St. Charles City Republican intelligencer. [volume] (St. Charles City [Charles City], Iowa) 1857-1861, 1858-09-23
Mlisttllanu.
SKETCHES OF THE EAST.
PETRA, THE ROCK CITY.

In the year 1911, the celebrated
traveller, Burckhardt, .journcylng from
Sinai to the Dead Sea, discovered the
ruins of wonderful city, once power
full and renowned, but for many ages
lied world. /, was called Petra by
thc Greeks. and Selah by the Hebrews,
both words meaning Rock. 1t lay just
below mount Hor. on the cast side OF
the great valley FL Arabah, and md |
way between the Dead and Red Seas.
From this valley you first ascend low
limestone hills, and then immense
ranges and cliffs of dark porphyry, be.
fore reaching the irregular ridges OF
sandstone. 1920 feet above the valley,
among which Petra is hidden. These
mountains of Edom," separating the
Arabah from the great Arabian des-
: crt and twenty or twenty-five miles
r wide. are now rugged and dcsolate
, but many fertile valleys, and traces
of numerous cities, remind us OF the
: time when Esau's dwelling was "of
:, the fatncss of the earth, and the dew
). of Heaven" was upon it.
4 The main passage into the city is
on the east, and begins between two
D cliffs forty feet high, and fifty yards
" anart. which soon become higher,
y nearer. and crowded with excavated
$, tombs. This winding ravinc also gave
\. entrance to small stream Its sides
. at one place are but twelve feet apart
IT, and nearly three hundred feet high
&c Descending still to place where II
le opens broadly to the north, you come
s suddenly in view of the gorgeous iron
:, of the temple called khusneh, with col
~ umns. cntablaturcs, statues, &c, hewI
Us out of the solid rock of which the.
to still form a part, Within is a iarg
of and lofty room, and several small SID
ho chambers. Still further on, in a ben
of the ravine towards the north, is
ILL., sc:uicircular theatre, with seats, rang
gh above range, in the living rock, cap;
he BILE of holding four thousand mel
,t Advancing still towards the west, tn
49, city itself bursts upon the view;
IL broad valley of mile long, and
ma the widest part half mile wide, su
its rounded by cliffs from four to six hu
of dred feet high This area is much e
md larged by branch ravines on the side
'A and not only the main valley was co
Oh cred by dwellings, but the cliffs whi'
sEt line il and it's branches, were hone
,ay combed with excavations for the san
A purpose. Hence the prophet Ca,
oso this city, "Thou that dwellest IN 4
GOV clefts OF the rock, whose habltatlon
me high that saith, who shall bril-
rom me down to the ground ="
day The main valley lying north a
o,t south is traversed by the stream abo
mentioned, OH the banks OF viii
'es' most of the public buildings seem
ian, have stood. Not far from the cent
and of the valley are the remains OF
he grand trumphal arch, whose g!o
!. and even whose name is lost. W.
- of this stands the most perfect rema
oi ing edifice of Petra, called, by
cred Arabs, Pharaoh's house." about Il
,om- ty-four PAGES square, with colonna
tho niazza, a noble arch, &c. The VIII
valley is strewn with ruins attestl
10 W the magnificence of the ancient cit
High up at the head of a ravlne
the west side, is another temple
atlon living rock, called the Der, its fr
mes one hundred and fifty-two feet in len
over and height, and it's lower coluu
ho., half projecting from the rock, tive
''e" feet in semicircumference. Within
run large room, sc, 1t is almost inc
be table with what labor these count
re so. public and private excavations h
can been made, and what a grand and
,;aoa culiar aspect this city Of rock n
''','N have once presented. An almost II
,ndon ;.al eject is nroduced by the g
ide of variety of colors natural to the S
stone here found. Red, purple, bl