PETRA: — ANCIENT CITY OF GIANTS

Have you ever heard of a city built by giants? Or, can you even think of giants once roaming this earth? Well, I was as stumped as you would when I will tell you that there was once such a city that was believed to be built by either gods or giants. This city is called such because the architecture and monuments are gigantic; as if, they were built to specifically accommodate the giants. So, let’s start on our journey to find out more about this ancient city of giants.

‘Petra’, the ancient city in the discussion here, is located in the south of Amman’, the capital of Jordan. According to historical records, this ancient city was built in the 2nd century A.D. Also, according to records, ‘Petra’ was believed to be a thriving trading centre of the ‘Nabatean Empire’ between 400 B.C. and A.D. 106. The most unique aspect of ‘Petra’ is that it is surrounded by the ‘Red Sea’, the ‘Dead Sea’, ‘Wadi Rum’ and ‘Wadi Musa’. It was also believed to be one of the first metropolitan cities of its kind and it acted as a strategic trading centre for Asia and Europe. Unfortunately, the beauty and grandeur of this magnificent ancient city were lost to history till the 18th century, when a European traveller, disguised as a ‘Bedouin’ rediscovered this beautiful city.

The most amazing aspect of ‘Petra’ is its architecture. The grand architecture of the buildings of ‘Petra’ is said to be hand sculpted from sandstone cliffs using only chisels. Some people are also of the belief that this majestic city was either built by the ‘Gods’, or by the ‘Giants’, as mentioned earlier. Another important factor for tourists flocking to this place every year is that this place is steeped in history. The first thing that one notices upon arrival in this ancient city is an approximately 1 mile-long pathway that displays the work of nature and man through the annals of history. Also, tourists have the first breathtaking visual of the grand building known as the “Al Kahzneh”, “or the Treasury”. This building is said to be magnificent and also is believed to be the “face of Petra”.

There are many more such majestic and grand buildings which are said to take one’s breath away. It is also said that these structures are prime examples of some of the oldest man-made structures one can ever see. Also, the most unique piece of architecture is the monastery, which can be reached after you climb a staggering 850 steps.

Did you know that the iconic ‘Hollywood’ movie, ‘Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade’ was shot at Petra? According to records, the movie’s fictional canyon was based o the actual eastern side entrance canyon of ‘Petra’. This canyon is said to be 250 feet high sandstone canyon that is said to be spectacular. Furthermore, it is said that a giant urn inside the ‘Treasury’ building is living proof of the scars of hundreds of gunshots on its walls. This according to local Bedouins is the result of a treasure, which was thought to be stored in the urn.

Also, according to historians, ‘Nabateans’, were the principal civilization before they were conquered and assimilated in the Roman Empire. This has further been established by ‘Al-Muheisen’, an archaeologist, who has been studying the “Nabatean Civilization” since 1979. However, according to ‘Al Muheisen’, not much proof has been found to corroborate this claim. However, in 1993, excavations revealed ‘Greek Scrolls’ describing this great ‘Byzantine Civilization’.

Furthermore, according to historical records, the value and importance of ‘Petra’ started to decline after the Romans took it over and also natural calamities like earthquakes aided in its fading away into oblivion. Another major factor that led to the waning away of ‘Petra’ was attributed to the discovery of important sea trading routes. It is also reported that now the first thing people encounter once reaching ‘Petra’, are a surprising number of camels, Bedouin tents etc stretched right at the entrance of this magnificent architecture. They are believed by many to be the modern guardians of this ancient city.

Well, everyone is astounded by the sheer beauty and magnificence of this ancient city but the mystery remains as to its being lost history for so many years.