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Petra is a tourist magnet as it's setting and history is unique and mysterious. As a perfect mountain hideout with a narrow entrance through a winding 2 km long and 80 meter high canyon Petra housed a population of up to 30,000 inhabitants. A total of 3,000 tombs, including 800 monumental facade tombs, which were previously colorful frescoed and100 ritual banquet halls makes Petra a worthy UNESCO World Heritage Site. The unique Greco-Roman temple style tomb facades is the most distinguished feature of Nabataean culture, in which tomb style and decoration indicated the social standing of the family and deceased. The Great Temple is the only building in Petra which was fully excavated. It took over 14 years to unravel the hidden ruins previously overseen, because it's state of destructions was so immense. The few remains were regarded long as not important and there were no standing structures indicating that this was a huge temple complex covering over 11,500 sqm. The excavations revealed much about the Nabataean architecture and culture. Also part of the Decapolis union and most important and best preserved Roman city in the Near East with up to 25,000 inhabitants within it's city walls. Gerasa was a thriving trading center with it's main attractions, such as: Hadrian gate, built in honor of the Roman Emperor's visit, unique oval plaza leading onto 800 meter long colonnade with over 500 columns still in situ today, famous Zeus and Artemis temples, two amphitheatres, marcellum, nyphaeum, two baths, a total of 15 Byzantine churches and a hippodrom. Gerasa was also called Antioch on the Chrysorhoas - Golden River - and was situated only 48 kms from another Decapolis member the city of Philadelphia today's Amman.
Another member of the Decapolis union and a leading centre and school of famous writers, philosophers and poets, such as: Philodemos, Menippos, Meleagros, Theodoros, Apsanes. They invented new forms of poetry verses and setting new standards in classical writing and moved later to Rome and Athens to teach at these leading universities. Interesting lost city belonging to the Bosra metropolis supply network. Built entirely out of black lava rock from the area with limited public buildings but many churches erected during the Roman Byzantine times. Most of these churches were familiy clan owned and part of residential complexes. Pella has been little excavated and therefore few tourists find their way to this ancient Roman city in the Jordan valley south of Gadara. It streches over 2 hills and the valley in between. Iraq el-Emir is possibly the only Hellenistic site close to Amman which today only features the main palace which was built by the Tobiads who contralled Transjordania at the time.
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