AncientWorldWonders

Today I will discuss the main attraction of the Jordan – the ancient city of Petra. It is located in Jordan, at an altitude of 900 meters above the sea level and 660 meters above the surrounding terrain, Arava, in the narrow canyon Siq. Passage in the valley – in the gorge, in the north and in the south, while the east and west cliffs steeply cut off, forming a natural wall of up to 60 m in height. In 2007, Peter was elected one of the new seven “wonders of the world” along with the Colosseum and the Great Wall of China. Here the number of visors increases rapidly from all over the world, despite the fact that the tickets become more and more expensive each year.

Peter was on the crossroads of two important trade routes: one connected the Red Sea to Damascus, the other – the Persian Gulf to Gaza in the Mediterranean Sea. Dispatched from the Gulf caravans laden with precious spices, weeks had bravely endure the harsh conditions of the Arabian desert, until they reach the coolness of a narrow canyon Siq, leading to the long-awaited Peter. There, travelers found food, shelter, and cool life-giving water.

With terracotta pipes ancient citizens of the city Peter created a complex system of water supply. Despite the arid climate, the inhabitants of the city had no problem related to the water needs. Throughout the city there were about 200 tanks located, which collected and stored rainwater. In addition to the connection of tanks, terracotta pipes could collect water from all sources within a radius of 25 kilometers. Yearly rainfall in Petra was only about 15 centimeters. To save water, the locals were cutting canals and reservoirs in the rocks.

Hundreds of years of trade brought great wealth to Petra. But when the Romans discovered the sea routes to the East, the land of the spice trade came to an end, and Peter gradually emptied, and finaly got lost in the sands. Many buildings were erected in Petra at different times and under different masters of the city, among which were the Edomites (18-2 cc. BC. E.), the Nabateans (2 in BC. E. – 106 AD. E.) Romans (106-395 years. BC. e.), Byzantines and Arabs. In the XII century they were owned by the Crusaders.

One of most interesting buildings being discovered within this territory is El-Khazneh. The building is crowned by a huge urn of stone, which supposedly kept gold and precious stones –that’s where the name “Treasure” is supposed to be deriving from. Architects have planned the construction of this temple in the former riverbed. The former riverbed was changed for this purpose, which is a grand project for that period. The tunnel was hacked in the rock openingthe passage to the water flow and then series of dams were built there.

This majestic “Treasury” building with a facade, carved out of a huge rock is one of the best preserved buildings of the first century.

It is believed that it is in these parts Moses, leading the Israelites into the Promised Land, banged his staff on the rock, creating a source. Furthermore, on top of the highest mountain (white dot on the highest mountain in the right half of the image) it is said to be buried the brother of Moses, Aaron, who was the first biblical priest. It is interesting that now at the burial place of Aaron stands a Muslim mosque.

Wonders of Petra begin long before the tourists will find a real thing for which they have come through such a long way. Walking on the main road of the current Petra, on either side of the road one can find traces of architectural monuments, which once may have been the tombs, obelisks, and shrines. It is obvious that this place gathers lots of questions and mysteries and that’s what makes it too special for every tourist to be part of it at least for a while.
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Only 200 years ago the world called it a legend hidden in the rocks; A pink city and its countless treasures, gold, and precious stones was believed to be the myth created by adventurers. Today, it is visited by thousands of tourists.More precisely, annually it gets visited by half a million of tourists. That is one more pure example that there is very narrow path through what we call fable and reality.