Jordan's ancient city of Petra demonstrates ancient Nabataeans' genius
The rose-red gorges stretch along the way to the ancient city of Petra in southern Jordan, Feb. 26. The exotic and authentically ancient landscape of the desert city attracts millions of tourists from around the world every year. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chulBy Lee Hae-rinPETRA, Jordan ― “Here, this is the gateway to the monastery, the most beautiful and famous monument of Petra,” said Abraham Mashaleh, 48, a Jordanian native born and raised in Petra who has worked as a guide to the ancient city for over 20 years. He pointed at the narrow passage after a kilometer-long trail through rose-red “siq,” or winding rock gorges soaring over 100 meters up into the sky. “Yalla, yalla!” ('Let's go' in Arabic), he added.With a facade of 30 meters wide and 43 meters high, the monastery, or Ad Deir in Arabic, revealed itself as the valley slowly but surely opened up. Carved out of the rock in the early first century, the grand monument was the tomb of Nabataean King Areta IV and his son Malco II and represents the genius of the engineering of the ancient
Mar 16, 2023By Lee Hae-rin