Petra: City of Stone

One of our last excursions while in Israel was to Jordan.  We crossed the border in Eilat and headed to Petra, the ancient capital city of the Nabataean people made wealthy by trade in spices like Frankincense and myrrh.  The trade routes covered much of the Middle East and Arabian Peninsula, reaching from Egypt to India to Turkey (modern locations, of course).  The majority of the buildings in Petra are actually tombs.  The larger and grander the tomb, the wealthier and more important the inhabitant during life.

The Treasury, as it is often known, was only called such because of the earn on top of the central rounded pediment.  It was believed to contain gold, so naturally was shot at with guns to break it open.  No such gold was found, but the name of the Treasury stuck for this tomb.

The architecture is rather fascinating because not often is the triangle roof of a building split like this.  Triangled roofs (or the pediment) are common to Roman and Greek architecture, but this split here is thought to have come from Alexandria in Egypt.  It actually rather reminds me of the Tempietto (little temple) placed in the upper center for Borromini's San Carlo from 1634.

The architecture is similar for other tombs of Petra, like Deir above, also known as the Monastery.  This one is much larger than the Treasury but surprisingly simple by comparison.  There are not as many decorations.

As with much of the region, Petra was conquered by Romans.  They built a separate complex outside of the main canyon, completed with a paved road triumphal arch long collapsed by earthquakes.

We spent the night at a Bedouin tent camp, and the following morning we went to Wadi Rum, a very large valley known for its geology and the presence of Lawrence of Arabia.  We also saw camels grazing in small figs.  They were friendly enough to allow some photographs.

The all-wheel drive suburbans took us through the shifting sands and dunes of Wadi Rum.  The surrounding sandstones were interestingly weathered and varied in color, giving a hint that their origins varied slightly to produce mosaics of reds and yellows.

We returned to Eilat from Wadi Rum after a brief but packed weekend.