Petra: Lost City of Stone | Full Documentary | NOVA | PBS

[@Splucked]

This episode is 9 yrs old and still great. Been watching NOVA for 49 years. Thank you, WGBH Boston, for continuing to produce excellent educational programs. I wish Jay O. Sanders narrated current NOVA episodes. IMO he's the best narrator NOVA has ever had.

[@DeepDishPizza]

Correction it’s 10 years old as it was shot in 2013

[@grantsmythe8625]

Yes, NOVA is an American treasure.

[@kevinm3751]

You call lying to us educational?

[@lloydacklinjr.2032]

@@kevinm3751 DID YOU SAY "LYING" TO US?!!!. ABOUT WHAT EXACTLY?!!!. PBS NOVA HAS BEEN PROVIDING WELL THOUGHT-OUT, WELL INFORMED, WELL NARRATED, HIGHLY EDUCATIONAL TOP QUALITY PROGRAMMING FILLED WITH THE UTMOST TRUTH, HONESTY, INTEGRITY, SINCERITY, ETC. SINCE DAY ONE!!!!!!!!!!!!. THOSE WHO CANNOT SEE, HEAR & OR COMPREHEND THAT ARE BADLY MISINFORMED(AT BEST), GREATLY DECEIVED(TO SAY THE LEAST) & OR A COMBINATION OF THE TWO!!!!!!.

[@kerrymarris4260]

Has anyone else heard the doc. On Henry Ford, and Hitlers relationship?? Ford motor company of Frankfort Germany. Supplier of 33% of truck's to the war effort on German side, plus a bunch of fancy cars for officers of the stazie.sorry about the broken spell check.

[@stephent7379]

I used to watch pbs nova all the time as a kid. Seeing it again is so special.

[@michellesweet6893]

Me too ❤

[@ricardopalomino8329]

I concur 😊, this is actually a repeat. I saw this on TV a couple years ago I think. Watching it again lol

[@mscoyote50]

NOVA is a national treasure. Thank you so much PBS for all your wonderful work.

[@gingerr9004]

In another thousand years, people will be digging through our remnants and saying things like “can you believe such primitive people had indoor plumbing?!” Lol it’s just weird to me how we give such little credit to people of the past. Just because it’s brilliantly designed and wildly efficient doesn’t mean aliens made it or it’s beyond the minds of the time-it just means we don’t know how they did it, there are a lot of things we don’t yet know. We have a lot to learn from the ancient cultures we dismiss so easily as “primitive”

[@juliew393]

Well said😊

[@samuelbraziel6267]

❤

[@LynxStarAuto]

No they are going to say look at this garbage construction for 800k in a warzone neighborhood.

[@annehersey9895]

They will be wondering how we communicated since no one writes anything down anymore. My two kids in their 30's learned cursive but never had to use it and neither does to this day-the rare occasions they actually put pen to paper!

[@lukeboyer4071]

Well said bro. I’m not the type who says it’s on purpose but a lot of archaeology is bs man anthropology too sadly. Similarly to some niche science genres it’s just about not being able to scientifically prove something because of the lack of knowledge or artifacts.

[@jackieharrison7073]

I'm glad I was able to visit that ancient place PETRA. Rented a Camel for $25 to tour around the Treasury and the Colliseum before pandemic February of 2019. What a great place ❤

[@khalilalkhazaleh1635]

I visited Petra to many times and still get amazed, what a city

[@Moodboard39]

Lucky u

[@maureenstephenson6921]

9pm

[@siegridthomas9674]

High on my bucket list....but I mide not make it...!

[@roselightinstorms727]

Perfer looking at it from afar. Still amazing❤

[@lloydacklinjr.2032]

@@Moodboard39 THERE'S NO SUCH THING AS "LUCK"!!!!!!!!!!!!!. NEVER EVER HAS BEEN, NEVER EVER SHALL BE!!!!!!!!!!!!!. AT ALL!!!!!!!!!!!!!. PERIOD!!!!!!!!!!!!!. NO OFFENSE INTENDED WHATSOEVER!!!!!!!!!!!!.

