1000places > AMMAN - From high atop the hill, the Temple of Hercules could be seen from virtually anywhere in ancient Amman.  A monumental staircase once connected the temple with the forum, theaters, colonnaded streets, shops and other public activities in the city center below the Citadel.  Traces of the staircase had long disappeared.
1000places > AMMAN - Larger than any temple in Rome itself, the Temple of Hercules is framed by six 33-foot tall columns.
1000places > PETRA - The lower Sig widened and we saw this elegant structure carved into one wall.  Interestingly, no explorer apparently ever gave it a name.  So today, it is called simply "Tomb 68."
1000places > PETRA - This was the heart of Petra, the urban metropolis.  A monumental gate once stood at the end of the Colonnaded Street, originally with three stately arches that formed the main entrance to the sacred precinct.
1000places > PETRA - We followed the Siq towards the center of the old city where the gorge opened into a large, natural bowl.  The surrounding hillsides were dotted with niches and tombs, a virtual graveyard carved in rock.  These tombs are collectively called the "Streets of Façades."
1000places > PETRA - It is a mistake to see Petra from only one angle.  As we walked along the "inner Sig," we glanced over our shoulders.  From this view, the seemingly isolated "Tomb 68" (see previous photo) was actually one of a series of elaborately carved monuments.
1000places > PETRA - As was typical, we soon fell behind the rest of the group as we took our time to examine these remarkable carvings  - designated Tombs 68, 69, 70, and 71.  This stretch of tombs were almost a pattern book of Nabataean decorative ideas.
1000places > PRELUDE TO PETRA - As we neared the ancient city, we saw this carving.  It is the lower portion of a caravaneer - the name given to those who led great caravans of camels along ancient trade routes.  Petra was at the crossroads of several major routes that ran from Lebanon to the Far East.
1000places > PRELUDE TO PETRA - Along the way, stone altars began to appear in the rock.  The name "Petra" itself means "rock," and it appeared that many of these carvings paid homage to the sacred properties of the native rock.
AMMAN - From high atop the hill, the Temple of Hercules could be seen from virtually anywhere in ancient Amman. A monumental staircase once connected the temple with the forum, theaters, colonnaded streets, shops and other public activities in the city center below the Citadel. Traces of the staircase had long disappeared.

1000places > AMMAN - From high atop the hill, the Temple of Hercules could be seen from virtually anywhere in ancient Amman.  A monumental staircase once connected the temple with the forum, theaters, colonnaded streets, shops and other public activities in the city center below the Citadel.  Traces of the staircase had long disappeared.
AMMAN - From high atop the hill, the Temple of Hercules could be seen from virtually anywhere in ancient Amman. A monumental staircase once connected the temple with the forum, theaters, colonnaded streets, shops and other public activities in the city center below the Citadel. Traces of the staircase had long disappeared.

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