A Military Engineering Marvel , Kerak Castle, Jordan

A Military Engineering Marvel, Kerak Castle

Boundless Vista around Kerak Castle    

A Military Engineering Marvel

Kerak Castle, Jordan

Kerak  Castle  is an ancient ruin on a mountain top with the charming city below. It is situated  950 m/1,000 m above sea level. It is positioned on the famous and ancient  King’s Highway.  It is 47.3 km away from Dead Sea. The castle is located in Al-Karak city which is 140 km from Amman. It takes about two hours by road. Al-Karak is an ancient city and has been inhabited since the Iron Age. It is mentioned in the Bible as Qer Harreseth or Kir of Moab. Al-Karak is the capital city of  the Karak Governorate. The drivable distance to the nearest city, Madaba,  is one and a half hours.

A  View of Al-Karak City from  Kerak Castle  

History

Kerak castle’s main function was “to protect the assets of Crusader states in the Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem.”(Wikipedia). Kerak is the largest crusader castle in Levant. Construction began in 1140 under Pagan the Butler, Lord of Oultrejordain in the kingdom of Jerusalem. Kerak Castle became Pagan’s seat of power in 1142. It also became the center of rule because of its  strategic importance. Since it is located east of the Dead Sea, the rulers of Kerak Castle were able to regulate Bedouin herders and trade routes. The castle controlled the caravan route  between Damascus and Egypt and the pilgrim route between Damascus and Mecca. It is located on a tactically important point, in the center between Shoubak Castle (Montreal Castle) and Jerusalem. The crusaders called it Crac des Moabites or Karak in Moab.  

Arched Entrances Amidst Ruins of the Castle

The crusaders harassed the camel trains and even attempted to attack Mecca itself. Sultan Saladin of Ayyubid dynasty besieged Kerak several times to avenge such attacks. S’ad-Al-Din, Saladin’s nephew conquered the castle in 1188 . Ultimately the castle fell not due to the Muslim army but due to lack of food because the Muslim army cut off supplies to the castle.   The castle was in the crusaders’ hands for 46 years.

Under the Ayyubid Dynasty, Kerak first served as an Administrative center for all the regions of Jordan. Later the royal treasury was located there. In 1263, Mamluk Sultan, Baybars captured Kerak Castle. It remained an important administrative center and also a military base. In 1840 ,Ibrahim Pasha of Egypt seized it and destroyed a substantial part of its battlements .During the Ottoman Empire, Kerak Castle again became a military base because of its strategic location on the crossroads between the Arabian peninsula ,Egypt and Greater Syria.

The castle  was in use from 1142 AD to 1917 AD.

Military Architecture

Kerak Castle and Al-Karak  City
Photo: Daniel Case,en.wikipedia.org

Kerak Castle is a good example of a Spur Castle because it fulfills the features of Spur Castles. It is defended on 3 sides by steep  hillsides and it has notable defensive features such as inaccessible location, walls and towers.

Castle's Stone Fortification    

It is built on top of a mountain, at the edge of a triangular plateau. Since the castle is surrounded on all 3 sides by steep hills, all the battles took place on one side of the castle. Steep slopes are covered by Glacis (artificial slope) which is a special feature of military engineering.

Kerak Castle's East Flank and the Glacis
Photo: Dosseman, commons, Wikimedia, org

 The  deep valleys around it acted as natural fosses (moats).Still, artificial moats were constructed  to prevent the castle from being attacked by siege engines.

 A Dry Moat
Photo: Dosseman,en.wikipedia.org

Kerak Castle is a good example of Giri /Parvat Durg or Hill Fort found in India. Such forts were considered to be the best among all kinds of forts. Kerak Castle effectively served its purpose of being a stronghold to royalty and citizens, as well as play a crucial part for war and defense. The soldiers shot down the intruders who climbed up the glacis. It was an easy job for them because the intruders were easily spotted as there were no forests or even shrubs to camouflage them  ;or projecting cliffs to conceal or shelter them from the onslaught from above.

