Show a The Rose PALES 1 INE Red Ci 1 a el 1 Cho 0 0 Amman I Jeru em Sea A W e Port Said t m y MO Barm B 0 arm a a e 1 1 f eer She U Wt Suez EDO wc 1 p C ana Petra SeI r i o aan 2 Ain e t Q Suez f E G y P T JL Wd 1 L i Aruba S 5 J 1 N A I IPEN d- d a Gulf o oP 0 ux c P PEN E N vo ARABI ARABIo ARABIA o o so too STATUTE MILES Petra Is Off OH the Beaten Path Old Petra Now Accessible to Travelers After Many Centuries of Oblivion I I i I II I I I I I I I I I Prepared d bY br Ge Geographic nL- nL Society Wa wahington hn P D r C CwT w T T S PETRA TETRA ETRA silent city of the 1 forgotten past halfway half be between veen the Dead Sea and the Gulf of exerts a magic b spell upon the minds of those fortunate enough to know it Its single and weird approach through a deep rock cleft more than a mile long its temples numbering nearly a thousand cut into the living rock of stupendous cliffs and showing Babylonian an Egyptian Greek and Roman influence its high places courts libation basins basins basins ba ba- ba- ba sins and altars where the ancients worshiped its amazing amazI amazing ing color the work ork of Nature lavish with ith ocher and all shades of jred all all these are mysterious enthralling The rose-red rose city half as old as tune time time has a history that began long loag before were histories written mitten Near Kear it have ha been fond food worked flints o of the Late period millenniums before re recorded or ed dates dares Its It's first writ written history is fond fod fondin in iia the Bible for far the Line load land abut it was Mount Seir cf of old now Esh Shera a home me of the tile cave care dwellers whose progenitor was Eori the grandson the o cf of Seir These are first m mentioned el a at t the time cl of Abraham raham in ia connection with the tile subjugation of ol the e land by Chedor- Chedor bomer For centuries Petra Peb was a rich caravan city a ae veritable e tabe c. c crossroads cl of the ancient world The Arabian peninsula was a network cl of caravan a routes o over er which pas passed the products products prod prod- o cf of Africa Arabia A. and India ladia to w the he e valley ney o cl the e Nile Je Palestine Phoenicia and aad the Tigris Euphrates valley ey Deserted d When Some Rome Fell Goods were wee br brought to w Petra for lor st storage stage age and aad for lor trans shipment t ia in every ery direction So important m was the be city that the Romans built buOi two roads to tap ap its is wealth When Rome Home leE feB boo however er its is doom dooD was as sealed sea Abandoned save sare for lor a few lew desert t I tribesmen lived lied miserably ia in inis its is caves es as some e d of them hem still stiS e live Petra passed from fu the notice cf cl the tile outside o world raining ia in oblivion for lor more than a thousand d years s. I la In lS 1512 the Swiss S. ta traveler ere J JLe Jam Joha Lewis Levis Le s Bret dt disguised ed as a sheik sek reached it and aad d returned returned re re- re- re turned tred to tell teB c cf ci its mysteries It I had bad then thea become e sacred ground d to 10 the e a Arabs s. s and aad danger alger menaced d say any infidel who o approached isIs it is la Is the ce 3 y alter after e B- B Br Burckhardt khar dt f few lew explores explorers s e a attempted to visit sit i it Not indeed until alter after the World war war- was it accessible e to 10 any save e I the e mos most intrepid d and aad even evea now aos- visitors vis ris- tors cannot ester enter it save e under cader i I p pr 1 of armed guards Wi With a 3 ca comfortable fo Se camp J fa for a 3 ice of ol guests guess dig g the e e- e moths Petra at last is open t to seI se se- I rl s travelers I Toe The trip fry Iram e.- e. 1 to 0 o Pew Petra and bank back care ed d 3 ab t a anth aol I nth c ol of is n t travel O co colty infested d wi isita ith lawless Jawless lawI law law- I less 3 of ol to toI e ee I Merin e 3 railway fran Damascus s t to i the e sacred city o of e a was AS a 3 aI arst I step P toward j 3 ope opening the e cosy ty j and zad later a 3 way highway from Jerasa- Jerasa e.- e. l 1 m 1 to 0 I and aad d s a smooth dirt t t i.-t rid d from nm Maa to Eji Ei ab fight t tI I mom 10 vehicles cles e wi within githa two miles des mi cf of j I the e ancient e t ci rid cUy- pion es too o DOW carry J p s e.