Jordan

Perhaps one of the most fascinating complete works of art world-wide is Petra – the rose-coloured city. Almost perfectly maintained, it is nowadays Jordan’s biggest attraction. But also for scientists, Petra represents a challenge – the visitor finds himself in front of facades 40 meters high, sculpted out of the rocks.

The place is situated at the outermost end of the rocky desert Wadi Arabia, about three to five hours south of Amman. It is enclosed by high mountains of reddish sand stone, whereon the Nabataeans sculpted gorgeous temples. Even if there are older traces of residential areas, the foundation of the city is generally dated to the sixth century B.C. However, the information we have about this place is rather limited until the year 312 B.C., when the Nabataeans declared it to be the capital of their empire.

Under their rule, the city developed quite fast. Petra was an important reloading point of merchandise, especially for spices. Due to its strategically convenient and protected position, the place eluded exterior access for a long time. In the year 106, the Nabataeans’ empire fell and the Romans took over the city. In fact, the city continued to prosper for a while, but the peak had already been reached. The trade routes changed and the economic fall became apparent. After the earthquake of 551, the city had a massive population decrease. Only during the time of the crusades did the city play an important role once again; afterwards, it no longer appears in any records. The city was forgotten and became a myth.