Hence the attackers used siege engines which included giant mechanical crossbow, mobile or stationary multi-storied towers , massive catapults, enormous wooden logs etc. Those were used to break  fortress walls and heavy wooden gates.    

The moats were mainly neck ditches, i.e. they did not fully surround the castle   but only protected that part which was not protected by natural boundaries.

The castle is separated  from the town by a moat . This is the modern entrance for tourists  and it now has a metal footbridge through which visitors enter the castle. This is the moat that Sultan Saladin tried to fill up during a siege.

Modern Metal Footbridge Over the Medieval Moat
Photo: Berthold Werner,commons.wikimedia.org

Description of Kerak Castle

Kerak Castle's West Flank with the Lower Court and Upper court
Photo: Dosseman ,en.wikipedia.org

The area of Kerak Castle is expansive. The castle has an upper court and a lower court. The Crusader architectural features are immense arched halls built on two levels. They were used as living quarters and stables. The castle entrance opens to a huge, wide and lengthy  corridor bordered by arched columns. The columns served as shelter against missiles from siege engines.

Endless Passageway Bordered By Arches

There are some narrow lanes along the exterior of the castle which probably served as moats. The guide told us that there was one stone embedded somewhere in the whole  structure which was the support for the whole castle. Only the architect and the king knew about its location and if that stone was removed or tampered with, the whole erection would fall down.

Kerak Castle, Interior
Photo: Dennis Jarvis,commons.wikimedia.org

The illustrations in the castle are crude. There is an ancient bathing place. In 1227, the Sultan of Damascus Al-Muazzam ’Isa commissioned the construction of a tunnel that ran from the castle into the town.

Illustration over a Bathing Place

In this castle resided Reynald-de-Chatillon (also known as Arnat)who was one of the worst enemies of the Muslims during the Crusades. One of his beloved pastimes was to throw prisoners from the castle walls into the rocks below. So the location height of the castle can easily be imagined. Sultan Saladin had sworn that he would execute Reynald himself. Eventually, in 1187, the Muslims defeated the Crusaders in the Battle of Hattin and Reynald was taken prisoner. True to his word, Sultan Saladin beheaded him.  

After the fall of Kerak Castle, Montreal Castle had to surrender as well.

The castle is constructed of stone and the boundary wall erected by the Crusaders is built with rough-shaped volcanic stones. Later the Muslims used limestone to expand and rebuild the castle because it was easily available in nearby quarries. The domes, vaults ,columns, arches, niches and colonettes reflect Byzantine and Islamic features of architecture.

A Portion of the Wall Built with Volcanic Rocks 

 Terrorist Attack

On December 18,2016, a terrorist attack took place at Kerak Castle in which 14 people were killed and 34 were injured, the  majority being Jordanian security forces and local civilians. Among the dead was a Canadian tourist and all the five gunmen.

Inside Kerak Castle 
Photo: Steven C. Price, commons wikimedia.org

The attack started in the afternoon and ended by midnight. Many tourists were in the castle when the violence started and they were trapped inside due to the  terrorist attack. But none of the tourists were taken hostage because the attackers were not even aware of their presence. That was because the tourists hid in different parts of the castle. This speaks volumes about the architecture of the castle. It is like entering a dark maze full of labyrinthine corridors, stone steps leading underground , endless, columned, passageways and dark stone vaults. Some tunneled  hallways are quite dark so that  a torch would come in handy.

Steps to a Chamber
Photo: Steven C. Price commons.wikimedia.org

Jordan and Coffee

From the ramparts of the fort we could see an Amusement Park down below in Al-Karak city. In the park there was a huge, decorative coffee pot. It is a symbol of Jordanian hospitality. That means   every guest who visits a Jordanian’s house will be offered coffee . In fact, our guide told us how coffee played an important part in fixing a marriage. Generally marriages in Jordan are arranged but if the girl and boy choose of their own they must marry with the blessings of their parents. A typical scene would be like this: a group of people from the groom’s side would go to the prospective bride’s house to talk. Out of this group only two would go inside: the immediate relative of the groom, mostly  the father of the groom and another sagacious head who could talk prudently. The rest would wait outside. Coffee would be served to the two important guests but they would keep the coffee cups down. If the negotiations went off well , only then would they drink coffee and the others waiting outside would be called in. Otherwise, they would walk away.

