Hidden deep in the mountainous canyons of Aqaba, Petra, the Rose-red city of the Nabatean is unique in the world. Their whole capital was hewn out of soft, pink sandstone rock: temples, amphitheater, tombs and homes.
Situated in the center of the region the Bible calls Edom, Petra can only reached down the long, narrow and winding ravine called the Siq. With perhaps the best natural defense in the world, Petra grew to command the trade routes crossing Arabia, and was able to hold out against the envious armies of the most successful empires of her day.
In 312 BC the Nabateans repulsed the heirs to Alexander the Great, and in 63 BC they even managed their independence against the most brilliant of all Roman generals, Pompey, as he advanced to take possession of the entire region.
The Nabateans were finally subdued only in 106 AD. With trade along the spice route at its height, Rome could no longer allow such a profitable source of wealth to remain in independent hands. The Emperor Trajan sent his forces to defeat the Nabatean army far from their impregnable stronghold in Petra, and annex their kingdom into Provincia Arabia. Despite the defeat, Petra continued to thrive as a vassal to Rome, and many archaeologists believe it is their influence that is seen both in the city’s architecture and in the run-off irrigation systems used throughout the region. A. Petra appears suddenly at the end of the Siq gorge.
This page is part of the book The Holy Land of Jesus
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