The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1916-01-31

and a Place Where History Was
Made--Its Curious Temples. Ton,bs
and Dwellings Carved Out Of Solid
Rock.
The strangest city in the world Is
Petra, cut out of solid rock in q lone
some mountain valley in the Arabian
desert. Once a rich city, it is now an
abandoned ruin. 1t is so old that It's
origin is lost to history, but II was
well known in early Bible times when
the Edomites inhabited II, and about
u century after the beginning OF the
Christian era it was conquered by the
Romans. But few centuries later II
was abandoned by civilization, and fol
1900 years it lay forgotten by the
world until the traveller Burckhardt re
discovered 1t in 1912.
So inaccessible Is its situation, al
though 1t once lay on Il trade route,
that not more than fifty travellers are
known to have visited it sipce Burck-
hardt's time.
No romancer ever conceived such
place. All around are barren noun
tains, rocky, wild and trackless. Be
yond the mountains stretches the DIES.
crt. A savage glen deepens into long,
narrow gorge with perpendicular walls
one or two hundred feet in height. Fol-
lowing this rayine for two miles, the
adventurous traveller suddenly finds
himself ut a kind of gateway in the
rocks, like the entrance to Roman
amphitheater.
Here lie is confronted by a temple
cut in the rock, with the most exquisite
Corinthian columns. and, entering the
doorway. he finds himself in the heart
of the hill, surrounded by subterranean
architecture of the most elaborate
beauty of form and workmanship. This
is the so called khasneh, or treasury.
supposed to have been built by the Ro
man emperor Hadrian, who visited
Petra in the year 13l A. ID. Although
called u treasury. it was temple de
voted to Isis. No description OF this
strange building has ever excelied, that
given by Stephens. the first American
traveller, to see it, ~ D..
"The whole temple, its columns, or
naments. porticoes and porches are cut
out FROM and form ii part of the solid
rock. and this rock; at the foot OF
which tile temple stands like Il mere
print, towers several hundred feet
above, its face cut smooth TO the very
summit and the top remaining wild
and misshapen, as nature made it. Nei-
tier the Coliseum at Rome, grand and
interesting as IT. is, nor The ruins Of the
AcropoIis at Athens nor the pyramids
nor the mighty temples of the Nile are
so often present to my memory
But this is only an introduction to
the hiarvels behind. Tho gorge opens
out into a narrow valley some three
miles in circumference. every where
sunk deep beneath the inciosing noun
iains, and the walls Of this valley are
filed with the remains OF other rock
cut temples, tbmbs and dwelling
places. In one place are the remains
Of an open air theater. Some of the
structures cut in the face of the rock
are several stories In height, while
their architectural details excite the
wondering admiration OF the beholder
or course they gain immensely in the
eyes OF the surprised visitor by their
situation and by the air of total aban-
donment which surrounds them. They
are at various heights above the floor
or the valley, and the uplifting of the
eyes turned to study them adds 10 the
impression of lonely majesty which
they make upon them.
1t is rare to meet any human being
| IN the place. Sometimes a few Arabs
are seen. but at night the voices of
| wolves, hyenas. owls and jackals may
be heard, and occasionally one of these
animals may be surprised lurking in the
dark interior of an open tomb. Large
venoinous serpents are also sometimes
met with.
1t is not surprising that some visitors
have applied TO Petra, which has been
supposed to be the Selah of the Bible.
| the curses uttered by the Hebrew
| prophets against the land of Idumea.
such as these: And thorns shall come
up in her palaces. nettles and rambles
in the fortresses thereof, and it shall
be a habitation for dragons and Il court
for owls or, "Oh, thou that dwelest
in the clefts Of the rocks, that holdest
the height Of the hill, though thou
shouldst make the nest as high as the
elgles | will bring thee down from
thence, saith the Lord" P.
Serviss in New York Journal.