The view from the ramparts of Kerak Castle is wonderful. Opposite the castle, on the other side of the road are ant-hill colored hills, with caves embedded within them.   

The Amusement Park in the Island and Caves embedded in the Hill

Photos: Bulbul Sur

Tags: Kerak Castle, Al-Karak, Amusement Park, Jordan, Coffee

 

Tourist Places Near Petra, Jordan

Dana Biosphere Reserve

Dana Biosphere Reserve is less than an hour’s drive from Petra. It is located in and around the town of Dana. It was founded in 1989.

Mountains and Valleys

Dana Biosphere Reserve is Jordan’s largest nature Reserve, spread on 308 km . It has an altitude of 1,500 meters (4,900ft.) on the Qadisiyah plateau and drops to low-lying desert of Wadi Araba. “Hence it has four different types of bio-geographical zones: Mediterranean, Irano-Turanian, Saharo-Arabian, Sudanian penetration”(Wikipedia). 

Limestone Rocks 

These zones stretch from an area of high altitude  and low altitude—100 meter below sea level and 1,500 meters above sea level. Therefore, there are scorching sand dunes in the west, cool mountain tops in the east, sweltering summers and snowy winters. Geological features also vary. There are limestone rocks as well as sandstone and granite. The scenic beauty is because of the mountains and valleys -- Jabal and Wadi. The mountains start from the Great Rift Valley and falls to the desert of Wadi Araba.

Towering Mountains

Dana Reserve

The Reserve is home to hundreds of plant species ,birds, reptiles and  mammals. There are 780 plant species  ,190 bird species ,37 mammal species and 36 reptile species recorded in the reserve .25 endangered species which include the sand cat, the Syrian wolf, the lesser kestrel and the spiny-tailed lizard are found here. (source: Wild Jordan).

Dana Village

The historical Dana village overlooks the scenic Wadi Dana and is two-and-a-half hours’ drive from the city of Amman. The first occupants settled there in 4000 B.C. Since the land was fertile and there was abundance of water, there were many human settlements through the ages. Archaeological finds have indicated the habitation of Paleolithic, Egyptians, Nabataeans and Romans. At present the village is inhabited by Ata'ta tribe whose ancestors settled there 400 years ago, during the Ottoman period.

The Sunset

The Sun on its Last Legs

Another breathtaking feature is to watch the sunset at Dana from the Sunset Point. People drive here just to watch the sunset. When we reached there, the sun was in its last legs. The huge craggy mountains with ragged protuberances, loomed large on the horizon. On the other side were  cavernous gulches. In between lay expansive valleys. All were glistening in the mellow sunbeam. The sun was positioned as a poached egg on the sky with its soft rays trickling down on the hills, valleys, gorges and canyons and embroidering the mountain crests with pale yellow light. The sunlight gathered on the projecting angles of the mountains. It did not plunge on the noiseless hills and intercolline valleys with a mad fury but is showered on the grass and dingles  in a melodious movement. The wind was fast losing its warmth and as the sun set it became very cold. The long mountain chain, gorges and valleys looked like shadows in the pale, wintry, grey light. A tea seller was selling tea for one Jordanian dinar and he was making it in the traditional way: in an aluminum kettle put on a mobile Chula ( mud stove).   

Shadowy Hills in the Grey Light

Hiking Activity

Hiking is very popular here and it has become a major tourist activity.

The route Dana to Petra was named by National Geographic channel as one of the fifteen best hikes in the world.

The route is thus:

1)Dana to Wadi Malaga.

2)Wadi Malaga to Ras Al-Feid.

3)Ras Al-Feid to Little Petra.

4)Little Petra to Petra. 