[@CardinalKaos]

Man i love Nova. I didnt have cable until I was 17 so I grew up on Nova on PBS. Id say its one of the main reasons Im a biologist now in my adult life

[@BrandoThompson]

We visited Petra last month, truly an amazing site.

[@JohnnyButtons]

Wow, I can’t imagine how amazing that must’ve been.

[@___beyondhorizon4664]

I stayed 2 nights at Petra, still did not have time to see everything

[@Moodboard39]

Cool

[@BrandoThompson]

@peacenow42 go to the Basilica Cistern and Blue Mosque too, all are amazing

[@patkittrell-mckee653]

Ancient engineers weren’t necessarily less smart than engineers today, they were ingenious to create such carvings… forward thinking.😊

[@Andy_Babb]

Thanks PBS/NOVA! I was keeping my fingers crossed for more ancient history from PBS!

[@cactusflower7820]

Amen. This ancient history is referenced in the Bible, Matthew:16:16 Jesus prophesied to Peter , whose name also translates "The Rock" as does Petra. He asked Peter who He is and Peter declared to Jesus that He is the Christ. Then Jesus told Peter that He will build His Church on the City on the Rock -- referencing that Peter would be the foundation of the Church for the gentiles -- the whole world who isn't Jewish. Acts, Chapters 2 and 10 break down how Peter took The Gospel to us gentiles. Petra is a non Jewish city.

[@monicaluketich6913]

​@@cactusflower7820And not everyone is a Christian or Jewish. Let the archeology of the site tell its story.

[@Wutzmename]

Came here for PBS and stayed for the comments. So wholesome 😁

[@JamesBrown-ij1px]

Outstanding. Excellently done. I learned so much and my desire to visit Petra only grows as I learn more about its history and how it came to be. Thank you!

[@steadydets]

I can’t even get decent Sheetrock done these days and these people thousands of years ago were making absolute masterpieces

[@ozzyluvngirl]

I would love to have time travel powers just to go back in time to see this kind of stuff in its prime.

[@grantsmythe8625]

Oh yes, you and I both. There are myriad conveniences of modern life but the beauty and grace of the Ancient World would so captivate the Time Traveller that he or she might never return.

[@sunshineskates5377]

Ya that would be dope

[@raf25985]

@@grantsmythe8625 id stay in greeces golden age . 400 BC

[@grantsmythe8625]

@@raf25985 So would I....at least for a while. I'd have many places to go and one of them is to go back to about 1400 on the American continent, before the White Man came to America. I go to ancient Egypt, ancient Rome.... I would go everywhere. I might even bump into you!! It would be great fun!

[@audreydaleski1067]

And being built.

[@GGoAwayy]

This is one of those places I need to see before Im dead. I started watching this thinking wow a new documentary on Petra! And then I saw the guy carving, got deja vu, and I realized this is an old episode... where I originally heard about Petra in the first place.

[@freezegopher7054]

Wow, that carving those two gentlemen did was outstanding.

[@YourDadsBoyfriend]

They cheated...

[@jackstrubbe7608]

​@@YourDadsBoyfriendthey didn't cheat. They expedited. Big difference.

[@charlesmiller1446]

Excellence Is NOVA !!! Thank You PBS & KZbin.

[@christianrokicki]

Fascinating program. Was just looking at a picture of this beautiful and curious ancient architecture on the wall of my favorite falafel shop. And now this!

[@CowpokeCannoneer]

As a specialty carpenter/ craftsman woodworker who has trained in historical architecture I’ve just gotta say this is all amazing work. I’ve been to Petra while in the military. But what I’ve found is that it’s completely and solely Greek and Roman. The treasury alone is exact to the specifications. Composite order columns/ capitals (ionic/Corinthian), full Entablature (architrave, corona, cymatium). Dentils in the bed mold which only Greeks would know at the time. It’s absolutely exact to classical system architecture. How they did it is amazing. But what’s even more amazing is the knowledge to do it. I’m just theorizing, but I feel like it was a mixture of cultures (a lot of Greeks) who wanted to start a new life and built this city here.

[@patriciap.9034]

Do you know what was their religion?

[@SheilaBostwick-kountz-mi5rb]

It does mention that Petra was a trading center especially for spices and had a vast marketplace. Romans and Greeks came to trade or hired 2 work n architecture or stone masonry???

