Batra Jordan

his ancient city is remarkable both for its location and its construction. Hewn out of solid rock, the city's churches, tombs, galleries, and other buildings seem improbable in scale and origin. Petra is clearly influenced by classical architecture. Its columns, pediments and arches would be at home in any ancient Mediterranean port city. In fact, Petra (which means "Rock" in Greek) was the center of a great Arabian trading kingdom during the time of ancient Greece and Rome. It had trade routes linking it with cities as close as Rome and lands as far away as China and India. The earliest settlers in this area arrived about 1200bc. They were Edomites who found the gorge ("Wadi as-Sik") carved through this plain to be a welcome sanctuary from enemies and the elements. This sheltering valley is the Wadi Musa, or Valley of Moses. The legend goes that Moses struck a rock with his staff and water poured out, eventually carving out the valley. The ruins we see today were built inside this gorge by the Nabataeans: an enigmatic people who left their mark on this region, but are of an uncertain origin. Their language indicates an Arabian heritage. Some suspect they are from modern-day Yemen. But their written script is very different. Another theory puts them in Bahrain or Saudi Arabia