The length is 84.5 km. (Source: Jordan Trail)

 

Montreal in Jordan

Shoubak castle

Shoubak/Shobak is situated 35 km. away from the historical and archaeological wonder, Petra. It is just a 40-minutes’ drive. The earliest inhabitants of Shoubak were Edomites. Later, the Nabataeans became its settlers.  The climate is extreme :freezing winters  due to high elevation and hot dry summers because it is located at the borders of Arabian desert.

Agriculture is the main source of income and Shoubak is known for olives, vegetables and fruit farms, mainly apple farms. It is also famous for honey bee farms.

Shoubak/Shobak is firmly on the tourist map because of its early 12^th century crusader castle, Montreal: a lonesome castle on a hill with the desolate, rugged valley as its companion.

 Crusades

The crusades were a series of religious wars fought between 1096 to 1271, which were “initiated, supported and sometimes directed by the Latin Church in the medieval period"  and its objective was to recover “Holy land from Islamic rules.”(Source: Wikipedia). Crusader castles were used to guard important trade routes. The castles were built in such a way so as to keep a close watch on incoming visitors and invaders.

Montreal Castle

Montreal Castle 
Photo: Bernard Gagnon, en.wikipedia.org

The castle played an important role during crusades. It is located along the famous King’s Highway. King Baldwin named it Krak de Montreal (Latin: Mons Regalis). It was known to crusaders as Mont Real which means fortress of the Royal Mount. According to legends, the king participated in the process of building this castle, so the first fortification was created within 18 days and was named Montreal (Mont-Royal) which is  the king’s mountain. This castle is said to be the first outpost of the kingdom of Jerusalem in the crusader district of Oultrejordain. It is popularly known as Shobak/Shoubak castle because of the nearby town Shoubak and its surrounding group of ten villages. The castle was inhabited till 1950.  

Oultrejordain

Oultrejordain (beyond the Jordan in old French) is also called Lordship of Montreal. In Latin it is referred to as Transjordan. It indicated  the territory to the east of Jordan River. Oultrejordain was the name used during the Crusades for an area which was called Edom and Moab in ancient times. It covered territory which later became part of the Emirates of Jordan and the modern country of Jordan.  

History of Montreal Castle

In ancient times, important trade routes were Dead Sea to Araba/Arava Valley in Israel and from there to Aqaba on the Red Sea. Petra, Aqaba and Shoubak formed a triangle that lay on the cross road between Syria, Saudi Arabia and Egypt.

King Baldwin I of Jerusalem invaded this area in 1100,1107 and 1112 and finally built Montreal in 1115. He built the Montreal castle in Shoubak on top of a hill, thus cutting the connection between Egypt and Syria; and controlling the Muslim caravan routes which provided enormous revenue to the kingdom. The king collected taxes not only from the merchants but even from the pilgrims travelling to Mecca and Medina through that route.   

The castle was controlled by the Royal family of Jerusalem till 1142. At its height 6000 Christians inhabited it. In 1142 ,King Fulk built the Castle of Kerak (Crac des Moabites)  and it replaced the importance of Montreal castle as the Crusader bastion in that strategic area. Montreal Castle became a part of the Lordship of Oultrejordain. When the center of Transjordan moved to the bigger Kerak castle, Montreal Crusader Castle passed on to Raynald of Chatillon who became Lord of Transjordan in 1170.Like his predecessors he used the castle for defense purposes and to collect taxes from wealthy merchants who passed through the caravan route. But he became ambitious. He ordered ships to  be built and got them transported over land to the Red Sea with the aim of attacking Mecca through the Red Sea. When Saladin/Salah ad-Din, the first Sultan of Egypt and Syria and the founder of Ayyubid Dynasty came to know of this plan, he retaliated. He first captured Jerusalem. Then he set his sights on Montreal Castle. Since it was located on the tip of a conical hill his troops could not use search engines. Eventually, after two years he succeeded in capturing it.

In 1261 the castle was conquered by Sultan Baybars of the Mamluk Dynasty, who was the fourth Sultan of Egypt.