[@bobbymcgee446]

it has absolutely Nothing to Do with Romans the Greeks never entered the city Of Petra Alexander failed to conquer the City roman had no clue how the water reached the city only when a spy told them the hydroilics were they able to siege it Petra Mean the Carved or Cut in Arabic is the birth place of the Arabic Modern Arabic Language we read and write Petra is much older than Roman and Greek anything Jordan as as old as 10000 years or more We Have evidence Of advanced awareness Like the world oldest temple structure for purpose of worship the statues of Aien Ghazal near Amman are 9000 years old the water system in Oum Qais / Gadara As as long as 180 Klm water channels carved in to the Mountains diverting water from far away in Syria the Salt city Citadel has secret hidden tunnel from the Top the mountain to the city center below to collect water to feel the Citadels the water spring Is now covered by mosque these are modern buildings on to older building in the same place layer upon layer structures on top of another with knowledge on top pf previous knowledge i, I am a Jordanian archeology enthusiast I have been to Petra more times than I can Count or guess camped the their hiked there is Roman era structures but just like to today Nabatean Arabs were Hostile to foreign occupation just like today Arabs are hostile to American Occupation and British Colonialism the Romans and Greek did not add to Jrodan they hindered Jordan same as western Colonialism Hindered the Mideast and responsible for all death and destruction ,I suspect the Romans Had a hand in the fact they mismanaged the resources and over taxed the population and exploitation it drained the city and they were unable to rebuild after the floods and earthquakes

[@nora22000]

Looks like a contract to me. Probably not built by the resident culture, but done by Greek contractors brought in for that purpose.

[@bobbymcgee446]

lol these are civilizations thousands of years older than anything in Greece . do some research there were no Greeks in Petra EVER @@nora22000

[@TheOicyu812]

I look forward to watching NOVA's future episode titled "Southern California: Lost Cliff Face Façade of Sandstone" airing in 4023.

[@JohnnyButtons]

Petra is the most extraordinary wonder of the world ❤

[@conscience-commenter]

Thank you for uploading . To see the engineering genius of the Nabateans is quite remarkable. To think 30,000 people lived there and flourished even more so .

[@RezaTaheri]

I watch Nova before going to bed. It gives peace to my cluttered mind. 😅

[@JXiong-zo8ig]

GOD I LOVE HISTORY!!!

[@Moodboard39]

Yess ! Some are boring . I guess depend on the narrator , music , etc

[@jamiemorgan4146]

The only thing that we really know is that someone carved these structures. The rest is all speculation.

[@grantsmythe8625]

Even the ordinary in the architecture and style of the Ancient World far surpasses our so-called modern beauty.

[@terrycollins0314]

It's amazing that while most would like to believe we have increased in knowledge. We have actually lost a lot of knowledge and now I understand what my grandfather used to say all the time, "I have forgotten more than you'll ever know. "

[@nkhart5520]

Ron Wyatt found the Rock Moses struck....I can't recall for sure if it was in modern Jordan or Saudi Arabia.... but his efforts to track down the historical events/places of the bible in the 80's and 90's is amazing and inspiring. RIP Ron Wyatt🕊

[@mazieferreira7757]

That was pretty amazing. Thank you, NOVA PBS

[@beargreasebrigade]

awesome footage, PBS narration makes such a godam chore to watch with preview questions rather than info

[@miriammaldonado7296]

I read Herod the Great was very keen of building cities on mountain cliffs, sea sites, eve though he's reputation preceed him for other eccentricities, thus cruelty by far., one could only admire the legacy printed on earth with monuments and beautiful temples.. This one is absolutely wonderful and original like no other, it's difficult to build on floor foundation with difficulty. Petra's archictural temple seem almost impossible, if not didn't get to witness it's creation! #Nova #PBSOfficial #Petra #LostCityofStone #Jordan #FullDocumentary #2015 #2023USA❤🧡💛💚💙💜

[@dianneschulz7400]

I went there and it was breathtaking! I rode a donkey through the canyon to get to the Treasury! So cool! Outstanding program.

[@luisramon9492]

Marvelous ancient city. Those who built it were real amazing clever people. Thank you for allowing us to watch it.

