Destinations / The most romantic places on the Earth / Petra

 

 

  Petra was an ancient city and nowadays  it is a truly archaelogical wonder, thanks to its temples, dug directly into the stone. After a flourishing period, Petra was destroyed by an earthquake, in 363, and its ruins became a curiosity, that are still preserved and represent an enchanting site, haunted by tumultuous memories. In 1985 the city was included in the patrimony of UNESCO, attracting annualy over 600,000 tourists. Petra is famous for its spectacular architecture , carved almost totally in the stone of the mountain that supports the buildings. The city with its entirely site was unknown for the West world until 1812, and it was discovered by the Swiss explorer Johann Ludwig Burckhardt. The explorer decribed the city as a reddish rose city,  half a wonder and   as old as time.

 

 

  The Monastery is the largest tomb facade in Petra, rising up with a height of about 45 meters and a width of about 50 meters. Despite its name, the marvelous structure was built as a tomb monument and appears very beautifully carved, and it is so huge that even the doorway is several stories tall. The name of the building is more a nickname, based  on its remote location and some inscribed crosses in the interior. The design of the monastery is similar to the other structures from Petra, but it is much less decorated. The facade looks very flat on the lower level, and deeply carved on the upper level, including engaged columns and two half pediments flanking  a central urn. The flat plaza located in the front was carved out of the rock, perhaps to accomodate the prayers who had come to ceremonies. Initially the plaza was surrounded by a colonnade. The interior of the Monastery is made of a big room  with double staircases which lead up to a niche. On the left side of the facade is a very steep path, and the tourists are  not allowed to climb, both for the safety of the visitors and for preserving the monument. It leads up to the urn on the top of the facade. The kids and some adventurous tourists like to play on the urn, and some of them even climb all the way to the top.  A cave is located opposite to the Monastery. The cave houses a small cafe that offers fresh drinks and a shady place where to relax and sit admiring the monument and delighting your eyes with overwhelming landscapes. The area is also beautified by other monuments, such as a cave and a stone circle, with some beautiful views over the site, if you climb up the rocks, behind the cafe. The monastery is located just one hour climb to the  northwest of the city center, on an ancient rock-cut path which has over 800 steps. The amazing path starts behind the Basin Restaurant and Nabataean Museum. The ideal moment to climb to the monastery is in the afternoon, when the exciting path is almost totally in shade and the sun is shining on the facade of the Monastery.

 

 

  Another marvelous structure is the Treasury, an interesting place to visit. The Treasury is an amazing and beautiful temple carved out of living rock. It is a good idea to stop by and to make some photos at this unique and unforgettable monument. The treasury is probably one of the most elegant remains of the ancient world, which is carved out of solid rock and rises up with a height of about 40 meters. The notable monument was probably built in the 1st century BC. As its design has no precedent in Petra, many think that it was carved by Near-Eastern Hellenistic architects. The purpose of the construction is still a mystery. Generally it is more a temple or a royal tomb. The famous temple got its name from the Bedouins, who believed that pirates were hiding ancient pharoanic treasures in the tholos, that lies in the very heart of the second level of the monument. To release the treasures, the Bedouins periodically fired guns at it, the holes are still visible on the urn. The façade of the Treasury has two levels, decorated with incredible columns, classical rooflines, and badly weathered sculptures. On the top of the faced is an eagle, which represents a Nabataean male deity symbol. The main figure on the upper level is the Fertility Goddess of Petra, El-Uzza . The vertical footholds on either side have been made probably to aid the sculptors. The portal on the bottom level is reached by small flight of steps, beautified by mountain figures, believed to be Castor and Pollux, the sons of Zeus. The outer court from the interior is dominated by an immense doorway, that leads to an inner chamber of 12 square meters. Behind the chamber is a sanctuary with a basin, dedicated to ritual washing, this way suggesting that the Treasury was a temple or a holy place, for many prayers. The chamber is not allowed to be entered, but it can be admired from the doorway.

