Petra+of+Jordan


 * Where is Petra located?

It is located in the deserts of Jordan, next to irak, and it is a crossroad between the orient and european civilizations. The nabateans, who were traders of the deserts. The city had many monumental tombs in honor of their kings and leaders, it was build almost completely out of the rocks of the cliffs found in this territor. Its population was around 20,000 residents. Many of the architectural elements were hailed from alexandria. The column capitals bear intricate floral patterns and animal shapes, representing aspects of nature that were important to the Nabataeans. The Nabateans had as a tradition to display wealth, so rich families used to hire expensive architects and masons to create their funerary monuments. > Well, it started as a crossroad of merchants, and trough such commerce, the city was flourished. In its beginnings, Petra grew along the natural contours of the landscapes, it had a main street which followed the curve of the Wadi Musa (Petra´s primary river). After the intervention of the Roman empire the city development took a new direction, in which the city was organized following a grid path.
 * Who were its inhabitants?
 * What is/are its characteristics? (name as many as you can)
 * How important were tombs in Petra? What did they mean?
 * How did this city become an urban center?
 * How was this city organized/planned?