-s s to 0 Ma M Masa b ld far lar Petra Pet I Wb When the British ilea cleared the be e v lor Dr a 2 t. t s b bero MB Masa j the 3 3 ns s sose ose rose in b sp r pea r- r ee e- e I fc e cJ that t the 0 e r road d dI weld WEd T d deprive them of ol I their e b income ome 1 from resting saddle sadae d e anin t to j i Petra e si 5 I Warfare t e a-e e a els s e er seve several sever Pea is i of cC both baSh 21 sides their er liver 1 v After Ater u uI the e gore meat eat had c crashed e SJ the eL s e 7 r rby I bee on by L lard fake o- o e k cc ors as re received e ass ass- e that t e eI road would nat 1 be cd a I Elji sad ad that their horses S r I add be hired aired e eder wader der a ment supervision for the last part of the journey How to Reach Preach the RuIns Rains Thus the Bedouins have kept modern modem transportation from actually actually actu actu- ally infringing on OD the silence of at long ago and preserved for lor Petra a measure of its isolation However you travel to Petra whether by railroad from Damascus Damas Damas- cus a method almost disused or orby orby orby by car from Jerusalem the most practical way vay or b by air the latest latest lat lat- est inno innovation tion all aD routes converge on Maan a 3 thriving abode village girdled with walled gardens of palms figs and vegetables and surrounded by fiat flat chalky vi white te desert There is an aa English school here and visitors are often amazed to find that many of the Arab youths understand and speak English From Maan raan you drive northwest by car passing the spring of at Ain Aia Musa to Elji Here a happy crowd of Bedouins with emaciated riding horses and pack mules await your arrival am Descending first by slippery trails over o limestone rock you follow the bed of Wadi Musa Iusa to a a. mighty barrier barrier bar bar- rier the eastern range of the red sandstone mountains t. t that t enclose Petra Wadi Musa Yusa deepens It seems that you are entering a a. culdesac culdesac cul- cul sac de but here Nature has bas ret rent the range asunder cutting a a. narrow narrow nar nar- row opening For this 1 long lg slit lit the Arabs have bave coined the name Es a cleft cleU Through it the fountain and flood floodwaters floodwaters waters now low oft in winter and a. a after traversing tray trav ersing erring the tle pre precincts of Petra city find then their w way y into Wadi el elaba aba Araba by another anoter greater gorge gc the Wadi Wadies es as Through Bab es as Approaching oar the gateway Bab es you pass fu through gh a small suburb suburb suburb sub sub- urb o of Petra Pea without the precincts p cf the fortified city This was a city of the e dead ead as was as most cf what vout is left o of Petra Pena Objects of cf interest est are e tc tombs c cf the pylon pym type cut Ct from the he e solid rock rocs but oot the facade mo monuments e c cf Petra proper rc I blo blocked ked out to stand d apart as head build md- md lags ings Here Ere too are scattered white sa sandstone e wo hummocks ks roc rock domes oes into bw which large numbers c cf small chambers s s ha have been cut crt without oot 12 ces Many cl d Eke lile character are e found fad fadon oa on the he less QS Ce ac accessible mountain l tops They are e believed to w be the tle to troglodyte e homes cf of ancient people who o lived fu on cc Mont Moat se Seir before ec-e ec the descendants sc s ci cl Esau Esa- San ode made Edom Edon oT of 4 it The is 60 f feet t 1 bag kog as the e effies crow dies and d considerably longer as it winds Once bee i it was all paved pared and charnels were e cut cat into its pre pre- precipitous sides to lead d the e spring springwater springwater water ate into the e ci city cit 1 It is 23 a feet t wide e ia in its narrowest u. u est parts pars s and aad expands ex ax- panda to not e more than two 0 or three e eti ti times rimes es this s ra its Is sides a. a are stupendous g men lel i mere e anti I Iby by comparison compari h. h la In no place pate racy you yea see fa far I ahead c crooks s and aad J co earners corners s e-s prevent event in ing bb- A s streak of bye e sky like a at t t twisted t t ted J JJ J is aH aM that AST n is visible 1 t oS of the heavens t You TOOT horses ses slip ever ove- ovetie tie the great bae badders sd ldes that thai Ai S Sanne s t choke this ancient a av av- anne e. e B Beins their W weary r sod and melancholy 1 notes hose I A. A Aries After of this his is aag mg g sect e s s- s s- s train strata 3 your Jrr r eyes fur for a 3 ast st is cf oi the e vision you yea know bow 3 awaits y yen Even Evea though oo yoa JOO watch nth it boosts upon you yoa as Is i 2 s- s surprise e. e The Si ends cads y ia in a 3 c cross cross- oss- oss e. e oi the e iz face cf off the e cli cliff op opposite apposite the e Sin Si m El has bs been bea eQ weed nr out a 3 temple to toUl aa Ul Ewa deity deiy It peeps at you youat youit 01 i it at t first arst S jv you see e a 3 1 hue le more e and aad d it St bursts io you 1 in aH an its bed Th This s cross Q has been called to e Jq The me name e Lou er a fit it it better c- c Its walls are e e e ua y pei precipitous T To o th the tha them south th its m Soar friar r rises abruptly tt 20 the e gin a 1 top tip cc an which j the thet Great Grat t High Nice h of f Sake e is local lo- lo I. I cs cal d. d St Steps have been en rat cat at no 0 At ae expenditure of a D to sake sy c he t c e sent ascent t of the ibe wo worshiper r To 10 the he fah the to e Or Outer Cater Sj Si q ex expand t j i ope m Sato isao the e Petra e basin basia s I |