Importance of the site

Unique high elevation.

Shoubak itself is one of the highest elevation place (above sea level) in Jordan. The hills have steep sides and are surrounded naturally by valleys. Montreal Castle is further located higher up  on a round hilltop site. The castle is situated 1330 m above mean sea level which gave it a strategic importance. Not only was it impregnable but it gave a wide view . Whosoever travelled on the trade route could easily be spotted from the castle and therefore taxed. This made it easier for the owners of the castle to guard the caravan route from Egypt to Jerusalem.

Fertile plain

Just as the height was used for defense purposes, so the fertile valley was used for agricultural purposes. The surrounding landscape is dry and rough but springs gushed out from the valleys . The land is good for agriculture since ancient times. In the middle ages it grew corn, olives, vines, sugar and apricots. Salt is collected from the Dead sea.

Description of Montreal

Visitor Center 
Photo: Bernard Gagnon en.wikipedia.org

The castle is in a dilapidated state. There are remains of arches , a dungeon, corridors, tunnels, watch tower, core stones and fragments of buildings. There are two churches and beneath one church there are catacombs. Within the church there are Islamic tablets, Christian carvings and throne of Sultan Saladin.

There was water problem on the hilltop but the plains had natural springs. The problem was solved by constructing a tunnel in the interior of the castle, along the side of the hill. This tunnel was then connected to two cisterns which were fed by springs of fresh water. So people inside the castle went down the tunnel to fetch water by remaining unseen to the attackers. This tunnel still exists . 375 steps cut in the deep rock lead to the ancient well. The well ensured that the castle would have access to adequate supply of fresh water during a siege. This spring not only supplies water to the area but is also the main water supply  source to the surrounding villages. 

The castle is imposing when seen from a hill. From the valley it looks like a mass of ruins but very beautiful: like the illustration of a fairy tale castle in children’s story books.       

 Fairy Tale Castle at Dusk

Photographs: Bulbul Sur

Labels: Dana Biosphere Reserve, Sunset Point at Dana, Montreal Castle, Crusades, Shoubak, Tunnel in the Castle.

A Cliff-Cut City : Little Petra, Jordan

A Sphinx-Like Structure on the Way to Little Petra

The way to Little Petra was through buff yellow-colored mountains with deep valleys in-between. There were strange shapes on the mountain facades which were perhaps carving done by the Nabataeans. Frequently, mirages in the sandy desert were also visible.

Mountains and Valleys on the Way to Little Petra

Carving on the Cliffs

Siq al-Barid is just a 10 minutes’ drive northwards from Petra. It was an important suburb to the original site of ancient Petra. It is called Little Petra because of its similarities to Petra. The site includes tombs, temple, water channels and cisterns carved out of the rock, as well as remains of frescoes on plaster.

Structures on Mountain Tops

Distinctive Geological Features of the Cliffs 

Great Antiquity

Little Petra is one of the most important places of Beidha Neolithic village and it is presumed to have been occupied from 7200 BC to 6500 BC which makes it one of the first settled villages in human history.

In the site of Little Petra many religious activities were held during classical antiquity, including The Feast of Drink when the king of the Nabataeans hosted celebrations and provided drinks for his guests.

Siq al-Barid also showcases the highly sophisticated and modern technology of Hydraulics during ancient times. There are cisterns to be seen at Little Petra and also a pipeline system to transport water. The pipes were made of clay and the pipeline system ensured a constant water supply. The well-constructed underground cisterns are still in use and they were hidden underground away from the evil eyes of invaders and strangers. So, in spite of the fact that Petra lay in a dry canyon, there was a constant water supply because the Nabataeans ensured that there was  maximum flow rates and minimum leakage. This system also utilized particle-settling basins to purify their potable water. They created an oasis in the dry canyon and there is no archaeological evidence of any drought in the area.

Cisterns of Great Antiquity in The Governor's House

Salient Features

At Petra, in order to reach Al-Khazneh, we had to walk the entire length of the Siq but at Little Petra there is hardly any walking. The parking place of the vehicles is just opposite to this archaeological site. 

