Global InformationPetra information
| Petra (𐢛𐢚𐢓𐢈) | |
|---|---|
     From top, left to right: the Urn Tombs, en-Nejr theatre, Al-Khazneh (Treasury), Qasr al-Bint temple and view of Ad Deir (Monastery) trail | |
| Location | Ma'an Governorate, Jordan |
| Coordinates | 30°19′43″N 35°26′31″E / 30.32861°N 35.44194°E |
| Area | 264 km2 (102 sq mi)[1] |
| Elevation | 810 m (2,657 ft) |
| Built | Possibly as early as the 5th century BC[2] |
| Visitors | 1,135,300 (in 2019) |
| Governing body | Petra Region Authority |
| Website | www |
  Location of Petra (𐢛𐢚𐢓𐢈) in Jordan | |
UNESCO World Heritage Site | |
| Criteria | Cultural: i, iii, iv |
| Reference | 326 |
| Inscription | 1985 (9th Session) |
| Area | 26,171 ha |
Petra (Arabic: ٱلْبَتْراء, romanized: Al-Batrāʾ; Greek: Πέτρα, "Rock"), originally known to its inhabitants as Raqmu or Raqēmō[3][4] (Nabataean: 𐢛𐢚𐢒 or 𐢛𐢚𐢓𐢈, *Raqēmō), is a historic and archaeological city in southern Jordan. Famous for its rock-cut architecture and water conduit system, Petra is also called the "Rose City" because of the colour of the sandstone[5] from which it is carved;[6] it was famously called "a rose-red city half as old as time" in a poem of 1845 by John Burgon. It is adjacent to the mountain of Jabal Al-Madbah, in a basin surrounded by mountains forming the eastern flank of the Arabah valley running from the Dead Sea to the Gulf of Aqaba.[7] Access to the city is through a famously picturesque 1.2-kilometre-long (3⁄4 mi) gorge called the Siq, which leads directly to the Khazneh.
The area around Petra has been inhabited from as early as 7000 BC,[8] and the Nabataeans might have settled in what would become the capital city of their kingdom as early as the 4th century BC.[9] Archaeological work has only discovered evidence of Nabataean presence dating back to the second century BC,[10] by which time Petra had become their capital.[8] The Nabataeans were nomadic Arabs who invested in Petra's proximity to the incense trade routes by establishing it as a major regional trading hub.[8][11]
The trading business gained the Nabataeans considerable revenue and Petra became the focus of their wealth. Unlike their enemies, the Nabataeans were accustomed to living in the barren deserts and were able to repel attacks by taking advantage of the area's mountainous terrain. They were particularly skillful in harvesting rainwater, agriculture, and stone carving. Petra flourished in the 1st century AD, when its Al-Khazneh structure, possibly the mausoleum of Nabataean king Aretas IV, was constructed, and its population peaked at an estimated 20,000 inhabitants.[12] They developed a complex system of cisterns, channels, and dams to collect and store rainwater, allowing them to thrive in the arid desert environment. Most of the famous rock-cut buildings, which are mainly tombs, date from this and the following period. Much less remains of the free-standing buildings of the city.
Although the Nabataean kingdom became a client state of the Roman Empire in the first century BC, it was only in 106 AD that it lost its independence. Petra fell to the Romans, who annexed Nabataea and renamed it as Arabia Petraea.[13] Petra's importance declined as sea trade routes emerged, and after an earthquake in 363 destroyed many structures. In the Byzantine era, several Christian churches were built, but the city continued to decline and, by the early Islamic era, it was abandoned except for a handful of nomads. It remained unknown to the western world until 1812, when Swiss traveller Johann Ludwig Burckhardt rediscovered it.[14]
It has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1985. UNESCO has described Petra as "one of the most precious cultural properties of man's cultural heritage".[15] In 2007, Petra was voted one of the New 7 Wonders of the World.[16] Petra is a symbol of Jordan, as well as Jordan's most-visited tourist attraction. Tourist numbers peaked at 1.1 million in 2019, marking the first time that the figure rose above the 1 million mark.[17] Tourism in the historical city was hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic, but soon after started to pick up again, reaching 905,000 visitors in 2022.[18]
- ^ "Management of Petra". Petra National Trust. Archived from the original on 19 April 2015. Retrieved 14 April 2015.
- ^ Browning, Iain (1973, 1982), Petra, Chatto & Windus, London, p. 15, ISBN 0-7011-2622-1
- ^ Stephan G. Schmid and Michel Mouton (2013). Men on the Rocks: The Formation of Nabataean Petra. Logos Verlag Berlin GmbH. ISBN 9783832533137. Archived from the original on 18 March 2020. Retrieved 14 November 2019.
- ^ Shaddel, Mehdy (2017-10-01). "Studia Onomastica Coranica: AL-Raqīm, Caput Nabataeae*". Journal of Semitic Studies. 62 (2): 303–318. doi:10.1093/jss/fgx022. ISSN 0022-4480. Retrieved 2020-12-08.
- ^ MAT, Mahmut (7 January 2023). "The Petra in Jordan » Geology Science". Geology Science.
- ^ "Major Attractions: Petra". Jordan Tourism Board. Archived from the original on 2016-11-04.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
EB1911was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ a b c Cite error: The named reference
PNFwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Cite error: The named reference
lost kingdomwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Mati Milstein. "Petra. The "Lost City" still has secrets to reveal: Thousands of years ago, the now-abandoned city of Petra was thriving". National Geographic. Archived from the original on 20 December 2019. Retrieved 27 December 2019.
- ^ Jack D. Elliott Jr. (1996). Joe D. Seger (ed.). The Nabatean Synthesis of Avraham Negev: A Critical Appraisal. Eisenbrauns. p. 56. ISBN 9781575060125. Archived from the original on 14 June 2020. Retrieved 27 December 2019.
{{cite book}}:|work=ignored (help) - ^ "Petra Lost and Found". National Geographic. 2 January 2016. Archived from the original on 8 April 2018. Retrieved 8 April 2018.
- ^ "Petra lost and found". History Magazine. 2018-02-09. Archived from the original on August 6, 2020. Retrieved 2021-01-15.
- ^ Glueck, Grace (17 October 2003). "ART REVIEW; Rose-Red City Carved From the Rock". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 28 December 2017. Retrieved 29 January 2018.
- ^ "UNESCO advisory body evaluation" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 2012-01-13. Retrieved 2011-12-05.
- ^ ""Lost City" of Petra Still Has Secrets to Reveal". Science. 2017-01-26. Archived from the original on October 10, 2019. Retrieved 2021-01-15.
- ^ "Rose-red city of Petra wraps up 2019 with record-breaking 1,135,300 visitors". The Jordan Times. 6 January 2020. Archived from the original on 5 January 2020. Retrieved 6 January 2020.
- ^ "Petra welcomed 905,000 visitors in 2022". The Jordan Times. 2 January 2023. Retrieved 3 January 2023.