Audiobook1 hour
Petra: The History of the Rose City, One of the New Seven Wonders of the World
Written by Charles River Editors
Narrated by Colin Fluxman
Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
3.5/5
()
About this audiobook
When the European armies of the Third Crusade were defeated at the Battle of Hattin in 1187 CE, the region of what is today southern Jordan was overrun by Saladin’s armies, and over the following five centuries knowledge of Petra’s existence was lost to the people of Europe. The ancient city and center of civilization hidden in the desert became a myth, drawn largely upon Biblical accounts of the people and places in the Holy Land. However, during the Enlightenment of the early 18th century, interesting new theories emerged, and there grew a desire to rediscover the rose-red city.
It was within this context that the Swiss-born explorer and orientalist Johann Ludwig Burckhardt became the known as the first European to “discover” Petra. Disguised as an Arab, he convinced a local guide to navigate him through the innumerable dangers of the Wadi Araba desert in pursuit of the rumored tomb of Aaron and a timeless city hidden in the hills. On Saturday, August 22nd, 1812, he ascended the high hills of southern Jordan and was led down a deep ravine, which twisted and turned through until a splendid sight was revealed before him: a secret valley filled with ruins and the dark holes of rock-cut tombs.
Although his disguise had brought him that far, it also prevented him from being able to fully study the ruins or make copies of what he saw there. After spending only a day exploring the valley, his guide had grown suspicious, so he was forced to move on across the Sinai Peninsula, eventually arriving at Cairo on September 4th. This expedition marked the beginnings of everything that is known about this ancient and mysterious site.
Further expeditions and archaeological investigations over the following two centuries have considerably broadened knowledge about Petra’s past, and the ruined Rose City is now an archaeological landscape that has been made famous as a UNESCO World Heritage site, a “new” wonder of the world, and as the repository of the Holy Grail in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. Yet, despite its fame, many people do not know about the religious beliefs, artistic creativity, technological innovation, commerce, and politics of the numerous peoples that resided there.
Petra: The History of the Rose City, One of the New Seven Wonders of the World looks at the history of Petra from prehistoric times to the end of the Crusades, as well as the city’s “rediscovery” in the 19th century and how it has entered the world’s imagination since then.
It was within this context that the Swiss-born explorer and orientalist Johann Ludwig Burckhardt became the known as the first European to “discover” Petra. Disguised as an Arab, he convinced a local guide to navigate him through the innumerable dangers of the Wadi Araba desert in pursuit of the rumored tomb of Aaron and a timeless city hidden in the hills. On Saturday, August 22nd, 1812, he ascended the high hills of southern Jordan and was led down a deep ravine, which twisted and turned through until a splendid sight was revealed before him: a secret valley filled with ruins and the dark holes of rock-cut tombs.
Although his disguise had brought him that far, it also prevented him from being able to fully study the ruins or make copies of what he saw there. After spending only a day exploring the valley, his guide had grown suspicious, so he was forced to move on across the Sinai Peninsula, eventually arriving at Cairo on September 4th. This expedition marked the beginnings of everything that is known about this ancient and mysterious site.
Further expeditions and archaeological investigations over the following two centuries have considerably broadened knowledge about Petra’s past, and the ruined Rose City is now an archaeological landscape that has been made famous as a UNESCO World Heritage site, a “new” wonder of the world, and as the repository of the Holy Grail in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. Yet, despite its fame, many people do not know about the religious beliefs, artistic creativity, technological innovation, commerce, and politics of the numerous peoples that resided there.
Petra: The History of the Rose City, One of the New Seven Wonders of the World looks at the history of Petra from prehistoric times to the end of the Crusades, as well as the city’s “rediscovery” in the 19th century and how it has entered the world’s imagination since then.
