Eid Break! 7/5-7/6 After a 3.5 hour bus ride full of laughter, chatting, listening to Arabic music and looking out the window at the beautiful scenery and camels grazing on the side of the highway, we arrived at the city of Petra. We had time to explore the city of Petra (which directly neighbors the Nabatean stone city that we would be exploring tomorrow), watch the sunset from the roof of the hotel, eat a delicious dinner and after it was time to head to bed, I pulled a chair onto the balcony and stargazed and read until sleep finally overcame me. The next morning, we woke up bright and early, ate a delicious breakfast and excitedly walked over to the ancient city of Petra for a visit we had been eagerly awaiting for weeks. While most people just think of the iconic facade of the Treasury (which is not actually a treasury, but we will get to that later) when they think of Petra, there is actually so much more to the city. Petra, also dubbed The Rose City, was established around 312 BC by the Nabateans, who became incredibly wealthy by capitalizing on their strategic position on trade routes. They were known for their aqueducts and smart water managements systems and Petra was home to a thriving civilization until it was abandoned in 512 AD following an earthquake. During this time it was also ruled by the Roman and Byzantine Empires so it was interesting to see all of these influences come together. Petra was home to more than 20,000 people at its peak, however since most of the residences were made out of mud and other materials that were destroyed by rain and time, most of what we saw were actually tombs. Despite its name, The Treasury is not actually a treasury. In fact, historians are unsure of its actual use given its lack of rooms inside which means it couldn't have been a residence or treasury and the fact that there were tombs beneath it so the area behind the famous facade was not a tomb as well.
Overall, Petra went way above and beyond my expectations and was well worth trekking 10 miles in almost 100 degree weather!
1 Comment
8/7/2016 02:32:50 pm
This looks so awesome. Who would have known that there were no rooms in the Treasury. Indiana Jones was able to find the lost ark in its catacombs.
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We travel not to escape life, but for life not to escape us. !أهلا و ساهلاHi! I'm Sophia, a high schooler from the San Francisco Bay Area. I received a scholarship through the State Dept. to study Arabic in Jordan in the summer of 2016. Categories
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