[@gypsy2]

Awesome and insightful documentary. Thank You, NOVA / PBS and You Tube for sharing.

[@DustinAxelsen]

A top time travel destination for sure.

[@Ilovemonkeys2]

It’s my dream to go to this magical place before I leave this earth.

[@suziperret468]

Amazing investigation on ancient Petra! Great archeological recreation of techniques and answers to how they accomplished it. The discovery of water systems that served the huge population was further supported by uncovering evidence. Wow! The things modern humans can figure out about Petra, thousands of years later, are outstanding. This team of scientists deserve much praise in revealing the intelligence of the ancient civilization of Petra and it’s founders.

[@roselightinstorms727]

What brought water and oasis of beauty, that was a crossroads of spices for many, many, many years. Unfortunate tragedies of occured to finally marks the end. The water the that was brought. Marked it's golden age.

[@AnnieThurman-p5c]

Very beautiful totally enjoyed!! The guys did an awesome job recreating the rock! Wtg guys! 🙏💕🥰❤️👍

[@user-dg9pu4pe9d]

Aired in 2015. That explains why this seemed familiar. I had watched it before.

[@roselightinstorms727]

The simple rock with it's colors within it are beautiful❤

[@roselightinstorms727]

Better places to compare it to than Las Vegas. It’s more elaborate due to the historical nature due to Petra . Sometimes the beauty is only in the stone itself. The glory is how went from tents to Petra. How it thrives then how it disappeared.

[@mjghouston]

Nova is the greatest documentary show ever and it's on pbs look at all he money the history channel and discovery have and the crap they produce "pawn stars ' American trash pickers". " " gold rush " "skin walker ranch ". " Married at first sight ' haha Really 🥺

[@karmaalstad5588]

Skinwalker Ranch isn't that bad, there's so much to work with there.

[@John.Flower.Productions]

PBS is taxpayer funded, without the need to have people actually watch the nonsense that it produces/broadcasts. Any historical production created/shown by any of them is garbage these days, as the focus must be on rewriting history.

[@roselightinstorms727]

Paris in Las Vegas just shows off their water with a light show wasting it. Petra how they dealt with their own actions to make everything work into beauty was a different story.🎉

[@jamesbowen2105]

See the 'caves' of Elora and Ajunta on the Deccan Platuea in India. Older, larger, more complex. The main Temple had the ORIGINAL Kama Sutra engraved in stone as you ascend inside it.

[@dc1mc2mc3]

I believe Ellora caves were carved from the top down. Absolutely amazing place.

[@jamesbowen2105]

@@dc1mc2mc3 the Temple and Courtyard were! The extensive miles of underground bunkers and, halls and public areas were dug and carved laterally, probably over decades, if not centuries

[@dc1mc2mc3]

Yes, I meant the main building but the caves are truly amazing. I first visited in 1992 and there were very few people. I went again in 2014 and there were 25 busses and lots TD of visitors. It has been declared a world heritage site.

[@whirledpeas3477]

Amazing, I didn't think anyone would find it. Took me weeks to make it. Please don't turn it into a shopping center.

[@johna.4334]

If the Jordanians are not careful, we can expect to see Micky D's golden arches rising up in the surrounding desert of Petra.

[@whirledpeas3477]

@@johna.4334 Exactly 💯 👏 👌

[@storm2000808]

Hopefully it's protected and remains that way because I would put it right up there with the 7 wonders

[@___beyondhorizon4664]

​@@storm2000808 the Bedeium are very traditional tribe, they seem to be very protective of their world heritage sites. The current Jordan king is actually half British and his half brother is half American

[@frankmoreau8847]

@@johna.4334 There's already plans for a Starbucks. Coffee is popular in that region. 😀

[@roselightinstorms727]

What may be plain and simple may not to others.🎉

[@JolceBoi]

Petra is now on my bucket list!

[@anthawks9374]

I so wanna go there...

[@nilarene2088]

People need to keep in mind that 2,000 years ago, people had a much better relationship with God and had a much better understanding of knowledge than even those of today. 😊

[@roselightinstorms727]

Narrated very well moving🎉

[@sundog70]

And we think we are so smart. They did this many hundreds of years ago without machinery. All by hand. Sometimes I wonder how much knowledge was lost from back then that we could use today.

