Petra trip in Jordan (26 km round trip)
🇯🇴-1.2Around 100 BC, the Nabataeans, who were good at business and had flexible minds, made #Petra the largest trade center at the time, controlling the trade route between #Arabia and Damascus. It was also a transit station on the Maritime Silk Road, where goods (spices, frankincense, myrrh...) were transported from here to India or China. In 106 AD, Nabataea was peacefully incorporated into the Roman Empire, and the ancient city was renamed #petra (from Greek, meaning stone). After being incorporated into Rome, parts of the city were rebuilt according to Roman design elements, the Roman theater was expanded, stone roads were paved in the city center, and many buildings and statues were added. Therefore, Roman architectural remains can be seen in Petra. After passing Al-Khazneh, I chose the High Place of Sacrifice Trail on the recommendation of the local Bedouins. The locals’ recommendation turned out to be correct. Along the way, I could see the Street of Facades, the Royal Tombs, etc. At the altar on the top of the mountain, I met enthusiastic Bedouins who invited me to join them for morning tea. I took the hot mint sweet tea he gave me and listened to him talk about the past of this land. As we chatted, I felt my heart floating in the air with the aroma of the Bedouin sweet tea. Maybe there is a Bedouin soul in some part of me. After saying goodbye to the Bedouins, I continued along the mountain road towards the monastery (Ad-deir / Monastery). The monastery is the largest and most legendary building in the ancient city of Petra. At first glance, it looks the same as the Khazneh Temple, but the monastery is larger, 47 meters wide and 48.4 meters high. The two-story building is carved into the mountain wall, with side platforms on both sides. It used to be a meeting place for religious groups. It was used as a Christian church during the Byzantine period. A cross is carved on the back wall, hence the name monastery. I also had a good rest here, sitting in the small tea stall facing the monastery and playing with Mimi, who was not afraid of strangers but wanted to conquer the earth. Then, on the way back, I first walked along the main road, Street of Facades, and then went around the Royal Tombs. Along the way, we discovered that Petra has many diverse architectural and decorative styles. It combines different elements such as Greek, Assyrian, Roman, Mesopotamian and Egyptian. These are all the knowledge the Nabataeans gained through trade and exchanges with the outside world. They extracted design elements and techniques from them, and then integrated them with their national style to create great buildings that still amaze the world thousands of years later.
*The British archaeological team that arrived in 1929 is still carrying out excavation work. Currently, only 15% of the entire ancient city of Petra has been excavated, and the remaining 85% is still buried under sand, soil and rocks.