The ancient city of Petra (in present-day
Jordan) is famous for being ENTIRELY carved into the red sandstone cliffs and valleys of Jordan’s expansive desert.
The city was even named one of the seven wonders of the world in a recent worldwide poll (which I completely agree with having been there last summer), but it is slowly falling apart from environmental degradation. In ancient times the rock buildings were kept safe from erosion by
an intricate irrigation system that kept water away from the walls and facades. But now that this irrigation system is no longer functional the buildings are slowly succumbing to the tides of time and erosion, particularly the world famous treasury building
May | 2012 | The Middle East Studies Program
As an example of pre-Islamic Arab civilization Architecture. There are many others in the Arabian peninsula like...
In the northwestern corner of Arabia lies an ancient city, thought to have been
inhabited between 2000 B.C. and 200 A.D. One of the largest settlements of the
Nabataean civilisation, it is known today as Al-Hijr or Mada’in Saleh. Like its more famous sister city
Petra (which has appeared numerous times in movies), Hegra boasts many rock-cut monumental tombs—111 to be exact, of which 94 are decorated. The city also has early water wells, and the whole site is a worthy testament to the Nabataeans’ architectural abilities and hydraulic expertise.
One other interesting legacy is that the Nabataeans developed the North Arabic script from which today’s modern Arabic script is descended.
Hegra | Taylor Empire Airways
And in Persia around the same time...
Naghshe Rostam
OT:
Houthi militia do not have the same support of the majority like Taliban in Afghanistan or Hizbollah in Lebanon .