More audiobooks from Charles River Editors
Ur: The History and Legacy of the Ancient Sumerian Capital Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Rape of Nanking: The History and Legacy of the Notorious Massacre during the Second Sino-Japanese War Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The East India Company: The History of the British Empire's Most Famous Mercantile Company Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Gnosticism: The History and Legacy of the Mysterious Ancient Religion Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Nineveh: The History and Legacy of the Ancient Assyrian Capital Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Project MK-Ultra: The History of the CIA’s Controversial Human Experimentation Program Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Mysteries of the South: Ghosts, Legends, and Unexplained Phenomena in Dixie Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Cambrian Period: The History and Legacy of the Start of Complex Life on Earth Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Mysterious Midwest: Mysteries, Legends, and Unexplained Phenomena in America's Heartland Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Mossad: The History and Legacy of Israel’s National Intelligence Agency Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Legends of the West: Deadwood, South Dakota Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Madame de Pompadour: The Life and Legacy of French King Louis XV’s Chief Mistress Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5J. Robert Oppenheimer: The Life and Legacy of the Father of the Atomic Bomb Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Arnold Rothstein and Meyer Lansky: The Lives and Legacies of the Gangsters Who Reformed Organized Crime in America Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Life and Trial of Lizzie Borden: The History of 19th Century America's Most Famous Murder Case Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Denisovans: The History of the Extinct Archaic Humans Who Spread Across Asia during the Paleolithic Era Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Patrice Lumumba: The Life and Legacy of the Pan-African Politician Who Became Congo's First Prime Minister Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Medieval England: The History of England from the Fall of Rome to the Rise of the Tudor Dynasty Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Battle of Hamburger Hill: The History and Legacy of One of the Vietnam War's Most Controversial Battles Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Related to Petra
Related audiobooks
Ancient Alexandria: The History and Legacy of Egypt's Most Famous City Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Umma: The History and Legacy of the Ancient Sumerian City Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Silk Road: A New History Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Digging Up Armageddon: The Search for the Lost City of Solomon Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/51434: The Year a Magnificent Chinese Fleet Sailed to Italy and Ignited the Renaissance Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Cimmerians: The History of the Ancient Indo-European Nomads in the Near East Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Harappa: The History of the Ancient Indus Valley Civilization’s Most Famous City Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Arab Conquests Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Mountains of the Pharaohs: The Untold Story of the Pyramid Builders Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Scythians: Nomad Warriors of the Steppe Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Etruscans and the First Romans: The History and Legacy of the Civilizations that Fought for Control of Italy Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsWorlds at War: The 2,500-Year Struggle Between East and West Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Mysterious Egypt: A Collection of Ancient Egyptian Mysteries, Strange Stories, and Archaeological Oddities Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5History Of Egypt, Chaldea, Syria, Babylonia, and Assyria, Vol. 1 Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Tutan Hamen And The Discovery Of His Tomb Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Silk Road: The History and Legacy of the Trade Routes that Connected Europe and Asia Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Megiddo: The History of the Famous Archaeological Site and Prophesized Battle of Armageddon Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Nimrud: The History and Legacy of the Ancient Assyrian City Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Assyrian Empire’s Capitals: The History and Legacy of Nineveh, Assur, and Nimrud Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Cyrus the Great: The Life and Legacy of the King Who Founded the Achaemenid Persian Empire Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Parthian Empire: The History and Culture of One of Ancient Rome's Most Famous Enemies Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Babylon: Mesopotamia and the Birth of Civilization Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Uighurs: The History and Legacy of the Turkic Muslim Minority Group in Asia Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5
Ancient History For You
Greek Mythology: An Elaborate Guide to the Gods, Heroes, Harems, Sagas, Rituals and Beliefs of Greek Myths Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Ancient Rome: The Rise and Fall of An Empire Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Meditations Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire - Volume I Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Plutarch's Lives: Volume 1 of 2 Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Underworld: The Mysterious Origins of Civilization Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Egyptian Mythology: A Concise Guide to the Gods, Heroes, Sagas, Rituals and Beliefs of Egyptian Myths Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Killing Jesus: A History Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Past Mistakes: How We Misinterpret History and Why it Matters Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Ancient Greece 101: Greek History, Myth, and Civilization Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Alexander the Great Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Emperor's Handbook: A New Translation of The Meditations Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/51177 B.C.: The Year Civilization Collapsed: Revised and Updated Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Histories Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Bullies and Saints: An Honest Look at the Good and Evil of Christian History Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Caligula: The Mad Emperor of Rome Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Epic of Gilgamesh Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Our Occulted History: Do the Global Elite Conceal Ancient Aliens? Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Babylon: Mesopotamia and the Birth of Civilization Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Hekate Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5History Is Wrong Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Cleopatra: The Queen who Challenged Rome and Conquered Eternity Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Pandora's Jar: Women in the Greek Myths Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5A.D. The Bible Continues: The Revolution That Changed the World Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Horse, the Wheel, and Language: How Bronze-Age Riders from the Eurasian Steppes Shaped the Modern World Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Ten Caesars: Roman Emperors from Augustus to Constantine Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Agrippina: The Most Extraordinary Woman of the Roman World Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Chariots of the Gods Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5When God Had a Wife: The Fall and Rise of the Sacred Feminine in the Judeo-Christian Tradition Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5
Related categories
Reviews for Petra
Rating: 3.625 out of 5 stars
3.5/5
16 ratings0 reviews