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'Petra' (from '' "petra," ''rock'' in
Greek;
Arabic: البتراء, ''Al-Butrā'') is an
archaeological site in southwestern
Jordan, lying on the slope of
Mount Hor[1] in a
basin among the mountains which form the eastern flank of
Arabah (Wadi Araba), the large valley running from the
Dead Sea to the
Gulf of Aqaba. It is famous for having many stone structures carved into the rock. The long-hidden site was revealed to the Western world by the
Swiss explorer
Johann Ludwig Burckhardt in 1812. It was famously described as "a rose-red city half as old as time" in a
Newdigate prize-winning
sonnet by
John William Burgon. Burgon had not actually visited Petra, which remained accessible only to
Europeans accompanied by local guides with armed escorts until after
World War I. The site was designated as a
UNESCO World Heritage Site in
1985 when it was described as "one of the most precious cultural properties of man's cultural heritage."
[2]
Geography
'Rekem' is an ancient name for Petra and appears in
Dead Sea scrolls such as 4Q462 associated with
Mount Seir. Additionally,
Eusebius and
Jerome (Onom. sacr. 286, 71. 145, 9; 228, 55. 287, 94) assert that Rekem was the native name of Petra, supposedly on the authority of
Josephus (''
Antiquities iv. 7, 1~ 4, 7''),
Pliny the Elder and other writers identify Petra as the capital of the
Nabataeans,
Aramaic-speaking
Semites, and the centre of their
caravan trade. Enclosed by towering rocks and watered by a perennial
stream, Petra not only possessed the advantages of a fortress but controlled the main commercial routes which passed through it to
Gaza in the west, to
Bosra and
Damascus in the north, to
Aqaba and
Leuce Come on the
Red Sea, and across the desert to the
Persian Gulf.
The end of the Siq
Excavations have demonstrated that it was the ability of the Nabataeans to control the water supply that led to the rise of the desert city, in effect creating an artificial
oasis. The area is visited by
flash floods and archaeological evidence demonstrates the Nabataeans controlled these floods by the use of
dams,
cisterns and water conduits. Thus, stored water could be employed even during prolonged periods of
drought, and the city prospered from its sale.
[3][4]
The Amphitheatre
Although in ancient times Petra might have been approached from the south (via
Saudi Arabia on a track leading around
Jabal Haroun, ''Aaron's Mountain,'' on across the plain of Petra), or possibly from the high plateau to the north, most modern visitors approach the ancient site from the east. The impressive eastern entrance leads steeply down through a dark and narrow
gorge (in places only 3–4 metres wide) called the ''
Siq'' (the shaft), a natural geological feature formed from a deep split in the
sandstone rocks and serving as a waterway flowing into
Wadi Musa. At the end of the narrow gorge stands Petra's most elaborate ruin,
Al Khazneh ("the Treasury") hewn directly out of the sandstone cliff.
The Monastery at Petra
A little further from the Treasury, at the foot of the mountain called ''en-Nejr'' is a massive theatre, so placed as to bring the greatest number of tombs within view. At the point where the valley opens out into the plain, the site of the city is revealed with striking effect. The
amphitheatre has actually been cut into the hillside and into several of the tombs during its construction. Rectangular gaps in the seating are still visible. Almost enclosing it on three sides are rose-colored mountain walls, divided into groups by deep fissures, and lined with knobs cut from the rock in the form of towers.
History
So far, no method has been found to determine when the history of Petra began. Evidence suggests that the city was founded relatively late, though a sanctuary may have existed there since very ancient times. This part of the country was traditionally assigned to the
Horites, probably cave-dwellers, the predecessors of the
Edomites.
[5] The habits of the original natives may have influenced the Nabataean custom of burying the dead and offering worship in half-excavated caves. However, the fact that Petra is mentioned by name in the
Old Testament cannot be verified. Although Petra is usually identified with
Sela which also means a ''rock,'' the Biblical references
[6] are not clear. 2
Kings xiv. 7 seems to be more specific. In the parallel passage, however, Sela is understood to mean simply "the rock" (2 Chr. xxv. 12, see LXX). As a result, many authorities doubt whether any town named Sela is mentioned in the Old Testament.