[@Moodboard39]

Today is easy and Efficient. Imagine building the empire state building by hand

[@TeamAbbaFather]

Tartaria the lost cities! ❤These people were brilliant… ❤

[@BuckalauV.S.P.808-kk9kb]

808's 07/18/2024 7:47 p.m. It's a good place to learn this😊

[@robertafierro5592]

I would give just about anything to see Petra and Pompeii.

[@migulikutiwolfe1859]

AGREED!

[@notthatdonald1385]

Excellent documentary.

[@BransonDillon]

Takes dedication to carve a rock that big. PROPS!. Excellent documentary..

[@ianc.dawkinsmoore513]

Brilliant stuff!! I'd forgotten how wonderful PBS is! Thank you for an insightful and educated perspective of a civilization that created wealth by working within its limitations. Interestingly, there was no mention of a political central power. It reinforces the reality that it is the people of any given community who must work together for each other. The Nabataeans demonstrated that when you work together, you thrive together.

[@saradecapua3264]

Petra was the most amazing, beautiful place to visit. I found some great treasures there but I will never ride a donkey again. Camels are much easier to handle.

[@ziggystardust1751]

I have been there in 1983 and again in 1984 with an old friend Richard Bailey a fellow therapist.Hope you see this Rich! Steve

[@peggylosacco8811]

Just wounderful.. such beautiful..work..

[@DrElementary]

I feel like the Nabateans didn't even need the whole "pins and boards" thing. It's so much bigger than the small experiment; they could just stand on the shelf of rock itself that they carved the monument out of.

[@tiffmonique7154]

I visted Petra the summer of 2018 snd it was amazing to see in person.

[@charlessarver1637]

I've seen Egypt! I wanna visit Petra now!!

[@BrandoThompson]

I highly recommend visiting Jordan, lovely country and very friendly, so many sights to see, make sure to see Jerash as well.

[@charlessarver1637]

@@BrandoThompson right on thanks for the tip. I've been to Israel. That was actually a more interesting country than I thought it would be

[@Moodboard39]

Nice . Hope to see one day

[@kenmore01]

Archeologists 1000 years from now "Who carved this structure in California and why didn't they finish it?"

[@shanohoop5371]

Crazy they where so ahead of us that we still don’t understand how they did things ..

[@ehrgeiz5649]

Takes dedication to carve a rock that big. PROPS!

[@roselightinstorms727]

Still it is beautiful no matter what🎉

[@deborah1stevens]

I worked as a nurse in Baghdad during 1987, time of the Iraq-Iran War. I wrote this short poem on 10th April 1987 after I visited the archaeological remains of Nimrud, the ancient Assyrian city located about 30 kilometres south of Mosul. It relates to an instance that happened to me whilst I was there. NIMRUD HILL "I received an Iraqi bullet today, Unexploded; it was Russian anyway. The soldier was nice, in his military greens, Letting me hold his gun. I thought, Nothing is really as it seems. We posed atop a hill for camera shots- Me, the soldier, and ten-year-old Kean, who was shown a lot. He loved the gun and said his dad Was in the Army back home. I felt a little sad as I pointed the gun toward the sky, Knowing that here a war has grown, And wondering why. Little Kean, happy as a lark, Should so playfully toss and shoot the gun, Making death across the border Just a childish lie and so much fun." How sad, and how poignant these words still are after 36 yrs. Interesting that of all history's wars, it was ISIS that destroyed such beautiful, ancient history, before even the more recent time of Islam.

[@judyherman1249]

What an amazing bit of history!

[@cailinanne]

Ty for this. I love NOVA! 🥰

[@kaleoariola]

Beautiful! One of the only times i would condone time travel would be to vision places like this in their heyday

[@guitarmeggedonit5232]

That's one place I'd like to see in person.

[@bobbymcgee446]

my Advice to you Months of March and April and may or September October and November plan on a week long the area is Huge and lots to see and learn most people rush in and out Petra is Huge to give you an idea of the size Petra is 90 Square kilometers , Manhattan is only (59 km2) San Fransisco is 121 square kilometers the best way to see Petra Is hiking on Foot and if you have a good Jordanian Friend there are tones of places to see and experiences Unique to Jordan

[@melaneymattson3733]

Fascinating!

