travel  &  recreation 

Petra the Nabataean lost city - magnificent & mythical 

Petra or al-Batraa’, the capital of the "Nabataean" Arabs who’s kingdom dominated northern Arabia and parts of Syria in pre Roman times. The city is carved in to rock cliffs, giving it a rose stone appearance. Palaces, temples, store rooms and tombs were carved in a similar way.

Petra was forgotten for about one 1000 years, as it was rediscovered in the 19^th century and excavations started early in the 20^th century and the city was uncovered in 1958. It is approached through a kilometer long narrow and tortuous path in between the rock referred to as the "Siq", at the end of which appears the magnificent building tomb referred to as "Khazneh" or the Treasury. Other impressive monuments include "Addeir" or the Monastery, reached through a long rock-cut stairs. On the way to the Monastery is the Lion Tomb. Other significant sites include the Amphitheater built to seat several thousand people, the Colonnade Street, the Winged Lions Temple, the ruined Byzantine church with its ancient Mosaic, the free standing building referred to as "Qasr al-Bint" and the Royal Tombs with its facades and colorful interiors.

At one point Petra was a center of primitive worship & pilgrimage to the Gods Doshra or "thu-Ashara" and "Allat". Allat may have had qualities similar to the Greek god Aphrodite and thu-Ashara similar to Dionysos.

The Nabataeans kingdom prospered at the end of the 4^th century BC, and was powerful enough to repel two military campaigns sent to subdue it by the Macedonian General Antigonus, the successor of Alexander the Great in Syria.

They later allied themselves nominally with the Romans during the campaign of the Roman General Galos to Arabia. It was Julius Caesar who asked their king Malko (Malek - Malkos I) for Cavalry in support of the campaign on Alexandria in 47 BC. And it was the Governor of Damascus, who was the delegate of the Nabataean King Al-Hareth the 4th (Artas the 4th), who went about to apprehend Paul (the Apostle).

Petra saw its peak during the first century AD, as the Romans fortified and supported it, as it bordered the rival Parthian Empire. The decline of Petra resulted from the changes that occurred to the Near East trade routes that bypassed its area of influence and after Roman Emperor Trajan (ruled 98-117 AD) destroyed the Nabataean's city in 105 AD and incorporated their kingdom in to the Roman empire and renamed it the Arabian Province.

edited by T.Farhat, MD -  2001