It had been believed that Trajan’s successor, the Emperor Hadrian, visited Petra – a triumphal arch being erected in his honor. The ruins of what is called Hadrian’s Arch are visible near the entrance to Wadi Musa, but archaeologists now believe it is part of a triple-arched entrance to Petra’s main temple, Qasr el-Bint.
By the Byzantine period, the Nabateans had lost their power, and Petra had lost its inhabitants. A small group of Christians converted many of Petra’s temples into Christian places of worship. By the time of the Islamic expansion into the area, Petra was already a forgotten backwater of civilization.
Rediscovered by the Crusaders, it fell again into obscurity until a young 19th century Swiss adventurer, Johann Burkhardt, brought knowledge of it back to the west.
This page is part of the book The Holy Land of Jesus
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