Travelbeat Editorial Review Petra - Past and Present Story and photos by Kerry Hennigan In 1914 T.E. Lawrence visited Petra while he was working as an archaeologist in the Middle East. In a letter, he wrote that "you will never know what Petra is like, unless you come out here… Only be assured that till you have seen it you have not had the glimmering of an idea how beautiful a place can be." Despite the passage of 95 years since Lawrence (in his pre "Lawrence of Arabia" days) wrote this, nothing has changed when it comes to the mystique of Petra, Jordan's premier archaeological site. However, despite now been declared one of the new 7 Wonders of the World, many people still know it only from a Hollywood movie. In Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, the exterior of the edifice called by the Bedouin Al Khazneh (i.e. The Treasury) served as the Temple of the Holy Grail in which an ageless Crusader knight guarded the legendary cup of Christ. Sadly, there are plenty of people who still think the ornate Treasury façade - Petra's most famous monument - was an elaborate set built especially for the movie, as was the temple '"interior". In locating the Temple of the Holy Grail in Petra, Steven Spielberg was following in the wake of real 12th century Crusaders who constructed a fort from the stones of a ruined Nabataean temple overlooking what had once been the centre of the City of Petra, or (as it was referred to in Dead Sea scrolls) Rekem. The Nabataeans were a North-Arabian tribe of merchants, called the Nabajoth in the Old Testament. They had settled in Rekem/Petra at least as early as the 6th century BC and made it their capital. They built the City with its tombs, temples, palaces, residences and theatres, and from here controlled trade between the Levant and the Mediterranean. Their architecture was influenced not only by their own Nabataean material culture, but also those of Egypt and the Hellenistic world of Alexander the Great and his successors. The monuments carved out of the rock at Petra reflect the beliefs of pre-Islamic Arabs, worshiping gods and goddesses and some of their deified kings. In 106 AD Rome absorbed Petra into its empire as part of Arabia Petraea of which it became the capital. The Romans added to the existing architecture, but then disaster struck in 363 when an earthquake destroyed many buildings and damaged the vital water supply systems originally engineered by the Nabataeans. However, we do know from ancient sources (Epiphanius of Salamis c. 315-403) that religious pilgrims still visited Petra. Epiphanius mentions a feast honouring the virgin Chaabou and her son Dushara (the main male god) which took place on December 25th. Following the arrival of Christianity to Petra in the 4th century AD the successors to Rome, the Byzantines, built a great church (c. 5th Century AD) overlooking the cardo - the main avenue of the city. The beautiful mosaic aisles are still visible under the protective roof that now shelters the ruined church. By the time the Crusaders arrived in 1116 the Bedouin were already living in Petra, and returned once the Crusaders had been driven out of the region by the armies of Islam and their fort dismantled. Visitors to Petra today encounter modern Bedouin entrepreneurs operating the horse, camel, donkey and carriage rides and running the gift stalls and concession stands. They are part of the experience of Petra that makes it a truly memorable place to visit. Petra holds many surprises, even for those who are familiar with the park from books and films. Early in the 21st century when centuries of accumulated silt were removed from the site, new discoveries came to light. One of the most startling was that of previously undetected tombs beneath the Treasury. These are visible today through a metal safety guard that covers the excavated entrance to the tombs in the raised platform immediately in front of the familiar façade of Indiana Jones' "Temple". The Nabataeans it seems were quite happy to demolish or build on top of older structures to create something better. While the Treasury is the most famous of Petra's many rock-cut monuments, the largest is El Dier (the Monastery) which is at the top of a long, arduous climb from the valley floor. Just as the Treasury was never a treasury, the Monastery wasn't a monastery - most of the names attributed to the monuments in Petra were given to them long after they city was abandoned by the Nabataeans and Romans. The views back over the valley as one climbs the steps of the Monastery trail could be straight out of a Hollywood-style Biblical epic; while at the top the view of the monument itself - standing proud of the cliff face across a flat plaza - is nothing short of awesome. Chances are though, the weary visitor will be just as pleased at the sight of a welcoming Bedouin café located in a sheltering cave, providing a warm fire and refreshing drinks. At the end of the trail, it's the perfect way to relax and take in the scenery in the company of people who have lived with it all their lives. Perhaps at this point the visitor will take time out to reflect on the wonders they have witnessed and, like Lawrence, come to believe that only by visiting Petra can one fully appreciate its beauty and magnitude. For more in-depth information on the wonders of Petra visit: www.petranationaltrust.org References and Recommended Reading: · Petra: Splendors of the Nabataean Civilization by F. A. Ossorio, White Star Publishers. · Lawrence of Arabia: The Authorized Biography of T.E. Lawrence by Jeremy Wilson, Collier Books 1989 · Petra from Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petra · Catholic Encyclopedia (1913)/Petra from Wikisource http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Catholic_Encyclopedia_(1913)/Petra Back to Front Page