Rogue River courier. (Grants Pass, Or.) 19??-1918, 1916-02-03
A CITY OF MYSTERY
Ancient Petra. In Arabia, Now In
Ruins and Deserted.
LIVED IN EARLY BIBLE TIMES.

Then u wss Famous and Wealthy
and Place Where History Was
Mads--lts Curious Temples. Tonibs
and Dwellings Carved Out Of Solid
Rock.
The sIrnngcsf cily Ia the world Is
retim. cul oui ~ solid rock Ia II lone
sIHr mDnniaiu valley ia the ArubiaD
,ipacH 0hpe rich city. II N now an
aauuloucd ruin II Is 80 old Tint its
nri.iu L. lo+, 10 history but II was
acil Eiiowh IN enrly IIible Zines when
,at l.lnBiltcs 'hihnbiicd II, aud about
a century after the beginning OF the
t'hris,iln era II was conquered by the
liumnn<, l!ni n few centuries later II
,;is abandoned By civilization. aud for
i.5n yeal~ II my forgotten by the
world until the traveller Buwkhardt 70
Glseoytred It In 1872
40 inaccessible " iIS situation. al
though II once lay on trade route
TINT not more than dfty travellers are
Known 10 have visited IL since Iiurck
lardt's time,
50 rUmnntcr ever conceived such \
place. Al around are barren noun
uiins. rocky, wild and trneklcss he
yond the mountains stretches the dcs'
eri 4 savage glen decpens into long,
narrow gorge win perpendicular walls
one or Two hundred feet IN height. Fol.
lowing this ravinc for twO miles, the
adventurous traveller suddenly finds
himself NJ n kind OF gateway IN the
rocks. like the entrance to Roman
amphithenier
Here he II confronted by q temple
cut In the rock. with the most exquisite
Corinthlnn columns. and. entering the
doorway. he finds himself In the heart
OF the hill. surrounded by subterrancan
architecture OF the most elaborate
beauty OF form and workmanship. This
IL the so called khasnch, or treasury.
supposed TO have been built by the Ro.
man emperor liadrian. who visited
petrn IN the year l3i A. ID, Although
called n treasury. II was temple de
voted TO Isis No description OF this
strange building has ever excelled that
given by stephens. the first American
traveller 10 see II:
THE whole temple. It's columns. or
nnmcnts, por,ic0es and porches are cut
out from and form part OF the solid
rock. and this rock, at the foot of
which the temple stands Hike u mere
print. towers several hundred feet
above. its face cut smooth TO the very
summit and the top remaining wild
and mlsshnpen. as nature made II, Mel.
thcr the Coliseum at Rome, grand and
interesting rs II IL. nor the ruins OF the
Acropolls at Athens nor tho pyramids
nor the mighty temples of the Nile are
so often present to my memory
But this is only An introduction 10
the marvels behind. The gorge opens
out into n narrow valley some three
miles In circumference. everywhere
SUM deep beneath the luclOsing noun
tains, aud The walls ~ 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 mir 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 door
or the valley. and the uplifting Of tue
eyes turned 10 study them ndds 10 the
impression oi lonely majesty which
they make upon them
II IN rare "a meet any human h'lng
In the place. Sometimes n few ArnliS