[@VideoDoesNotLie]

A superbly-crafted, modern documentary!

[@karenritter2574]

Beautiful masterpiece of an ancient city

[@Patricia-qb1yy]

I would love to visit this beautiful city.

[@roselightinstorms727]

Still it’s amazing!

[@Novastar.SaberCombat]

I paid a very sneaky homage to Petra in "Diamond Dragons"... "Reflect upon the Past. Embrace your Present. Orchestrate our Futures." --Artemis 🐲✨🐲✨🐲✨ "Before I start, I must see my end. Destination known, my mind’s journey now begins. Upon my chariot, heart and soul’s fate revealed. In time, all points converge, hope’s strength re-steeled. But to earn final peace at the universe’s endless refrain, We must see all in nothingness... before we start again." 🐲✨🐲✨🐲✨ --Diamond Dragons (series)

[@timmythecat7478]

Petra did have water at one time. There is evidence of the water to the left of the Treasury Petra was also at one time the orientation of the very old/original Qibla in the mosque........

[@gahgahgahd00]

shocking details concerning an entire city carved from living rock, towering fascades carved right out of sand stone... wow

[@charmcrackermusic4250]

The place is a living miracle

[@Salma_Nella]

Holy guacamole! I've always wondered how it was built. Thank you ❤

[@petravazanska5707]

Petra 😊

[@Kryptic513]

This is the best theory I've ever heard about how some of these things have been done. Can't compare it to Egypt or Rome though. Granite and Marble vs Sandstone

[@rachelkristine4669]

Awesome! Just Awesome! 😎

[@DougMacGregor-d4e]

thank you...

[@IcelanderUSer]

Is it possible the buildings were turned into tombs many centuries later?

[@YourStylesGeneric321]

The outside looks better carved than the internal spaces that are body sized, id say possibly yes.

[@smakkdat]

Yep and I believe the Romans and the Greeks copied Petra’s architectural design rather than the other way around… and Petra was not built by the Nabateans

[@roselightinstorms727]

Je suis desole😮 RIP❤

[@morgenhoop]

As an archeologist I have been there.

[@davelcx1958]

Hey Morgen ... Were you there at Petra for holiday, or perhaps studying Petra? If so, tell us a few things that you and your fellow archeologists were focusing on if you've got a minute or two. Thanks!

[@morgenhoop]

@@davelcx1958 We were getting stoned.

[@stein1385]

Hidden in the Petra ruins is the Tomb of the Primes, guarding the Matrix of Leadership.

[@lindadiaz3268]

Petra plays a huge part in biblical prophecy, nobodys sure who carved this magnificent creation, it was a trading post for many, pretty much like today's swap meet

[@LJLe]

Wildly fascinating

[@mariahaines4106]

My grandmother name was Petra ... honestly I didn't like it ...but now I loved it's so meaningful

[@christianjackson9849]

Wow, I learned so much watching this. Really amazing stuff!

[@richardjoangreen6918]

Hope you put a date on that for the Future people

[@anaibarangan4908]

On my bucket list. Most certainly. Legendary city discovery, all carved in stone, what more can want. Completely carved out of sandstone. Nabatea. Berbers, Anatolian Caucasian, desert adapted Macedonian, European peoples of Alexandria. That's my theory. Alexander The Great Empire. Ancient Greece, Egyptian, were expert carvers of stone. Greek source about Nabatea. Berber tradespeople, that of course reached anywhere else. The Far East, all of Northern Africa, Iberian Peninsula, Canary Islands. An eclectic civilization. Fascinating. Today Jordanian. Protected by Berbers until the arrival of Europeans. I love this type of history.

[@RICREYNOLDSMUSIC]

They also had plugs on the ceramic water flow to control the flow and pressure.

[@Darkstar-se6wc]

Why was Ortlov rerunning rather basic experiments in hydrology and civil engineering about water flow and pipes?

[@roselightinstorms727]

Can be fascinating to anyone

[@roselightinstorms727]

For someone who has been to Paris In France, Las Vegas Paris is shabby