Petra

= __PETRA: City of Stone__ =



= = // Where is Petra located? // ** Petra is located deep in the deserts of Jordan ** //Who were its inhabitants?// **Petra`s inhabitants were a group of Arabian nomads called the Nabataeans** //What is/ are its characteristics?// //How important were tombs in Petra? What did they mean?// // How did this city become an urban center? // // How was this city organized/planned? //
 * The inhabitants of Petra of Petra lived as traders. They had acquired control of the ancient incense and spice trade throughout the Arabian Peninsula by the first Century BC. The Nabataeans had incense, spices and perfumes along two major ancient routes caravan. They were one of the most civilized peoples of antiquity and they were great engineering and artistry.**
 * The Nabataeans erected monumental tombs, mamorializing their kings and leaders. They were carved the grand entrances of many tombs, on a giant scale to honor those laid to rest inside. The tombs was part of Nabataeans culture to display wealth, rich families spared no expense to hire master architects and masons for construccion.**
 * From its origins Petra was as a tent encampment. Petra had become an urban center by the end of the first century BC. Typical of ancient Near Eastern settlements, the city grew along the natural contours of the landscape. Even, the main street followed the curve of the Wadi Musa, Petra`s primary river. The Nabataeans paved the road through the Siq, enabling wheeled vehicles to import locally quarried limestone used in city construction.**
 * After the Roman occupation of Nabataea, in AD 106, Petra`s development took a new direction. As with most other Roman cities, planners did their best to impose and urban grid on this sprawling settlement. The Romans managed to create one straight road along the central marketplace.**

**Petra**
//The city of Petra is located in the desert area of Jordan. Petra is also known as the City of Stone, all its structures were hand carved in the sandstone cliffs of southern Jordan. The city of Petra was formed by a group of Arabians nomads called the Nabataeans, they lived as traders, they had incense, spices andperfumes along two major ancient routes caravan. They were one of the most civilized peoples of antiquity and they were great engineers and artists. The Nabataeans built monumental tombs memorializing their kings and leaders. The construction of tombs within the Nabataeans culture served to display the wealth of families, the more money the better was the design of the facades of the tombs.//

//Petra had become an urban center by the end of the first century BC, typical of ancient Near Eastern settlements; the city grew along the natural contours of the landscape. All elements built in the city adapted to its topography, from the streets to the buildings. After the occupation of Nabataea by the Romans, the city of Petra changed its initial design to the urban grid imposed by the Romans. The Romans managed to create one straight road along the central marketplace.//