Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1916-06-08
A CITY OF MYSTERY
Ancient Petra, In Arabia, Now In
Ruins and Deserted.
LIVED IN EARLY BIBLE TIMES.

and Place Where History Was
Mads--lts Curious Temples. Tombs
and Dwellings Carved Out Of Solid
Rock.
The strangest city in the world Is
Petra, cut out of solid rock In lone
some mountain valley In the Arabian
abandoned ruin 1t is so old that its
origin is lost 10 history, but it was
well known In early Bible tiries when
the Edomites inhabited IL. and about
"A century after the beginning of the
Christian era II was conquered by the
Romans. But few centuries later 1t
was abandoned by civilization. and for
1900 years it lay forgotten by the
world until the traveller Burckhardt re
discovered It in 1872.
So inaccessible is its situation, al.
though it once lay on trade route,
that not more than fifty travellers are
known to have visited it since Burck-
hardt's time.
No rOmancer ever conceived such "A
place. All around are barren noun
tains. rocky. wild and trackless. Be
yond the mountains stretches the des
ert. A savage glen deepens into a long,
narrow gorge with perpendicular walls
one or two hundred feet i'm height. Fol
lowing this ravine for two miles, the
adventurous traveller suddenly finds
himself az kind of gateway in the
rocks. like the entrance 10 a Roman
amphitbeator
Here be is confronted by a temple
cut IN The rock. with the most exquisite
Corinfhian columns. and. entering the
doorway. he finds himself in the heart
of the hiii. surrounded by subterranean
architecture OF the most elaborate
beauty OF form and workmanship This
IS the $50 called khasneh. or treasury.
uppHscl 20 have been built by the Ro
man emperor Hadrian, who visited
Petra in the year 49, A. u. Although
called "a treasury. II was a temple de
<oted 10 Isis. No description OF this
strange building has ever eXcelled that
given by stephens. the first American
Traveller 10 see e.
The whole temple. its columns, or.
naments porticoes and porches are cut
out from and form part of the sclia
rock. and this rock. at the foot OF
which the temple stands like mere
print. towers several hundred feet
above. its face cut smooth 10 the very
summit and the top remaining wild
and misshapen. as nature made II. Nei-
Their the Coliseum at Rome, grand and
interesting as il is, nor the ruins OF the
Acropolis 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 marvels behind. The gorge opens
out into a narrow valley some three
miles in circumference, everywhere
sunk deep beneath the inclosing noun
tains. and the walls Of this valley are
filled with the remains of other rock
cut temples. tombs 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.
OF 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 10 study them adds TO the
impression OF lonely majesty which
they make upon them.
Ii is rare 10 meet any human being
in the place. Sometimes Il 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
venomous serpents are also sometimes
met with.
Ii is not surprising that some visitors
have applied TO Petra, which has been
supposed 20 be the Selah of the Rible.
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 il shall
be a habitation for dragons and a court
for owls, or. "Oh. thou that dwellest
in the clefts Of the rocks. that holdest
the height of the hill. though thou
shouldst make the nest as high as the
eagles ! will bring thee down from
thence, saith the Lord. ''-Garrett p.
Serviss In New York Journal