December 2, 2011

The Rose-Red City Half as Old as Time 3

by • Holy Land, Pilgrimage Sites, UNESCO World Heritage Site, Unique Experiences • Tags: , , ,

The Al-Khazneh (Treasury), Petra (Photo by: Jordan Tourism Board)

There is no city in Jordan which captures any visitor’s imagination and amazes him as dramatically as the archeological site, Petra.  Although much has been written about Petra, nothing really prepares you for this amazing place.  It has to be seen to be believed.

For some who thinks the place looks familiar, the famous movie Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade was shot right here.  The facade of The Treasury (photo above) was used for the entrance to the temple housing the Holy Grail.

This great world wonder,  is without a doubt Jordan’s most valuable treasure and greatest tourist attraction. It is a vast, unique city, carved into the huge  rock face by the Nabataeans, the hard working  Arab people who settled here more than 2000 years ago, turning it into an important crossroad  for the silk, spice and other trade routes that linked China, India and southern Arabia with Egypt, Syria, Greece and Rome.

Petra is sometimes called the ‘Lost City’. In spite of its being such an important city in antiquity, after the 14th century AD, Petra was completely lost to the western world. It was rediscovered in 1812 by the Swiss traveller, Johann Ludwig Burckhardt, who tricked his way into the fiercely guarded site by pretending to be an Arab from India wishing to make a sacrifice at the tomb of the Prophet Aaron.

Petra was famously described as “a rose-red city half as old as time” in a Newdigate prize-winning sonnet by John William Burgon.  Petra was chosen by the BBC as one of “the 40 places you have to see before you die”.

Here is a short video about Petra :

MBM Classic Travel  is offering this experience with its Classical Gems of Jordan, Israel and Egypt tour  this coming April 2012.