President and CEO of the Houston Museum of Natural Science since 2004, Joel A. Bartsch has dedicated his career to the study and popularization of general science, geology, and minerals. He holds a master’s degree in the history of science from Rice University, and is currently pursuing a PhD. Joel Bartsch is also an avid traveler with a particular interest in the Middle East.
Carved from red sandstone cliffs in the southern part of the country of Jordan, the Middle Eastern city of Petra is “a red rose city, half as old as time,” in the words of John William Burgon’s 1845 poem.
Geologists believe that a series of earthquakes around the sixth century of the Common Era devastated Petra, forcing its residents to flee. Once a bustling travelers’ oasis and the capital of the great merchant kingdom of Nabatea, Petra is now a desolate but magnificent ancient monument whose glowing rosy walls at sunset still draw gasps from contemporary travelers.
Petra’s magnificent gorges are the result of the power of desert flash floods that exacerbated structural weaknesses over time. The city’s formation materials include a base of igneous rocks from the Precambrian Era, overlain with enormous quartzrose sandstone from later ages.
Petra’s original name in Arabic means “cut in rock,” and the city remains a focal point for visiting archeologists and geologists. In 2007, the abandoned city’s stunning uplift of red cliffs, towering columns, and intricately carved pillars earned it a place on the list of the Seven New Wonders of the World.
Carved from red sandstone cliffs in the southern part of the country of Jordan, the Middle Eastern city of Petra is “a red rose city, half as old as time,” in the words of John William Burgon’s 1845 poem.
Geologists believe that a series of earthquakes around the sixth century of the Common Era devastated Petra, forcing its residents to flee. Once a bustling travelers’ oasis and the capital of the great merchant kingdom of Nabatea, Petra is now a desolate but magnificent ancient monument whose glowing rosy walls at sunset still draw gasps from contemporary travelers.
Petra’s magnificent gorges are the result of the power of desert flash floods that exacerbated structural weaknesses over time. The city’s formation materials include a base of igneous rocks from the Precambrian Era, overlain with enormous quartzrose sandstone from later ages.
Petra’s original name in Arabic means “cut in rock,” and the city remains a focal point for visiting archeologists and geologists. In 2007, the abandoned city’s stunning uplift of red cliffs, towering columns, and intricately carved pillars earned it a place on the list of the Seven New Wonders of the World.
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