Planning to Petra Wadi Musa Planning to Visit Petra, petra the great temple in the world Latest Image and photos of 2012
Petra was first established sometime around the 6th century BC, by the Nabataean Arabs, a nomadic tribe who settled in the area and laid the foundations of a commercial empire that extended into Syria.
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Amman, the modern and ancient capital of Jordan, is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the World. The city's modern buildings blend with the remnants of ancient civilizations. Amman's modern history began in the late 19th Century, when the Ottomans resettled a colony of Circassian emigrants in 1878. As the Great Arab Revolt progressed and the State of Transjordan was established, Emir Abdullah ibn Al-Hussein founder of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan made Amman his capital in 1921. Since then, Amman has grown rapidly into a modern, thriving metropolis of well over two million people. Aqaba Port is very Near .
Wadi Musa
Hidden amid the dramatic rock formations of Wadi Musa in Jordan, lies the ancient Nabataean city of Petra. Its magnificent facades were carved out of the red-hued rock more than 2,000 years ago; today it is a UNESCO World Heritage site and in 2007 was voted one of the New 7 Wonders of the World.
History of Petra Visit
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Rock striations inside some tombs (archaeology) .
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Despite successive attempts by the Seleucid king Antigonus, the Roman emperor Pompey and Herod the Great to bring Petra under the control of their respective empires, Petra remained largely in Nabataean hands until around 100AD, when the Romans took over. It was still inhabited during the Byzantine period, when the former Roman Empire moved its focus east to Constantinople, but declined in importance thereafter.
The Crusaders constructed a fort there in the 12th century, but soon withdrew, leaving Petra to the local people until the early 19th century, when it was rediscovered by the Swiss explorer Johann Ludwig Burckhardt in 1812.
The Crusaders constructed a fort there in the 12th century, but soon withdrew, leaving Petra to the local people until the early 19th century, when it was rediscovered by the Swiss explorer Johann Ludwig Burckhardt in 1812.
Wadi Rum Petra, the world wonder, is without a doubt Jordan’s most valuable treasure and greatest tourist attraction. It is a vast, unique city, carved into the sheer rock face by the Nabataeans, an industrious Arab people who settled here more than 2000 years ago, turning it into an important junction for the silk, spice and other trade routes that linked China, India and southern Arabia with Egypt, Syria, Greece and Rome.
Petra Archaeological Park
The Petra Archaeological Park (PAP) covers a 264 dunum (264,000 square metres) area within Wadi Musa, which is considered a tourism and archaeological site, and a World Heritage Site registered on the UNESCO World Heritage list since 1985. The area encompasses a breathtaking landscape of pink-hued rock mountains, the focus of which is the amazing ancient Nabataean city of Petra, which was carved into the rock more than 2,000 years ago.
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The Petra Archaeological Park (PAP) covers a 264 dunum (264,000 square metres) area within Wadi Musa, which is considered a tourism and archaeological site, and a World Heritage Site registered on the UNESCO World Heritage list since 1985. The area encompasses a breathtaking landscape of pink-hued rock mountains, the focus of which is the amazing ancient Nabataean city of Petra, which was carved into the rock more than 2,000 years ago.
Interesting Sites:
Bab Al Siq
After entering the gate in Petra, and before you reach the Siq, you walk through an area called ‘Bab Al Siq’, Arabic for gateway to the ‘siq’. There are several monuments of note along the way starting with three massive Djinn or god blocks, the Obelisk Tomb and the Triclinium below it with an ancient bilingual inscription.
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An 88m-long tunnel was cut out of the rock by the Nabataeans to divert flash floods from the Siq.
The Siq
This is a narrow gorge, more than a kilometer long, which leads visitors into Petra, opening up at the Treasury. As well as presenting a dramatic entryway into Petra, many relics can be seen in the Siq including a paved road and Nabataean sacred stones.
The Treasury (Al Khazna)
The Siq opens up onto Petra’s most magnificent façade - the Treasury or Al Khazna. It stands at almost 40 meters high and is intricately decorated with friezes, statues and other features carved from the rock. There is a funerary urn at the top of the Treasury which according to local legend conceals pharaoh’s treasures. Although the original function is still a mystery, the Khazna is believed by many archaeologists to be the mausoleum of King Aretas IV (9BC- 40AD).
