The Jordan valley and Petra . nward added to the charm and mysteryof the whole experience. For more than a mile wesplashed along among the undergrowth of wild figtrees, oleanders, and ivy. The ravine with its clearstream, and the remains of the ancient paved roadalong its bed, wind about as if they were the mostflexible of objects instead of being confined in arent through a mighty mountain wall. The pre-cipitous rocky sides towered above our heads atfirst one hundred feet, then two hundred feet, andat times more than five hundred feet. There weremany places where the gloomy sides leaned overt
The Jordan valley and Petra . nward added to the charm and mysteryof the whole experience. For more than a mile wesplashed along among the undergrowth of wild figtrees, oleanders, and ivy. The ravine with its clearstream, and the remains of the ancient paved roadalong its bed, wind about as if they were the mostflexible of objects instead of being confined in arent through a mighty mountain wall. The pre-cipitous rocky sides towered above our heads atfirst one hundred feet, then two hundred feet, andat times more than five hundred feet. There weremany places where the gloomy sides leaned overthe roadway, threatening to crack, and in theircrumbling, crush us between their awful and then a sharp turn in the defile wouldcarry us out from between the shadowy walls,and apparently straight against a precipice, overwhich the sunshine fell in cascades of coloredlight. To lift ones eyes from the little stream, with itsfringe of green, to the gloomy walls overhanging 1 Existing when Stanley visited Petra in I W x H Shobek to Petra 55 it, and up through the many-hued layers of sand-stone, each growing brighter with the increasinglight, to the sinuous ribbon of blue sky, borderedby the sunlit purples of the upper rocks, glowingin the sunshine, produced an effect that beggarsdescription, and would defy a painters power toreproduce. Seen at morning, at midday, or atmidnight, the Sik, this matchless entrance to a hid-den city, is unquestionably one of the great gloriesof ancient Petra. We wandered on, amazed, en-chanted, and delighted, not wishing for, not expect-ing anything that could be finer than this, when alook ahead warned us that we were approachingsome monument worth attention, and suddenly westepped out of the narrow gorge into the sunlightagain. There in front of us, carved in the face ofthe cliff, half revealed, half concealed, in the grow-ing shadows, was one of the largest, most perfect,and most beautiful monuments of antiquity,—Pharaohs Treasury!
Size: 1357px × 1841px
Photo credit: © The Reading Room / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1900, bookpublishernewyorklondongpput