 

 

  The Siq is very narrow and was an excellent protective entrance to Petra. In some places the passageway has less than 7 feet wide. The place is not technically a gorge and it was formed not only by erosion but due to the tectonic forces, which caused the rock to be split in half. At that time the waters of the Wadi Musa flowed in and the winds blew through the fresh formed chasm, slowly rounding the sharp edges transforming  them into smooth curves. Along with the strategic protection offered by passage the Nabataean’s residents enlarged the downward sloper for some water management. The original  channels cut into the walls to bring water to the city. The channels are still visible and in some places the 2000 years terracotta pipes are still existing, and are very accessible so the people and the animals could drink from them. There are some underground chambers, with clarified functions among the magnificent Siq. It is excluded the possibility that they were tombs, and the archaeologists think they were dwellings. But the most possible thoughts are that they were the houses of the guards that defended the main entrance of the city of Petra. During its bloom period the Siq was used as a grand caravan entrance to Petra. The trade caravans passed through the city bound for Giza in the South, Bosra and Damascus in the North, the Eatward to the Persian Gulf, and to Aqaba on the Red Sea. Nowadays the Siq is a wonderful area,  it is a lovely meandering path between great colored sandstone cliffs towering 300-600 feet high. The interior floors were later paved by the Romans, but a section of it was left intact. The Government of Switzerland have paid the restauration of the Siq, and when the earth was dug away, the path was resurfaced in concrete. This fact certainly took away the romance and the delicacy, the atmosphere of discovery from the passage. It was created to appear more as a Disney park sensation, but actually now the visitors can walk without keeping the eyes on the floor. It is more safe and it is a pleasure to walk and to feel the freedom. It is an excellent area where you can discover and explore the area by your own. On the left side of the Siq is a covered water channel that used to bring water from the spring in Wadi Musa, to the center of the city. On the right side of the Siq clay water pipes brought water into the city.

 

 

 

  As we pass along the road into the very heart of the city we can see the Theater ahead on the left.  The remarkable Theater is cut out of the solid rock and is badly deteriorated. The front of it with the stage was damaged by floods. Many people think that the structure was built by the Romans. Actually the Theater is Nabataean and was founded before the Romans entered the city. It was constructed in the 1st century AD, and it is very large with a capacity for about 6,000 people. The Theatre’s 45 rows of seats are divided horizontally in two so called Diazomata. The Theatre’s cave faces North and East to keep the sun out from the spectators’ eyes. Above the cave you can see many tomb fronts, that were destroyed to create some spaces for  the upper tiers of seating in the theater. The Theatre is a semi circular orchestra which measures about 125 feet across its broadest point. In front of it and behind the last row of seats there is a rocky background including some huge rectangular openings. The incredible area is always attracting tourists who love the romantic ambiance that reflect its interior. It is a mysterious and adventurous experience that keeps enchanting you all the time with more and more pleasant surprises and places that relate to a tumultuous history.

 

  Petra is a very exciting destination, filled with treasured antique  monuments that are still preserved and charm the visitors and the locals too. The antiquity of the city keeps to bring  explorers, historians, archaeologists from all the corners of the world. The dazzling colors and the formations of the rock are appreciated, offering stunning monuments, temples, theaters that are truly fantastic and unique exhibits of the nature. The red rose city is an incredible place where to find overwhelming sites, picturesque landscape that have no precedent in the whole world. Just passing through the main gate you will be welcomed here, and you will receive horses or donkeys for rent. The locals are very polite and you will find many answers about when, where and how  the city was built and so on. Along the way small tombs will appear, and the first monument that you will notice is the Obelisk Tomb, named after the four Indian obelisks that decorated the top of the tomb. Everything that you will see is really spectacular, enchanting you with colorful sites and landscapes. The red scenery of rocks is unbelievable, full of romantism and ecstasy, covered by a timelessness spirit that brings nice memories and unforgettable experiences.

 

Subscribe to Bestourism.com by Email

Write your Review on Petra and become the best user of Bestourism.com