Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,
My apologies for being late with publishing. I had a very busy evening shift and hadn't time to create our new episode. This month is running towards its end and that makes me a little bit sad, but also a little bit happy. I hadn't thought that this month would be this difficult to create, but ... well it is fun to create our episodes to inspire you.
We are on a journey along the ancient Silk Road and today we arrive at the ancient town Petra. Petra is renown around the world and I hope to inspire you to create haiku, tanka or other Japanese poetry form.
Petra:
Petra, originally known as Raqmu, is a historical and archaeological city in southern Jordan. Petra lies on the slope of Jabal Al-Madbah in a basin among the mountains which form the eastern flank of Arabah valley that run from the Dead Sea to the Gulf of Aqaba. It was established possibly as early as the 4th century BC as the capital city of the Nabataean Kingdom. The Nabataeans were nomadic Arabs who invested in Petra's proximity to the trade routes by establishing it as a major regional trading hub.
The trading business gained the Nabataeans considerable revenue, and Petra became the focus of their wealth. The earliest recorded historical reference to the city was when an envious Greek dynasty attempted to ransack the city in 312 BC. The Nabataeans were, unlike their enemies, accustomed to living in the barren deserts, and were able to repel attacks by utilizing the area's mountainous terrain. They were particularly skillful in harvesting rainwater, agriculture and stone carving. The Kingdom's capital continued to flourish until the 1st century AD when its famous Al-Khazneh facade was constructed, and its population peaked at an estimated 20,000 inhabitants.
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| Petra, capitol of the Nabataen Kingdom |
Encroaching troops of the Roman Empire in 106 AD forced the Nabataeans to surrender. The Romans annexed and renamed the Kingdom to Arabia Petraea. Petra's importance declined as sea trade routes emerged, and after a 363 earthquake destroyed many structures. The Byzantine Era witnessed the construction of several Christian churches. By 700, the city became an abandoned place where only a handful of nomads grazed goats. It remained unknown to Europeans until it was rediscovered in 1812 by Swiss explorer Johann Ludwig Burckhardt, who had read the historical descriptions of Petra and concluded that "there is no other ruin between the extremities of the Dead sea and Red sea, of sufficient importance to answer to that city".
The city is famous for its rock-cut architecture and water conduit system. Another name for Petra is the Rose City due to the color of the stone out of which it is carved. It has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1985. UNESCO has described it as "one of the most precious cultural properties of man's cultural heritage".
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| Petra or the Rose City |
It's a renown tourist place in Jordan. I think you all know this ancient city that's renown of its sculptures.
Rose City
abandoned beauty
only grazing goats
© Chèvrefeuille
This episode is NOW OPEN for your submissions and will remain open until February 28th at noon (CET). I will try to publish our new episode later on.
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