Granowicz 1

Alyssa Granowicz

Professor Thomson

History 134

April 23, 2017

The City of Petra

The city of Petra was home to the nomadic Proto-Arabic-speaking tribe, Nabataean, in

late 4th century BCE1. By the middle of the 2nd century BCE, they had established a mercantile

kingdom with Petra as the capital2. About 20,000 Nabataeans lived in the city of Petra, at its

peak, and built an ingenious system of waterways to provide their city with the precious liquid,

as they were in the midst of the desert3. The city of Petra sat empty and in near ruin for

centuries4. It was hidden away amidst the folds of spectacular hills and was lost to the Europeans

for almost 2,000 years5. In 1812, the city was rediscovered by the swiss explorer Johann Ludwig

Burckhardt6.

The city of Petra was literally carved from the sandstone cliffs of southern Jordan7. Petra

means rock in Greek, and is located about three hours south of Amman, the capital of Jordan8.

The city was founded by the Nabataeans several centuries before Christs birth9. Tucked in the

desert canyons is carved stone facades that cover red sandstone walls, tens of meters high10. The

carved rocks remain as a seemingly timeless testimony of human ingenuity11. To access the city,

one must travel through a rather narrow entrance walkway with steep mountain walls that have

inscriptions and carvings and soar 100 meters high12. The walkway is called a siq and at the end

is the treasury, Petras most famous monumental building13. Perched on top of the treasury is an

urn which was believed to have held countless treasures of gold and precious jewels14. The
 Granowicz 2

design of the urn follows the architectural conventions of depicting gods and mythological

figures15.

The Nabataeans where great at making waterways for the City of Petra. Petra averaged

about six inches of rainfall per year, its the deserts most precious commodities16. The

Nabataeans were able to harness the rainfall and the desert springs to the extent that Petra had a

daily supply of fresh water big enough for 100,000 people, though the population was only

20,000 people17. They accomplished this through an intricate system of cisterns, pools and

waterways that captured and then transported water to the city; about 12 million gallons of fresh

spring water a day18. The watertight ceramic pipes that were part of the system were each 16-inch

segments that measured seven inches in diameter19. The pipes were all connected through a

watertight system of bell and spigot joints, a technique we still use today20.

Not only where the Nabataeans good at making water systems, they were also savvy

businessmen. The city of Petra was located at the intersection of two commercial trade routes21.

One extended west from Asia, while the other was north from southern Arabia22. Along these

routes, that extended as long as five miles, was a variety of goods23. These goods include textiles,

spices, precious metals, ivory and incense24. The Nabataeans offered water and a safe haven, for

a fee, to merchants that were traveling down the trade routes25. They also collected a customs tax

on goods that came into Petra via the Red Sea26. They used their wealth, they got from acquiring

control of the Arabian incense trade, to build the remarkable city in Petra27.

Christianity came into the City of Petra slowly28. Legends have it that the conversion

processes was completed, in 423 AD, by a Syrian monk named Barsauma29. Barsauma, part

Christian and part pagan, came into Petra during a drought and said he would end the drought30.

Soon after a downpour began and the city completely converted to Christianity31. The Christian
 Granowicz 3

influence led to the salvaging and rebuilding of the work the Nabataeans had done that was

destroyed by an earthquake32. They likely salvaged items after the earthquake to use them as part

of their new relgion33. One of the items that was salvaged was a panther-handled Roman vase34.

It was discovered by archaeologists in a church35. The vase had been converted for use as a water

basin for ritual cleansing35.

Petra was rediscovered in 1802 and since has become one of the premier tourist sites in

the Middle east36. Petra was used as a location in the 1989 feature film Indiana Jones and the

Last crusade, one of the reasons it is so popular to visit today37. Written records of the Nabataean

kingdom are rare38. No histories appear on the temple walls and the cities appear to have no

libraries39. Today, items from Petra can be found in the exhibit called Petra: Lost City of Stone40.

The exhibit was first conceived in 1994 by the Cincinnati Art Museum and joined forces with the

American Museum of Natural History to gather 200 exceptional objects for the exhibit41. There

are 12 exhibition sections: the introduction, Petra rediscovered, the people of Petra, Caravans and

commerce, Petra: crossroads of the ancient world, city of stone, daily life, icons of the Gods,

under roman rule, the great earthquake, the Byzantine era and Petra today41. Among these

exhibits are stone sculptures, ceramics, metalwork, stuccowork, ancient inscriptions, and a

selection of drawings and paintings42. I hope one day I will be able to see this extravagant exhibit

and learn more about the wonderful city of Petra.

 Granowicz 4

Notes

1 Zimmerman, Paul. "The City of Petra." Penn Museum. Penn Museum, 15 July 2000.

Web. 23 Apr. 2017. <https://www.penn.museum/sites/expedition/the-city-of-petra/>.

2. Ibid.

3. College, Calvin. "About Petra." Experience Petra. Huntington, 4 Aug. 2005. Web. 23

Apr. 2017. <https://www.calvin.edu/petra/about/>.

4. Milstein, Mati. "Petra." "Lost City" of Petra Still Has Secrets to Reveal. National

Geographic, 17 Apr. 2017. Web. 23 Apr. 2017.

<http://www.nationalgeographic.com/archaeology-and-history/archaeology/lost-city-petra/>.

5. "The Discovery of Petra." Atlas Tours. N.p., 1997-2013. Web. 23 Apr. 2017.

<http://www.atlastours.net/jordan/petra_discovery.html>.

6. Ibid.

7. College, Calvin. About Petra.

8. Ibid.

9. Ibid.

10. Lubick, Naomi. "Petra: An Eroding Ancient City." Geotimes. N.p., June 2004. Web.

23 Apr. 2017. <http://www.geotimes.org/june04/feature_petra.html>.

11. Ibid.

12. Johnston, Grahame. "Petra: The Architecture." Archaeology Expert. N.p., 3 Oct.

2010. Web. 23 Apr. 2017. <http://www.archaeologyexpert.co.uk/petra-architecture.html>.

 Granowicz 5

13. Ibid.

14. Ibid.

15. Ibid.

16. "About Petra: The Nabataeans." Experience Petra. Calvin College, n.d. Web. 23 Apr.

2017. <https://www.calvin.edu/petra/about/nabataeans.php>.

17. Ibid.

18. Ibid.

19. Ibid.

20. Ibid.

21. Ibid.

22. Ibid.

23. Ibid.

24 Ibid.

25 Ibid.

26 Ibid.

27 Ibid.

28 Ibid.

29 Ibid.

30 Ibid.
 Granowicz 6

31. Ibid.

32. Ibid.

33. Ibid.

34. Ibid.

35. Ibid.

36 College, Calvin. About Petra.

37. Ibid.

38. Ibid.

39 Ibid.

40 Ibid.

41 Ibid.

42 Ibid.
Granowicz 7