The Parking Area between Ancient Cliffs 

The Many Facets of the Cliffs

In ancient times, on a given day, a caravan of 2,500 camels, forming a line of 5 miles long across the desert, carried heavy load of incense, spices and perfumes to trade in Petra. The Nabataeans passed with their camel trains through the Spice Route which stretched from Persian Gulf(Arabia), to the ports of Gaza, passing through Petra, their capital,(which was also used as a stopover) and Avdat (Ancient Nabataean city in Israel).         

The Ancient Tax Collecting Office  in Little Petra Archaeological Courtyard

The camels used to report to the king with treasures at Al-Khazneh/The Treasury. Since the Siq was very narrow, the camels could pass only one at a time and there would be a huge line. Hence, it was decided that only the king’s camels could pass through it and the rest of the camels would be lodged elsewhere. So Little Petra was allocated to be a resting place for camels. It is also entered through an opening like the Siq but here the distance is minimal and the opening is a bit wider and on a smaller scale. 

The Entrance to the Ancient Complex

A Side View of the Opening

 

An Aerial View of the Opening

There is a structure carved from the rock which has a window-like counter. During Nabataean era this was the office where the entry and exit of the camels were registered and taxes were collected. Opposite to this office-building, there is a tall structure also carved from the cliff, looking somewhat like the Treasury (Al-Khazneh) but smaller. This was the residence of the governor/ in-charge of the area. Below this edifice is a dark and cavernous, large cave. This was supposedly the hidden cistern in the governor's house. Another source says it might have been the kitchen.  This basement has three, gaping door-like holes which perhaps served as entry points from outside. The governor’s house upstairs could be reached by a flight of steps sculpted out from the rocks.

The Ancient Registration And Tax Collecting Office

A Close-up View of the Tax Collecting Office

The Governor's House 

The Steps Leading to The Governor's House

Little Petra Now

By the middle of the 7^th century, Petra was largely abandoned and the local Bedouins encroached upon the area and set up their colony until it was rediscovered by a Swiss explorer, Johann Ludwig Burckhardt in 1812. The government realized its archaeological and tourism value and decided to develop it but the Bedouins refused to leave. So the government offered each family a free house, free water and free electricity and set up their habitation in Little Petra. The Bedouins left the area of Ancient Petra and settled down in Little Petra, with the stipulation that the entire commercial activities in Petra Archaeological Park will be done by the Bedouins. So all the shops on the road to the Treasury, in the Treasury and in Little Petra are run by them. The horse carriages (where only 2 can sit), the battery-operated vehicles are also operated by them.

The town of Little Petra is characterless with single-storied tenements, a few double-storied buildings and shops by the side of the road .Donkeys or mules were perhaps revered as cows in India because I saw some food was left on the porch of a shop and a mule was feeding on it. The natural beauty with mountains and valleys is spectacular but other than that there is hardly any greenery. The trees on the dividers were dusty and not too eye catching.

Souvenir Shops operated by Bedouins in Little Petra

    Photographs: Bulbul Sur

Tags: Little Petra, Siq al-Barid ,Governor's House, Tax Collection Office, Bedouins                  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                      Magic, Marvels and Mastery of Rose Metropolis

Nabataeans, Petra’s Ancient Dwellers

Petra's Panorama

The modern Petra city is not spectacular. The houses and buildings are of the same color as the buff-yellow mountains. Hardly a few had architectural beauty. But in spite of scanty vegetation, the geographical beauty is astounding because of the looming hills.

However, the old Petra city is a unique place where natural and geological features merge with its history, archaeology and ethos. UNESCO described The Rose Metropolis, Petra as “One of the most precious cultural properties of man’s cultural heritage.” The ancient name of Petra was Raqmu/Raqemu. Petra means stone in ancient Greek.

