We invite you on a virtual journey to Petra, the ancient and mysterious city in Jordan.
Since the 2nd millennium BC, Petra had been the capital of the Nabataean Kingdom
and the intersection of the main commercial routes between the East and the West.
Here we are in front of mausoleum Al Khazneh
that was built by one of the Nabataean Kings for himself.
Many kings wished to be buried in Petra and their wish came true.
We are approaching one of the Royal Tombs, the Urn Tomb.
In the 5th century, this mausoleum was turned into a church.
Among other Royal Tombs, there is the Silk Tomb named for the rich colour of the sandstone
and the Corinthian and Palace Tombs that were built at the end of the Nabataean period,
in the first century AD.
Look at these small cavities in rocks, they are the tombs, too!
Officials, ministers and other king’s confidants were buried here.
This stone tomb complex was named the Street of Facades.
The main part of the city covered around 3 km².
At the time of its prosperity, Petra was full of life.
Its population was around 20,000 people.
Now we are approaching the majestic Amphitheatre. This is the evidence that Petra was not always
“the city of the dead”. In 106 AD, Petra became a Roman colony and just imagine, how
this theatre gathered 8,000 people to see gladiator fights, races and other entertainments.
To save the water in this dry area, people carved canals rights in the cliffs.
Let’s get back to Al Khazneh. It is also called “Treasury” for a reason:
according to a legend, the treasure of the Egyptian pharaoh is hidden here.
Let’s have a closer look at the facade of Al Khazneh.
The 40-meter tall mausoleum is decorated with a fancy pattern.
On the urn, you can see the bullet marks left by bedouins
who tried to get the legendary treasures at the beginning of the 20th century.
To reach Petra, one has to walk through the long Siq gorge, and for 2,000 years
this way has not changed. Just as tourists enter the city nowadays,
in the past ancient caravans arrived in the oasis after an exhausting journey.
The only difference is the distance of this way:
the modern visitor is brought to the gorge by a car while thousands of years ago
the transport was camels. Only they could cross the Arabian Desert to enter the Nabataean
capital, one of the most powerful states of that time
that was created by an Arab nomadic tribe, Nabataeans.
An hour’s walk from here, there is a well-preserved temple Ad Deir.
To get here, you have to pass 800 stair-steps!
The temple is almost 50 meters tall and fully carved out of the rock.
Have a closer look at Ad Deir the way no one has seen it before.
No tombs were found in the temple,
so historians consider it to be the place for solemn gatherings.
In the 4th century, it became a Christian monastery.
A series of earthquakes destroyed a major part of Petra
and people finally abandoned it in the 7th century.
Now Petra is one of the most famous architectural monuments.
Thousands of tourists come here to see this Wonder of the World.
If you ever happen to come here, don’t forget to visit the night show with candles in front of Al Khazneh,
it is an unforgettable sight.
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