Carolina watchman. [volume] (Salisbury, N.C.) 1871-1937, 1909-09-21
THE ANCIENT CITY OF JOKTREEL.
At one Time The Strongest and Wealthlest
City on Earth now a Field Of Ruins.

ne IOilOWlng account ol JOk-
thael is given because of the in
tense interest of the story and the
value of the information It is
taken from The Union Bible Dict
lonary. published in Philadelphia
in 1885:
e Kings xiv. ~
The name given by Amaziah to
Selah, or the modern Petra. It
was the capital of Idumea, and
one of the most magnificteI of
the ancient cities. 1t was situat-
ed near the base of mount Hor,
about three days journey from
Jericho, and the same distance
from mount Sinai: and must be
regarded as the most singular spot
iu all neutrality-suspicious. IN the
whole E8s.ern world. It's remark
able character and history, which
have been but recently disclosed,
and is close connectl N with pro-
phecy, require q more exteuded
article than would otherwise be
given to it.
This city appears to have been
coeval with the birth of COM
merce; snd therr ls indubIt"ble
evidence that it vas Il hourishing
emporium seventeen centuries be-
fore the Christian era. 1t was 5he
point to which all the trade of
northern Arabia orig;na ly t nd
ed : and where the first merchants ts
of the earth stor d the precious
commodities Of the East.
With the decline and fail of the
Roman power in the East, the
name of fetra almost vanjshes
from the page Of history About
the period of the Crusades, it as
held in such esteem by the sulta us
Of Egypt, Oh account IF its gr' at
strength, that they made it the
depository of their choicest treas
ures; and, in the course Of these
religious wars, it's possession Was
atrenuously contested by the
Turks and Christians, who regard
ed it as the key that opened the
gates of Palestine. From that
time it was known only as the
seat of Latin bishop, Its cree
crowded marts ceased to be he
emporium of nations. The b.
scurity Of nearly Thousand years
covered its ruins The very place
where it stood became a subject
of controversy.
The accounts Of recent travnl-
lers. who have discovered the ruins
, f this great city. tell US Of the
utter des9lation which now reig IS
over those once celebrated rpglOus
described by an inspired pen as
the fatuess Of the earth. 1t is
scarcely possible, they say, to I'M
agine how a Wilderness so Greacy
and dest late could ever have be3n
adorned with walled cities, Or la
hahitcd for ages by powerful
and opulent people. The aspect
Of the surrounding country is
singularly wild and fantastic On
one side stretches al immense des-
ert of shifting sands, whose sur
face is covered with black fllnts,
and broken by hillocks into in
Vulnerable undulations; on the
other are rugged aud insulated
precipices, among which rises
mount Hor, with its dark sum-
mits. and near it lies the ancient
Petra, in a plain or hollow of un-
equal surface. (Wady Mousa, } en-
closed on all sides with q vast am
phitheatre of rocks.
The entrance to this celehra ted
metropolis is from the east,
through q deep ravine called Ell
Svk: and it is not easy to conceive
auy thing more awful or sublime
than such al approach. The
width in general is not more thnn
sufficient for the passage OF two
horsemen abreast; and through
the bottom winds the stream that
waterod the city AS this Tivulet
must have been of great lmr0r-
tance to the tants, they
seem t. have bast,. we'd mnch pains
in protecting and regulating It's
course. The channel appears to
have been covered by stone pave.
ment, vestiges Of which still re-
main; and in several places wallis
we're constructed to give the cur
ra,,t q nronar direction and pre-