Added: Nov 18, 2008
From: Pirataraul
Duration: 3:50
Petra (from πέτρα "petra", rock in Greek; Arabic: البتراء, Al-Butrā) is an archaeological site in Jordan, lying 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.GeographyRekem 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.Excavations have demonstrated that it was the ability of the Nabateans 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 Nabateans 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.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.A little farther 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; and at the point where the valley opens out into the plain the site of the city is revealed with striking effect. Indeed, 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-coloured mountain walls, divided into groups by deep fissures, and lined with tombs cut from the rock in the form of towers.
Channel: Travel
Rating: 4.81 (133 ratings) Views: 111534' favoriteCount='231 Comments: 25
Pirataraul Says:
Nov 18, 2008 - Only I can say to you that it is musical Egypcia and the author ó the title(degree) is MAKTUB, regret not being able to give you more information.
petra0jordan Says:
Nov 18, 2008 - Petraa ya hilwee.. i'm going next year.. can't wait
lutfi1981 Says:
Nov 18, 2008 - You are welcome anytime :)
romka4567 Says:
Nov 18, 2008 - I would love to do mushrooms there :] all that spiritual crap imagine wat u will expirence
kotsosdrakos Says:
Nov 18, 2008 - adssadasd
kotsosdrakos Says:
Nov 18, 2008 - PETRA IS A GREEK WORD
kotsosdrakos Says:
Nov 18, 2008 - it means ROCK in english.the whole place was build by greeks during the roman empire.greek temples with greek letters all over
aljohnallen Says:
Nov 18, 2008 - lol i think it was built by Nabateans,,lol built by greeks,,didnt c any kepab stores : )
bawayha Says:
Nov 18, 2008 - petra means the rock in greeks, but it was the capital of Nabateans.im jordanian and i know it well.
Thoukudides Says:
Nov 18, 2008 - nice greco-roman architecture!
mmpm23 Says:
Nov 18, 2008 - what is the name of this melody please?
Pirataraul Says:
Nov 18, 2008 - Only I can say to you that it is musical Egypcia and the author ó the title(degree) is MAKTUB, regret not being able to give you more information.
mmpm23 Says:
Nov 18, 2008 - gracias
Thoukudides Says:
Nov 18, 2008 - Petra (πέτρα, rock in Greek, hence the name Petros - St. Peter) , was the main city of the Nabataeans whom were influenced by Greco-Roman and egyptian cultures.
ashrafmaaytah Says:
Nov 18, 2008 - unfortunatly, you don't know anything about petra history,,this city carved into rocks by (Nabateans) 2400 years ago.Nabateans are jordanian people (arabians), after 300 years, roman occupied it, so roman converted their temple to church,,,so you might see their words in their church,,,and be sure you can see that the temple that carved into rocks (by Nabateans) and the other parts of the building (church) that built by roman is a building outside the carving (not carving)
indioLautaro Says:
Nov 18, 2008 - es una de las maravillas del mundo
opil234 Says:
Nov 18, 2008 - i looveeeeeeeee ittttt ... i misssssssssssssssssssss jordaaaaaaaannnnnnnnnn so fuckin freakin much .. !! cant wait to go back again ... !!!
mrlego611 Says:
Nov 18, 2008 - the Temple at 0:30 was in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade as the Temple of the Grailits called "الخزنة"in arabic or "The Treasury" in english
PeaceLoveNickJonas81 Says:
Nov 18, 2008 - I love petra. I wanna go again next summer. I`m ordonieh (jordanian in arabic), so I can go when we go on vacaion again. The petra is beautiful place
mgriffis38 Says:
Nov 18, 2008 - There is no where I have been more impressive than this place. I was there in 2002 & hope to go back someday.
romanomar Says:
Nov 18, 2008 - kali mera my greek friendPETRA was built by the NABATEANS!NABATEANS saw the roman and greek cities ..and decided to build one of their own...instead of biulding it stone by stone, they CARVED it into the mountains.I know u are a proud greek guy..but sorry to tell you that some places are actually not greek.cheers my friend..
romanomar Says:
Nov 18, 2008 - cool name! :)come and visit your city..it will be Petra in Petra :)
lateintheday2007 Says:
Nov 18, 2008 - I love the music, who does it? It fits so well with the video
Pirataraul Says:
Nov 18, 2008 - Only I can say to you that it is musical Egypcia and the author ó the title(degree) is MAKTUB, regret not being able to give you more information
locovox123 Says:
Nov 18, 2008 - ¿what is the name of the melody?