The façade of the Treasury in Petra, Jordan. Photograph © Richard T. Nowitz/CORBIS

Petra, Jordan
By H.M. Queen Noor

"Petra must remain a wonder which can only be understood by visiting the place itself." —Edward Lear

Before I married, I had traveled the world and seen many treasures—but none like Petra, which was and remains for me a mesmerizing window onto our past, with lessons for our future. A city carved out of desert sandstone by Nabataean Arabs two millennia ago, Petra is special to me and all Jordanians because its human lessons, like its architectural marvels and natural beauty, are enduring in the most meaningful sense of the word. The Nabataeans' principles of nation building and constructive interactions among peoples of different cultures are as relevant today as when the Nabataeans lived them 2,000 years ago.

Petra awes me with its splendid synthesis of the hand of God and the genius of humankind, a synthesis I find most striking in the Nabataeans' delicate integration of elaborate temple and tomb architecture with the natural beauty of the site's rugged sandstone cliffs and valleys. Though the Nabataeans exploited Petra's natural beauty, they also safeguarded it for succeeding generations. Their civilization endured for 500 years, in large part because they protected their environment, especially their limited arable lands, grazing ranges, and water resources. They also avoided the vulnerabilities of a one-product economy by generating sustained wealth from agriculture, trade, mining and industry.

The Nabataeans applied the same principle of diversity to their interactions with other peoples and cultures. Tolerant, dynamic, and adventurous, they embraced cultural and religious diversity as an endless source of new lessons about the human spirit. They traveled and traded widely—Petra was strategically situated at a crossroad for caravan trade, source of much of its wealth—learned from their neighbors, and continuously absorbed new technologies, arts, architectures, faith, and languages. They avoided warfare and promoted political stability through skillful diplomacy and exchanges of materials and ideas with neighboring powers, including Assyria, Greece, Egypt, and Rome.

I believe Petra's designation by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site recognizes its physical and cultural splendors, and its enduringly universal lessons: a productive and just society, a sustainable economy, a protected environment, and fruitful relations with other cultures.

The information in this story was accurate at the time it was published, but we suggest you confirm all details before making travel plans.