Petra Archaeological Park (PAP) with an area of 264,000 square meters within Wadi Musa is a tourist, archaeological and a World Heritage Site since 1985. It is 810 m (2,657 ft.) above sea level. The directorate of Cultural Sources has carried out about 22 archaeological excavations in Petra and Beidha. These were done by American, French, Finland Missions, Italy, Germany, and Swiss Expeditions among others. Only five percent of the city has been uncovered through excavations so far. Many mysteries still remain to be discovered.

 PDTRA (Petra Development and Tourism Regional Authority) was established in 2009 to control the entire Petra region which is 755 square km in area .PDTRA is headed by a Chief Commissioner who reports directly to the Prime Minister. The site is included in the Smithsonian Magazine among ‘the 28 places you should visit before you die.’           

Location

Petra is located 240 km south of Amman, (capital of Jordan) and 120 km. north of the Red Sea town of Aqaba.

The Ancient City of Petra

The exact date of the city’s origin is unknown but it became famous as the capital of the Nabataean Empire from the first century BC when the nomadic Nabataean Arabs became prosperous traders. About 2000 years ago a desert city called Petra was founded by the Nabataeans, a group of nomadic Arabs tending cattle and therefore had to move from place to place to find pastures for their sheep, goats and camels. They lived in goatskin tents and survived in the deserts due to their acumen and advanced knowledge in hydraulics. They were the only people who could cross the Arabian desert because they knew how to tame it.  They were skilled in agriculture, harvesting rain water, damming systems and stone carving and they exploited these skills to their fullest.  Though the region was watered by a perennial stream yet it is located in a dry canyon and the arid climate created agricultural difficulties for them. But they knew the desert's secret i.e. water spots  hidden in the desert and they unearthed them. They had a thorough knowledge of every possible source of water available to them and hence harvested rainwater, flood water, ground water and natural springs. They shaped rocks into ledges to collect the initial flow of water from the mountains. They also constructed underground water holes or cisterns to collect the run-off rain water. The cisterns were lined with water-proof cement to prevent seepage. They chiseled channels/aqueducts into the sides of the mountain, trailing the water flow into cisterns and dams for later usage. 

Ancient Aqueduct 
Photo: Dr:Erwin Schwentner, wikimedia commons

Hidden underground, the water was safe in the cisterns from evaporation and from enemies who did not even know of their existence; hence could not poison the water. Those cisterns built 2000 years ago are still being used by Bedouins.

Water Holes Built by Nabataeans
Photo: Supplied

The Nabataeans made rock-cut channels and underground water pipes which carried water from permanent springs and seasonal streams. The water was supplied to the inhabitants through clay/ terracotta pipes.

A Portion of Ancient Stonemasonry to Collect Initial Water Flow From Mountains

Transformation from Pastoralists to Commercial Traders

Having solved their water problem they utilized this water to increase their wealth .Those nomadic farmers and herders soon became wealthy desert merchants by investing in Petra’s closeness to trade routes. The important trade routes that moved spices and incense from Arabia to Egypt and the Mediterranean Sea    had Petra as a main stopping point for Nabataean as well as foreign traders. The route was called Spice Route because spices were the most common of all the items. The traders also carried textile, silks, perfumes like frankincense and myrrh, wood, gems, herbs, medicines, metals, ivory and other precious goods grown or manufactured in Arabia, Asia and Africa. The Nabataeans also procured asphalt from the Dead Sea and sold it to Egypt who used it for mummification, coffin-sealing and glue. The nomadic Nabataean provided those traders shelter and water along the trade routes. In those ancient times the Nabataeans charged toll tax to foreign traders passing through their territory. The Nabataeans set up military camps and forts along the Spice Route which not only served as a stopping point on their journey but also a protection from highway robbers along the way. They had built many such camps . They even became mediators of the products that were traded. Thus having known the secrets of the desert and exploiting them, they became wealthy traders monopolizing the spice trade route and the market for centuries. From originally being pastoralist people they became commercial nomads from the Arabian peninsula. 

