Petra
From: The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition
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Date: 2008
Petra , ancient rock city, in present-day Jordan, known to the Arabs as Wadi Musa for the stream that flows through it. A narrow, winding pass between towering walls leads to the open plain upon which stood the ancient city. The plain is surrounded by hills in which tombs have been carved in the pink sandstone. The site includes some 800 structures, the best known of which is the Khazneh el-Farun (or so-called Pharoah's Treasury), a mausoleum, monument, or temple with a two-story facade and Hellenistic split pediment.
Petra was early occupied by the Edomites (see Edom ) and by the Nabataeans (an Arab tribe; see Nabataea ), who had their capital there from the 4th cent. BC until the Roman occupation in AD 106. The city is referred to as Sela in the Bible (2 Kings 14.7). It was for many centuries the focal point of a vast caravan trade but declined with the rise of Palmyra ; however, it remained a religious center of Arabia. Under the Romans in the 2d and 3d cent. it was included in the province of Arabia Petraea. An early seat of Christianity, it was conquered by the Muslims in the 7th cent. and in the 12th cent. was captured by the Crusaders, who built a citadel there. Petra was unknown to the Western world until its ruins were visited by Johann Burckhardt in 1812.
Bibliography: See M. I. Rostovtsev, Caravan Cities (1932, repr. 1971); I. Browning, Petra (1974); M. G. Amadasi Guzzo and E. Equini Schneider, Petra (2002); J. Taylor, Petra and the Lost Kingdom of the Nabataeans (2002).
Author not available, PETRA.,
The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition 2008
The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. Copyright 2008 Columbia University Press
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THE MAJESTY AND MYSTERY OF PETRA
The Boston Globe; 2/15/1998; Phyllis Meras, Globe Correspondent; 1912 words;
PETRA, Jordan -- "Petra is the most wonderful place in the world," British adventurer Lawrence ... 1914. I had always wanted to see Jordan's rose-red 2,000-year-old city of Petra. But Middle Eastern instability, I feared, might keep me from ever doing ...
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PETRA THE LOST, RED CITY OF THE NABATEANS IS ONE OF THE WORLD'S ENDURING WONDERS
The Boston Globe; 8/16/1987; Curtis Wilkie, Globe Staff; 1355 words;
PETRA, Jordan - Tucked away in a remote canyon on the edge of the ... lies one of the most spectacular wonders of the world -- Petra, the lost, red city of the Nabateans. That it is unknown ... the ineptness of Jordan's Ministry of Tourism rather than Petra's excellence as an attraction. Although it was not ...
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Saving the rose-red city. (Petra, Jordan)
History Today; 2/1/1993; Hills, Ann; 915 words;
Petra, the 'rose-red' city which is the pride of Jordan, is at risk. Rainwater is attacking its 2,000 year old classical ... of the hundreds of horses on which visitors ride into the city through the Siq - the narrow gorge which forms Petra's main entrance. Petra was the capital of the Nabataeans, occupying a ...
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Jordan's Petra Lives Up to Status As a Wonder of the Ancient World
Chicago Sun-Times; 7/30/1995; HEDY WEISS; 1505 words;
PETRA, Jordan When statesmen and diplomats begin negotiating peace ... make a detour into Jordan. Best of all, they could visit Petra, the mysterious rose-colored city of stone that moviegoers ... Israel in May, I made sure to include a brief excursion to Petra. It proved to be that rare place that actually ...
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Colorful, powerful beauty of Petra: Ancient city in Jordan a treasure.(Travel)
The Washington Times; 12/11/1999; Meras, Phyllis; 1460 words;
Petra is the most wonderful place in the world, British adventurer ... had wanted to see Jordan's rose-red, 2,000-year-old city of Petra, so I decided on a recent visit to Israel to take a side ... Israel one day again and simply picnic with them under a tree. Petra is about a three-hour drive from Amman, so we ...
