to have been founded by the Edomites, who settled in the region between the eighth and seventh centuries BC. C., was initially confused with Sela , the Edomite capital, which only later was discovered to be located further north than it. In the Bible it is said that they obstructed the passage of Moses and the Israelites during the Exodus, since the Edomites are traditionally considered the descendants of Esau, the twin brother and enemy of Jacob, father of the Israelites.
Later it became the capital of the Nabataean Kingdom , settled in the region around the sixth century BC. C., transforming it into a thriving commercial center in contact with neighboring populations. Following the various conquests by invading peoples, including Assyrians, Persians and Macedonians, the city, over time, lost its commercial importance, especially when the new capital of the Nabataean Kingdom became Palmyra , which gave the Roman legions a lot of trouble under the reign of Queen Zenobia.
After the fall of the Western Roman Empire, Petra remained in the orbit of the Eastern Roman Empire and was then overwhelmed by the Islamic Conquest between the fifth and sixth centuries. Following various natural disasters the city began to be abandoned starting from the 7th century, until it was reduced to simple tunnels that the Bedouins used as hiding places.
The city remained in oblivion until 1812, when the Swiss adventurer Johann Ludwig Burckhardt he revealed it to the world.
The archaeological site is located about 250 km from the capital of Jordan, Amman , in a basin east of the Wadi Araba mountains , the valley that extends from the Dead Sea to the Gulf of Aqaba in the Red Sea.
The region is semi-desert but with an average rainfall between 150 and 250 mm / year, the waters of which were collected by the Nabataean people in open-air cisterns dug into the rock to allow the irrigation of their fields. This particularity has allowed the development of a town in a fairly arid region.
Petra has about 800 monuments, of which 500 are tombs. The most important and famous is the Khasneh al Faroun or the Pharaoh's Treasure , invented name given by the Bedouins, structure with the facade carved entirely into the rock, located in a large open space accessible via the Siq a long corridor carved into the rock that also serves as an entrance to the site, reachable only on foot or on horseback.
Other important monuments are The Tomb of the Obelisk , a funerary monument representing an anthropomorphic figure; the Theater capable of hosting about 8 thousand people; The Sacred Room , in front of the treasure, which practically had ritual functions.
Also near the area is the famous Porta di Traiano which marked the transition from the commercial area to the ritual area of the city.
History Fact:Petra was the location of one of the Indiana Jones movie: The Last Crusade.