It is unclear exactly what
Semitic inhabitants called their city. Apparently on the authority of
Josephus (''
Antiquities of the Jews'' iv. 7, 1~ 4, 7),
Eusebius and
Jerome (''Onom. sacr.'' 286, 71. 145, 9; 228, 55. 287, 94), assert that 'Rekem' was the native name and ''Rekem'' appears in the
Dead Sea scrolls as a prominent Edom site most closely describing Petra. But in the Aramaic versions Rekem is the name of
Kadesh, implying that Josephus may have confused the two places. Sometimes the Aramaic versions give the form ''Rekem-Geya'' which recalls the name of the village El-ji, southeast of Petra. The capital, however, would hardly be defined by the name of a neighboring village. The Semitic name of the city, if not Sela, remains unknown. The passage in
Diodorus Siculus (xix. 94–97) which describes the expeditions which
Antigonus sent against the Nabataeans in
312 BC is understood to throw some light upon the history of Petra, but the "petra" referred to as a natural fortress and place of refuge cannot be a proper name and the description implies that the town was not yet in existence. Brünnow thinks that "the rock" in question was the sacred mountain en-Nejr (above). But Buhl suggests a conspicuous height about 16 miles north of Petra, Shobak, the
Mont-royal of the
Crusaders.
More satisfactory evidence of the date of the earliest Nabataean settlement may be obtained from an examination of the tombs. Two types may be distinguished—the Nabataean and the
Greco-Roman. The Nabataean type starts from the simple pylon-tomb with a door set in a tower crowned by a parapet ornament, in imitation of the front of a dwelling-house. Then, after passing through various stages, the full Nabataean type is reached, retaining all the native features and at the same time exhibiting characteristics which are partly
Egyptian and partly
Greek. Of this type there exist close parallels in the tomb-towers at el-I~ejr [?] in north Arabia, which bear long Nabataean inscriptions and supply a date for the corresponding monuments at Petra. Then comes a series of tombfronts which terminate in a semicircular arch, a feature derived from north
Syria. Finally come the elaborate façades copied from the front of a
Roman temple. However, all traces of native style have vanished. The exact dates of the stages in this development cannot be fixed. Strangely, few inscriptions of any length have been found at Petra, perhaps because they have perished with the stucco or cement which was used upon many of the buildings. The simple pylon-tombs which belong to the pre-Hellenic age serve as evidence for the earliest period. It is not known how far back in this stage the Nabataean settlement goes, but it does not go back farther than the
6th century BC.
A period follows in which the dominant civilization combines Greek, Egyptian and Syrian elements, clearly pointing to the age of the
Ptolemies. Towards the close of the
2nd century BC, when the Ptolemaic and
Seleucid kingdoms were equally depressed, the Nabataean kingdom came to the front. Under
Aretas III Philhellene, (c.
85–
60 BC), the royal coins begin. The theatre was probably excavated at that time, and Petra must have assumed the aspect of a
Hellenistic city. In the reign of
Aretas IV Philopatris, (
9 BC–AD
40), the fine tombs of the el-I~ejr [?] type may be dated, and perhaps also the great High-place.
Urn Tomb
Roman rule
In
106, when
Cornelius Palma was governor of Syria, that part of Arabia under the rule of Petra was absorbed into the
Roman Empire as part of
Arabia Petraea, and the native dynasty came to an end. But the city continued to flourish. A century later, in the time of
Alexander Severus, when the city was at the height of its splendor, the issue of coinage comes to an end. There is no more building of sumptuous tombs, owing apparently to some sudden catastrophe, such as an invasion by the neo-
Persian power under the
Sassanid Empire. Meanwhile, as
Palmyra (fl.
130–
270) grew in importance and attracted the Arabian trade away from Petra, the latter declined. It seems, however, to have lingered on as a religious centre.
Epiphanius of Salamis (c.
315–
403) writes that in his time a feast was held there on
December 25 in honor of the virgin
Chaabou and her offspring
Dushara (''Haer.'' 51).
Religion
The Nabataeans worshipped the Arab
gods and
goddesses of the
pre-Islamic times as well as few of their
deified kings. The most famous of these was Obodas I who was deified after his death. Dushara was the main male god accompanied by his female trinity:
Uzza,
Allat and
Manah. Many statues carved in the rock depict these gods and goddesses.
The Monastery, Petra's largest monument, dates from the first century BC. It was dedicated to Obodas I and is believed to be the symposium of Obodas the god. This information is inscribed on the ruins of the Monastery (the name is the translation of the Arabic "Ad-Deir").
Plan of the Byzantine church, 5th century AD.
found its way into Petra in the 4th century AD, nearly 500 years after the establishment of Petra as a trade center.
Athanasius mentions a bishop of Petra (Anhioch. 10) named Asterius. At least one of the tombs (the "tomb with the urn"?) was used as a church. An inscription in red paint records its consecration "in the time of the most holy bishop Jason" (
447). The Christianity of Petra, as of north Arabia, was swept away by the
Islamic conquest of
629–
632. During the
First Crusade Petra was occupied by
Baldwin I of the
Kingdom of Jerusalem and formed the second
fief of the
barony of
Al Karak (in the lordship of
Oultrejordain) with the title ''Château de la Valée de Moyse'' or Sela. It remained in the hands of the
Franks until 1189. According to Arab tradition, Petra is the spot where
Moses struck a rock with his staff and water came forth, and where Moses' sister,
Miriam, is buried.