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THE PETRA GREAT TEMPLE: A NABATAEAN ARCHITECTURAL MIRACLE
Near Eastern Archaeology; 12/1/2002; Joukowsky, Martha Sharp; 4635 words;
Petra is filled with infinite shapes and colors and there is a ... major archaeological and architectural components of central Petra. Located to the south of the Colonnaded Street and southeast ... the 189Os, it was W. Bachmann, in his 1921 revision of the Petra urban plan, who postulated the existence of a ...
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The Churches of Byzantine Petra
Near Eastern Archaeology; 12/1/2002; Bikai, Patricia Maynor; 2878 words;
It has long been known that the city of Petra was severely affected by the great earthquake ... vain hope, a sort of torpor settled across Petra; life became an existence valued for its ... by explorers, the only certain church in Petra was a Nabataean tomb, the Urn Tomb, converted ...
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PETRA: LAND OF TREASURES
The Boston Globe; 10/31/1999; Linda Tischler, Globe Correspondent ,; 1943 words;
... On the trip back to the siq, we explored some of Petra's 500 tombs. These structures, carved out of the ... the charming hotel, Taybet Zeman, five miles from Petra in Wadi Musa (03- 336922; fax 03-336922). Built ... patterned in delicate swirling patterns that mimic Petra's exotic stone, spices (your chance ...
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Petra's life. (Petra Karin Kelly) (Editorial)
The Nation; 12/7/1992; Weiss, Cora; 599 words;
On November 29 Petra Karin Kelly, co-founder of the German Green ... monumental tragedy that ended the lives of Petra and her soulmate and political ally of ... Gert wanted to take his own life, and that Petra couldn't live without his support. I couldn ...
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The Rose Red City: A Review of "Petra: Lost City of Stone"
Near Eastern Archaeology; 6/1/2006; McGeough, Kevin; 1289 words;
... walk into the showroom and explore the wonders of Petra. Past the entrance are remnants of the nineteenth century rediscovery of Petra. Displayed on the walls are the work of traveling ... exhibition likewise ends with modern activities at Petra, documenting current issues of preservation, and ... that face ...
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Secrets of the desert: the lost city of Petra.(The Ancient World)
New York Times Upfront; 1/12/2004; Glueck, Grace; 1360 words;
... thriving city in the ancient Middle East, Petra was lost to outsiders for more than 500 years. Today, Petra's ruins are open to visitors, and archaeologists ... was spectacular, but the desert terrain of Petra, an ancient metropolis at its height from ...
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&type=1 "The Cincinnati Post (Cincinnati, OH)")
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PETRA'S TOP TEN\ MOST OF THESE ARTIFACTS HAVE NEVER BEEN SEEN OUTSIDE THE ANCIENT CITY; IT TOOK A COLOSSAL EFFORT TO GET THEM TO THE U.S.(Living)
The Cincinnati Post (Cincinnati, OH); 9/14/2004; Stein, Jerry; 1753 words;
Byline: Jerry Stein Post staff reporter Petra: Lost City of Stone, the major new exhibition ... 's a comprehensive show of artifacts from Petra -- located 170 miles southwest of modern-d ... own collection and some from sites near Petra. The artifacts date from 100 B.C. to the ...
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The wonder of Petra.(MOSAIC)(Jordan's archaeological site)
The Middle East; 7/1/2007; Luxner, Larry; 1495 words;
THESE DAYS, NO visitor to Petra can escape it. Jordan's all-out campaign urging tourists to vote for Petra is as relentless as the scorching summer ... in the desert. A tent set up outside the Petra Visitors' Centre is equipped with nine PCs ...
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The wonder of Petra
Middle East; 7/1/2007; Luxner, Larry; 1570 words;
THESE DAYS, NO visitor to Petra can escape it. Jordan's all-out campaign urging tourists to "vote for Petra" is as relentless as the scorching summer ... in the desert. A tent set up outside the Petra Visitors' Centre is equipped with nine PCs ...
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