"...a rose red city half as old as time." from the sonnet 'Petra' by John William Burgon 1845. Established around 600BC, Petra remained unknown to the west until its discovery in 1820 by Swiss explorer, Johann Ludwig Burckhardt. Approached from the eastern entrance through a deep, narrow gorge or 'siq' one is filled with a sense of anticipation. There is no disappointment as one is thrust into the open market place with The Treasury (c. 100BC), intricately carved into the red sandstone, towering above. This desert city was fed water via a system of dams, conduits and cisterns creating a man made oasis. A world heritage site and one of the New Seven Wonders of the World. A unique journey and my most overwhelming revelation of architecture as a child.References: http://canthandal.files.wordpress.com/2008/12/dsc_0623.jpg, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petra, [accessed 6-3-10]
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