Modern Wonders Of The World; Petra, Jordan

admin | 14 May 2011 | Seven Wonders Of The World | No Comments

Petra (Πέτρα), one of the New 7 Wonders Of The World, was the Greek name of the capital of the Nabataeans and is located in present-day Jordan. The city is located in a gorge in the hills, and partly from the rock face. Almost all the buildings that once stood, now ruins.

Roots of Petra, a city in the rock date back to about 9000 BC and is one of the oldest settlements in the Middle East. Petra is half way between the Red Sea and the Dead Sea on the edge of the Arabian desert to the mountains of Edom. The city lay at the crossroads of several caravan routes and was able to develop through trade to a prosperous city. The heyday of the city began around the 2nd Century BC as the capital of Petra Nabatean empire, which extended to Damascus and Jerusalem, just before the impressive facades were carved into the rock. 106 AD Emperor Trajan conquered the Nabataeans and Petra occupied. At that time the city of Petra, about 30,000 inhabitants, but by changes in trade routes, which were adopted by the Romans began the decline of the city.

two earthquakes and the conquest of the region by the Arabs was to leave the city and the myth of the lost city of rocks. 1812 Petra was rediscovered by the Swiss Johann Burckhardt. The legendary reputation of Petra is on the elaborate facade to a height of 40 meters and houses have been carved into the rock-founded. It is most ready to buy the Treasury of Petra, which was in an Indiana Jones film, the location of the sacred kraal. Other large buildings are the tombs with the Ed-Deir and the large Roman amphitheater. Today, Petra is one of the most important and most visited sites in the Middle East.

The world and especially the history of mankind has always some of the most impressive evidence of architecture and culture. One such place is Petra in Jordan. The former center of the Kingdom of the Nabataeans. Only in 1812 by Swiss explorer Johann Ludwig Burckhardt rediscovered the city was forgotten for centuries.

We have visited Petra in the form of a day trip from Egypt. By bus we went from Dahab to Taba at the northern end of the Gulf of Aqaba (Red Sea). From there we sailed about 45 minutes over the Gulf to the port Talabea in Jordan. From there we took the bus through the city of Aqaba on the old royal road in Wadi Rum, has a rock and desert landscapes in Jordan, the similarities to the Sinai in Egypt, up to Petra.

Port Talabea Jordan
Within walking distance are the city through the Siq Petra, achieving a nearly 2-mile track through crevices, lined with 4-5 storeys high rock walls. Alternatively drive today for the tourists and small carriages through the Siq. Also riding donkeys and camels are on offer. At the end of the Siq visitors than expected first look at the city’s world-famous Treasury The Treasury, like a Greek-style temple about 56 BC, was directly in the 40 m high rock wall built.

It is one of the best preserved evidence of the rocks in all of Petra in the stricken houses, temples and tombs of the times, as Petra was a prosperous trading center with about 70,000 residents. Petra itself is a city that is expanding to an area of about 5 km ². Said Petra offers the potential for slightly more than one day we will discover if you really want to see everything.

The beauty and stunning moments in this ancient city that is half as old as time, were also recognized by UNESCO, which Petra has declared a World Heritage Site. And this I believe is absolutely right. Especially in the late evening hours, Petra turns at setting sun in a pink play one-off Art The rocks are traversed by a color spectrum of red tones, how this may well be found anywhere in the world in such a place.

This was probably one reason why George Lucas has chosen for his blockbuster Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade Petra and in particular the Treasury as a place to find the holy grail in his film.

Petra has carried this film and also by various celebrities such as the French president, who with his family was also prone to media guest, gained enormous appeal for mass tourism.

Sorry, I must say. On the way to the entrance of the Siq in Petra and even the beauty of the place by actually very high visitor numbers and the souvenirs or transportation provider is (carriages, donkeys, horses, camels, etc.) that act very aggressively unfortunately affected.

During my visit I had the feeling that a visit to Petra would be in peace and quiet in this place again a significantly more emotional experience. Just try on a visit to introduce you were alone in this place that has an almost mystical aura.