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PETRA AND THE NABATAEANS
LOST… AND REDISCOVERED Petra’s commercial role declined with the growth of ocean trading routes in the Red and Arabian seas . The city suffered a major blow in A.D. 363 when much of it was destroyed by an earthquake. Despite efforts to rebuild, Petra never regained its status as an economic powerhouse. Much of the infrastructure that supported life in Petra began to deteriorate, and the city was later buffeted by political and religious changes sweeping the ancient world. By the seventh century, the once great city was abandoned. It remained virtually lost to the outside world until it was rediscovered in 1812 by Swiss explorer Johann Burckhardt. It is now a major tourist destination and one of the most important archaeological sites in the Middle East. With less than five percent of the ancient city unearthed, Petra has yet to unveil all its secrets. |
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