As the nomadic traders became wealthy in this way they built a spectacular city of Petra full of fertile crops, lush gardens and public pools .During its pinnacle, the Nabataean Empire included regions of modern-day Jordan, Israel, Egypt, Syria and north-western Saudi Arabia. Petra rose to pre-eminence also because of its geographical features. Besides controlling the main commercial routes, it lay within the enclosure of towering rocks thus making the whole place fortress-like and safe from enemy invasion.

Master Builders

As the people of Petra became rich they spent their wealth to showcase their craftsmanship. They carved tombs, monuments and houses into the rose-red sandstone cliffs/rocks, covered them with decorative stucco and painted them with bright colors. They not only carved buildings, but winding roads, stairways and water channels were also carved along the natural bends and cambers, the rise and dip of the rocks and canyons.

The Nabataeans carved sophisticated tombs out of the mountain sides and buried their dead in them. The Al-Khazneh (The Treasury) is an epitome of their carving prowess.

The Treasury/Al-Khazneh

 Beside the Treasury a narrow path leads to a maze of archaeological marvels: tombs, gardens, temples, colonnaded roads etc.  The Nabataeans also had a flair for music and drama as can be seen in the Roman-theater-like structure. They carved it out from the rocks long before the Romans annexed Petra. The theater is shaped like a semi-circle and it has marble-covered seats for up to 8,500 people. There is a colonnaded street and it is straight unlike the snaky, steep roads elsewhere in the ancient city due to natural hills and valleys.

The Theater
Photo: David Bjorgen, wikimedia commons

The Obelisk Tomb
Photo: Supplied

There is a huge garden pool among those bygone, architectural wonders. Though Petra received only 6 inches of rainfall per year yet the existence of a public garden pool showed how efficiently they managed water.

The Snaky Road due to Geographical Features

The Straight Road
Photo: Supplied

Foreign traders passed through Petra and the city soon became a global hub of the ancient world. The Nabataeans traded items from India, Thailand, China, Korea and Southern Arabia. The Nabataeans knew about elephants through their trade with India. Hence the Great Temple’s 120 towering columns are topped with elephant heads carved in stone. In 500 AD the Petra Church was built which is eye catching with massive columns, colorful mosaics made with stone, glass, red clay tiles and even gold-plated tiles. The magnificent temple of the winged lion and the beautifully-carved monastery (Ad-Deir/El–Deir) are other everlasting creations of Nabataeans.  All those wonders were constructed within a span of 400 years.   

The Monastery
Photo: David Bjorgen, wikimedia commons

Elephant Head on the Great Temple's Columns
Photo: David Bjorgen, wikimedia commons

The Temple of the Winged Lion
Photo: Bernard Gagnon, wikimedia commons

Decline of Petra

The Roman Empire was first a client of Petra’s Nabataean merchants. In 106 AD, Romans annexed Petra and called it Arabia Petraea. Petra became a Roman province under a Roman governor. The takeover was peaceful and the Romans left an indelible mark on the architecture of Petra .They ruled Petra for 300 years and then changed their trade routes to the north. Petra started losing its importance in trading circuits.

Towards late 300 AD, Roman rule over Petra collapsed. A large earthquake in 363 AD destroyed much of the city. Moreover, the prosperity of the Nabataeans also declined because of changes in trade routes. New sea routes emerged and land routes were no longer used. Traders started doing business by  sea. Many of the items were brought to Arabia by sea and when they reached Gaza they were sent to Rome again by sea. Then in early 600 AD Muslim Arabs arrived in Petra and Petra came under Islamic rule. By the middle of the 7^th century Petra seemed to be largely abandoned and the local Bedouins took over the area. In AD 1812, a Swiss explorer, Johann Ludwig Burckhardt rediscovered Petra. In 1993 AD Petra became a national park, a protected archaeological site.  Now this site of Petra is inhabited by Bedouins.

On our return journey to the hotel at late afternoon, we stopped to watch a tribal performance in the courtyard of Petra Archaeological Park.

 

                    

Video: Supplied

Photographs: Bulbul Sur

Tags: Nabataeans, Spice Route, Water Harvesting, Ancient Petra