20110304_Jordan_0715 Petra
Al-Khazneh, the Treasury, is actually a tomb-temple but the local Bedouin speculated a grander purpose. Historians believe it may have been the tomb of the Nabatean king Aretas IV who reigned between 8 BCE and 40 CE when many of Petra’s monuments were constructed.
The Treasury appeared in the movie "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade" in 1989.
[David Roberts arrived here 7 March 1839 www.loc.gov/pictures/item/2002717537/ The broken column he found was not restored until fairly recently.]
Although Petra is believed to have been settled as early as 9000 BCE, its apogee was as the capital of the Nabatean kingdom which ruled much of present-day Jordan from the 3rd century BCE to the 1st century CE. The Nabatean’s expert water engineering created a lush oasis that became a major trade crossroad for desert caravans. The reign of King Aretas IV from 8 BCE and 40 CE saw the construction of many of Petra’s monuments. In 106 CE, the Roman emperor Trajan annexed the Nabatean territories to create the province of Arabia Petraea with its capital as Bostra (present-day Busra ash Sham), reducing Petra’s importance. When the Eastern Roman Empire (also known as the Byzantine Empire) split off in the 4th century CE, Petra was made a provincial capital. With the Muslim conquest of the area in the 7th century CE, Petra ‘disappeared’ and fell to ruins after a series of earthquakes. Petra existed only as a secret stronghold of the Bedouin.
Petra was ‘rediscovered’ in 1812 by Swiss scholar and Arab expert Johann Ludwig Burckhardt. He had disguised himself by wearing Arab robes and pretending to be a Muslim pilgrim from India who had come to fulfill a pious vow. His Bedouin guide was fooled into bringing the first European in centuries into Petra.
Petra was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1985.
On Google Earth:
The Treasury 30°19'19.32"N, 35°27'5.79"E
20110304_Jordan_0715 Petra
Al-Khazneh, the Treasury, is actually a tomb-temple but the local Bedouin speculated a grander purpose. Historians believe it may have been the tomb of the Nabatean king Aretas IV who reigned between 8 BCE and 40 CE when many of Petra’s monuments were constructed.
The Treasury appeared in the movie "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade" in 1989.
[David Roberts arrived here 7 March 1839 www.loc.gov/pictures/item/2002717537/ The broken column he found was not restored until fairly recently.]
Although Petra is believed to have been settled as early as 9000 BCE, its apogee was as the capital of the Nabatean kingdom which ruled much of present-day Jordan from the 3rd century BCE to the 1st century CE. The Nabatean’s expert water engineering created a lush oasis that became a major trade crossroad for desert caravans. The reign of King Aretas IV from 8 BCE and 40 CE saw the construction of many of Petra’s monuments. In 106 CE, the Roman emperor Trajan annexed the Nabatean territories to create the province of Arabia Petraea with its capital as Bostra (present-day Busra ash Sham), reducing Petra’s importance. When the Eastern Roman Empire (also known as the Byzantine Empire) split off in the 4th century CE, Petra was made a provincial capital. With the Muslim conquest of the area in the 7th century CE, Petra ‘disappeared’ and fell to ruins after a series of earthquakes. Petra existed only as a secret stronghold of the Bedouin.
Petra was ‘rediscovered’ in 1812 by Swiss scholar and Arab expert Johann Ludwig Burckhardt. He had disguised himself by wearing Arab robes and pretending to be a Muslim pilgrim from India who had come to fulfill a pious vow. His Bedouin guide was fooled into bringing the first European in centuries into Petra.
Petra was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1985.
On Google Earth:
The Treasury 30°19'19.32"N, 35°27'5.79"E