Petra Jordan Part 1

[Comet Hunter]

So one of my highlights of my trip was visiting the city of Petra Jordan. Our friend Allen worked at this site in the 70's so he can add to the history I have listed here or correct anything I may have misquoted.

Unlike the construction of most cities and temples the Romens, Greeks, and Egyptians built, the Nabateans cut the stones various sizes then assembled them like Lego's. Petra was carved out of solid rock in the side of these mountains by the Nabateans who were master carvers.

The incredible ancient structures coupled with many biblical references in the historic city of Petra make it one of Jordan's most spectacular destinations.

Carved into beautiful rose red-colored rock with exquisite artistic details and surrounded by large, vibrant mountains and canyons, Petra was once an immensely important trading center and the capital of the Nabataean empire beginning in the 4th century B.C. The city is filled with immensely significant historic and architectural evidence that provides a glimpse into the lives, stories, and people of past civilizations. The impressive structures and water management system that were built in the city reveals the achievements of the Nabateans.

In 1985, the Jordanian city was announced a UNESCO World Heritage site, and in 2007 it was named one of the seven wonders of the world. “It is one of the world's richest and largest archaeological sites set in a dominating red sandstone landscape.

Additionally, Petra is a biblically significant place as it was part of the route that Moses took on his Exodus journey. It also consists of ancient references to Moses’ brother, Aaron. Specifically, Wadi Musa, which is referred to as ‘Moses Valley’ is the administrative center of the Petra Department and it is commonly believed to be the burial place of Aaron.

The Nabatean city is identified in biblical text by its Hebrew name, “Sela,” which means rock. In the Bible verse Isaiah 16:1, it states: “Send lambs as tribute to the ruler of the land, from Sela, across the desert, to the mount of the Daughter of Zion.”

All these images were taken with my Canon R8, and ether the Laowa 15mm f/2 or the Canon 28x70 STM zoom lenses.

All comments welcome

So we began our teck which started on a gravel road right behind our hotel. The path was about a mile or so long. Most of the day we had pretty blue skies, and the weather was in the mid 70's

Wonderous colors of store nature carved through this narrow path

The farther we walked, we began to see signs and carvings of the Nabatean people

Memories abound here

Some of these carvings are 7000 years old.

And round one corner and something begins to peek out

Quite magical. I cut out quite a few people but left the camel jockey for reference. Im glad I had a 15 mm lens. This image is my favorite

This arena was all carved out of solid rock, combined with the condo's in the background

More condo's of the locals

This temple was made of stacked stone, I don't recall who build it?

 

[AlanLichty]

Nice travelogue and accompanying images.

A couple of comments - the Nabataeans didn't move into Petra until around 200-100 years before the common era (CE). Prior to that this place was occupied by the Edomites who did build at least some of the structures - most notably on top of Umm-al-Biyarra which is one of the mountains at the far west end of the Petra metro area. The carvings in the Siq (image #5) depict the God Dushares and his consort Al-Uzza. The Nabataean temple in your last image was for Dushares. Dushares was also worshiped by the Edomites so dating the carved block depictions of the deities in the Siq aren't really datable to either the Edomites or the Nabataeans. From what we found in the lowest levels of excavations I was involved with there weren't a lot of structures in the city prior to around 100 years before the current era (BCE) and there were tent encampments in the middle of what became the larger city.

Most of the carved out places surrounding the city weren't really houses and were built to honor the dead. Unlike modern cemeteries these were gathering places for the surviving extended families. Excavations in Wadi Farasa in recent years have shed a lot of light on how these edifices were actually used.

For the record just to the right of the temple in your last image is Nazzal's Camp which was a tea house built by the British after WW I. That was the "hotel" we lived in for the 3 field seasons I participated in in the mid 1970's. It lacked a lot of the usual amenities you would normally associate with a modern hotel such as potable water and full time electricity.

 

[JimFox]

Super cool Ed! I appreciate the comments on each image. Just add a # in front of each one as it will make it easier to reference in comments.

My favorite one is where you go around the corner and there is Petra.