CULTUREFOCUS: Jordan and Syria photos. Picture of old Petra and Palmyra.

PETRA

The old city of Petra in Jordan is a stunning place. This 2000 year old ancient spectacle deserves its overused description of 'a rose-red city half as old as time', taken from a poem by John William Burgeon.

Petra was established by the pre-Roman Nabateans. A remarkable feature of the site is that many of the elaborate temples, tombs and other buildings were cut into the solid, richly-colored rock.

A weather-worn Petra facade
cut into pink and orange stone

Picture of the Treasury at Petra, Jordan

Al Khazneh at Petra is one of the most elegant monuments to survive from antiquity

Al Khazneh, the Treasury, at Petra, Jordan

The famous first view of Al Khazneh (the Treasury) through the rock walls of the Siq. The huge size of some of the structures at Petra is not apparent from photographs.

A fabled city in the rock

Petra was built in an area of rugged and dramatic hills that provide a stunning setting. The easiest access to the remains of the city is through a narrow gorge called the Siq. This leads first to Al Khazneh (the Treasury), the Nabatean's most fabled achievement.

Al Khazneh is carved into the solid rock. It survives as Petra's best preserved monument because its position has protected it from the elements. The first glimpse of this fabulous edifice as it appears in the sunlight at the end of the Siq is a sight never to be forgotten.

Al Khazneh was built when the Nabatean culture was at its artistic height - sometime in the last century BCE or the first century CE. The purpose of this remarkable structure is unclear, but it was probably a temple or a king's tomb. The name Treasury was given later in the mistaken belief that it concealed hidden riches.

The rise and fall of Petra
The wealth of Petra grew because of the city's strategic position as a commercial crossroads on important trade routes. As the city flourished from the second century BCE, its buildings became increasingly imposing. Petra fell to the Romans in 106 CE and, although the city continued to thrive for a time, its importance later declined along with the caravan routes on which it depended. Petra was eventually abandoned and fell into centuries of obscurity.

Al Deir, the Monastery, at Petra, Jordan

Al Deir (the Monastery) was probably a mausoleum for a dead king. Like Al Khazneh, this awesome monument has been spared from the erosion that has almost destroyed most other constructions in Petra.

PALMYRA

In the Syrian desert are the ruins of Palmyra (ancient Tadmor), a city that was driven to heroic deeds and its ultimate downfall by the ambitious dreams of Queen Zenobia.

Built at the site of a desert oasis, Tadmor flourished in the last century BCE as a staging post on trade routes across the Middle East. The importance and wealth of the city grew further through trade with the expanding Roman Empire. Under the Roman emperor Tiberius (14-37 CE), Tadmor eventually became part of the expanding Roman province of Syria and was renamed Palmyra.

The Great Colonnade and Tetrapylon

The Theater at Palmyra

The downfall of Palmyra began when its ruler Odenathus was assassinated and his wife Zenobia (believed by many historians to have been responsible!) gained power. Conflict with Rome ensued after Zenobia began expanding her power through the Middle East.

The Monumental Arch

After eventually being captured by the Romans, Zenobia was paraded through Rome in gold chains as the emperor Aurelian's trophy. Palmyra itself was finally taken by Aurelian in 273 CE after another rebellion. Aurelian's troops slaughtered many of Palmyra's residents and burned much of the city.



		Syria and Jordan PETRA AND PALMYRA Pictures of two ancient sites in the Middle East