The Street of Facades
This is a row of monumental Nabataean tombs carved in the southern cliff face of the outer Siq. The facades are crowned with corner crow-steps, pilasters and cavettos.
The Theatre
This was carved into the side of the mountain at the foot of the High Place of Sacrifice during the reign of King Aretas IV (9BC-40AD). It consists of three rows of seats separated by passageways and seven stairways ascend the auditorium and can accommodate 4000 spectators. The back wall of the stage was rebuilt by the Romans.
The Nymphaeum
This is a semi-circular public fountain near the junction of Wadi Musa and Wadi al-Mataha. Six Nabataean columns decorated the façade and it received water from a tank located on the opposite side of the valley. It is shaded by a wild pistachio tree that is 450 years old.
The Colonnaded Street
The street was originally constructed by the Nabataeans and later refurbished after the Roman annexation. It starts at the monumental steps of the Upper Market and and includes a the remains of a Nabataean monumental gate.
Great Temple
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| Petra Visit, The oldest City house shape |
The Great Temple Complex represents one of the major archaeological and architectural components of central Petra and is estimated to cover an area of 7000 square meters. The Great Temple is 28m wide and 40m long. The style and quality of the temple’s elaborate floral friezes and limestone capitals suggest that the sanctuary was constructed by the end of the first century BC by the Nabataeans who combined their native traditions with the classical spirit. The Great Temple was in use until some point in the late Byzantine Period.
Qasr Al Bint
The monument is almost square (and is set on a podium. It was the main temple of Petra and is still standing to a height of 23m. The temple is approached by a flight of marble steps. It is believed that the goddess al-Uzza/Aphrodite and Baal shaman were the main gods of this temple, which dates to the first half of the 1st century AD.
The Columbarium
This is a cave at the foot of the Al-Habis Mountain. Many rectangular niches were carved in the back wall and then plastered. The niches usually contained the ashes of the dead.
Al Habis Mountain:
This was occupied by a medieval fort, which was originally built by the Crusaders in AD1115 and was visited by Sultan Baybars in AD1276.
The Lion Biclinium
This can be seen on the way to ad Deir; it is so-named because of two lions carved on both sides of the entrance. The façade is intricately decorated and there are two benches inside and a baetyl in a niche is carved to the left of the doorway.
Ad Deir
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Ad Deir, or the Monastery, is one of the largest monuments in Petra. It was modeled on the Treasury. The interior is occupied by two side benches and an altar against the rear wall. This space was used for meetings of religious associations and the Monastery dates to the early 2nd century AD. The hall was later re-used as a Christian chapel and crosses were carved in the rear wall, which is how the structure got its name.
Viewpoint
A short way beyond Ad Deir, visitors can enjoy magnificent views over the arid, rocky mountains that stretch west into the horizon in the direction of Wadi Araba.
High Place of Sacrifice
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The Two Obelisks
These are two 7-meter-high freestanding obelisks carved from the rock which represent the Nabataean goddess Dushara.
The Lion Fountain
A huge lion is carved out of the sandstone rock on the way to the High Place. A channel carved above the lions head received water from a spring and the water collected in a basin and flowed to a large cistern at the foot of the mountain.
Petra Day Trip
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Transportation
The Petra Visitor Center lies just outside the site of Petra and is your first stop before you head to the gate that leads into the protected area. The center is open daily and you must purchase your tickets for entering Petra from here.
Opening hours
The ancient site of Petra and its Visitor Center are open to visitors on a daily basis from 6am to 6pm during the summer and 6am to 4pm in the winter. The Visitor Center sells tickets, arranges for guides and provides information and help to visitors.
Tickets
Entry into the site of Petra is only permitted to visitors holding valid tickets. These are available at the Visitor Center and can be purchased on arrival. Prices differ for foreigners and locals and a range of ticket types are available depending on the length of stay and number of visits to be made into Petra.
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Moevenpick Resort Petra
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Cleopetra Hotel
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Guides
Licensed tour guides can be booked from the Visitor Center to take you through the site. Our guides speak Arabic, English, French, Greek and Italian.
Note: No vehicles or bicycles are allowed beyond the main gate.
Al Badyeh Police
The Badyeh Police Station is located behind the Visitors Center. Police and security entities can be contacted at the following numbers:
Tourist Police 03-2156441
General Police Directorate in the Governorate of Ma’an 191
Security Directorate in Wadi Mus: 112