August 22: Johann Burckhardt Visits Petra (1812)
Prayer Idea
Pray for people who work as tour guides to help other people appreciate historic and cultural sites.
History Note
People living in the Middle East have been active traders since ancient times. Located at an intersection of both land and water routes, this region is a natural place to facilitate trade between Africa, Europe, and Asia.
The Nabateans were one group of people who were heavily involved in this trade. They dealt in spices, incense, animals, copper, fabric, gold, ivory, sugar, and perfumes. In the centuries before the time of Christ, they established the city of Petra in what is now Jordan.
The Nabateans developed sophisticated water management techniques to grow crops in the area around Petra. The entrance to Petra itself is a half-mile-long canyon called the Siq. The city has a fascinating array of buildings carved into rocky cliffs.
Petra reflects a mixture of cultural influences. It has temples to Arabic gods. It has a large Roman-style theater cut into rock, which might have seated as many as 6,000 spectators. It also has the remains of churches from the Byzantine period.
As trade routes changed, the economic importance of the city declined. After the time of the Crusades, the city was largely forgotten by the outside world.
Johann Burckhardt (1784-1817) was a Swiss explorer and author. He joined an organization called the Association for Promoting the Discovery of the Interior Parts of Africa and spent several years in the Middle East and Africa. While traveling from Damascus to Cairo, disguised as an Arab, he hired a local Bedouin guide who took him to the city of Petra.
Burckhardt’s journals were published after his death as Travels in Syria and the Holy Land. In his entry for August 22, 1812, Burckhardt describes his first entry into Petra (p. 424):
On the side of the perpendicular rock, directly opposite to the issue of the main valley, an excavated mausoleum came in view, the situation and beauty of which are calculated to make an extraordinary impression upon the traveller, after having traversed for nearly half an hour such a gloomy and almost subterraneous passage as I have described. It is one of the most elegant remains of antiquity existing in Syria; its state of preservation resembles that of a building recently finished, and on a closer examination I found it to be a work of immense labor.
Interest in visiting and studying Petra grew over the years. It was recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1985.
As Burckhardt described, this photo shows the initial view of Petra as a visitor is coming out of the Siq. Photo by Dr_Flash / Shutterstock.com.
Learn More
This video discusses the history of Petra and Burckhardt’s visit.
Please Note: There is a drawing of nude statues and a discussion of the traditional site of the Tomb of Aaron, brother of Moses.
Find more resources at Homeschool History.