[7]
Decline
Petra's decline came rapidly under Roman rule, in large part due to the revision of sea-based trade routes. In
363 an earthquake destroyed buildings and crippled the vital water management system.
[8] The ruins of Petra were an object of curiosity in the
Middle Ages and were visited by the
Sultan Baibars of Egypt towards the close of the 13th century. The first European to describe them was
Johann Ludwig Burckhardt in 1812.
Petra today
On
December 6,
1985 Petra was designated a
World Heritage Site.
In 2006 a team of architects began designing a "Visitor Centre," and Jordan's tourist revenue is expected to increase dramatically with the attraction of visitors on
package holidays. The ''
Jordan Times'' reported in December 2006 that 59,000 people visited in the two months October and November 2006, 25% fewer than the same period in the previous year, which may suggest that the flow of visitors may be affected by perception of political instability or travel safety considerations.
[9]
On
July 7 2007, Petra was named one of New Open World Corporation's
New Seven Wonders of the World.
Petra in movies and popular culture
★
David Lean had planned to film lengthy scenes for ''
Lawrence of Arabia'' (1962) there, since
T. E. Lawrence had investigated the site. Because of budgetary limitations, however, the production pulled out of Petra before the scenes could be shot.
★ Petra is featured in ''
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade'' as the Holy Temple where the
Holy Grail is located.
★ The independent film
Passion in the Desert used areas in Petra as a backdrop for filming.
[10]
★ Petra is the prophesied "Refuge" for "
The Remnant" in the
Left Behind Series.
★ British rock group
The Sisters of Mercy filmed the video for their song "Dominion" in Petra in 1988.
★
Agatha Christie's murder mystery
Appointment with Death is set primarily in Petra.
★ Ha-Sela ha-Adom (The Red Rock) is a 1950s
Israeli song referring to a very dangerous custom of Israeli youth in 1950s to illegally cross the Jordanian border in order to visit Petra (nicknamed "The Red Rock" in Israel). Many such expeditions ended with the death of participants.
★ Petra is the setting for the last mission (Eye of the Storm) in the 2001 game
Spy Hunter.
★ In the book
Chasing Vermeer, one of the main characters, Petra Andalee, is named after the ancient city.
★ In the 1977 motion picture of "
Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger" Petra is briefly featured as the home of a powerful wizard
See also
★
Al Khazneh
★
Rock cut architecture
★
Siq
Notes
1. Mish, Frederick C., Editor in Chief. “Petra.” ''Webster’s Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary''. 9th ed. Springfield, MA: Merriam-Webster Inc., 1985. ISBN 0-87779-508-8, ISBN 0-87779-509-6 (indexed), and ISBN 0-87779-510-X (deluxe).
2. UNESCO advisory body evaluation
3. http://nabataea.net/waterw.html
4. http://www.agiweb.org/geotimes/june04/feature_petra.html
5. Genesis xiv. 6, xxxvi. 20–30; Deut. ii. 12.
6. Judges i. 36; Isaiah xvi. i, xlii. 11; Obad. 3.
7. The Wadi Musa or "Wadi of Moses" is the Arab name for the narrow valley at the head of which Petra is sited. The mountaintop shrine of Miriam was still shown to pilgrims at the time of Jerome in the fourth century, but its location has not been identified since.[1]
8. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9D03E3DF143EF934A25753C1A9659C8B63
9. http://www.jordanembassyus.org/12152006002.htm]
10. http://www.finelinefeatures.com/passion/
References
★ Bedal, Leigh-Ann. 2004. ''The Petra Pool-Complex: A Hellenistic Paradeisos in the Nabataean Capital.'' Piscataway, NJ: Gorgias Press. ISBN 1–59333–120–7.
★ Rosemary Harty, "The Bedouin Tribes of Petra Photographs: 1986–2003" :
[2]
★ Hill, John E. 2004. ''The Peoples of the West from the Weilue'' 魏略 ''by Yu Huan'' 魚豢'': A Third Century Chinese Account Composed between 239 and 265 CE.'' Draft annotated English translation where Petra is referred to as the Kingdom the mitchells.
★ Reid, Sara Karz. 2006. ''The Small Temple.'' Piscataway, NJ: Gorgias Press. ISBN 1–59333–339–0. Reid explores the nature of the small temple at Petra and concludes it is from the Roman era.
External links
★
★
Bulletin of Nabataean Studies
★
Brown University excavations at the Great Temple
★
Photos of Petra Monuments
★
Photos and geological analysis of Petra Rocks
★
National Geographic Photo Tour
★
Petra: Lost City of Stone (American Musem of National History
★
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