Petra (from the Latin word 'petrae',
meaning 'rock') lies in a great rift valley east of Wadi 'Araba in Jordan
about 80 kilometers south of the Dead Sea. It came into prominence in the
late first century (BC) through the success of the spice trade. The
city was the principal city of ancient Nabataea and was famous above all
for two things: its trade and its hydraulic engineering systems.
Evidence suggests that settlements had begun in and around Petra in the eighteenth dynasty of Egypt (1550-1292 BC). It is listed in Egyptian campaign accounts and the Amarna letters
as Pel, Sela or Seir.
Though the city was founded relatively late, a
sanctuary existed there since very ancient times. Stations 19 through 26
of the stations list of Exodus are places associated with Petra.
This part of the country was Biblically assigned to the Horites, the predecessors of the Edomites.
The habits of the original natives may have influenced the Nabataean
custom of burying the dead and offering worship in half-excavated caves.
Although Petra is usually identified with Sela which means a rock, the Biblical references refer to it as "the cleft in the rock", referring to its entrance. The second book of Kings xiv. 7 seems to be more specific. In the parallel passage, however, Sela is understood to mean simply "the rock".
According to tradition, the Petra area (but not necessarily the site itself) was
populated by Edomites and the area was known as Edom ("red"). Before the
Israelite incursions, the Edomites controlled the trade routes from Arabia
in the south to Damascus in the north. Little is known about the Edomites
at Petra itself, but as a people they were known for their wisdom, their
writing, their textile industry, the excellence and fineness of their ceramics,
and their skilled metal working.
Excavations have demonstrated that it was the ability of the Nabataeans
to control the water supply that led to the rise of the desert city,
creating an artificial oasis. The area is visited by flash floods and archaeological evidence demonstrates the Nabataeans controlled these floods by the use of dams, cisterns and water conduits. These innovations stored water for prolonged periods of drought, and enabled the city to prosper from its sale
Petra was chosen by the BBC as one of "the 40 places you have to see before you die". And it is a symbol of Jordan as well as its most visited tourist attraction.
Map of Petra
