Petra, Jordan - technical stone processing

2024 Author: Seth Attwood | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 15:55

What has opened up to us boggles the imagination. We are waiting for the next trip (expedition) mining specialists, builders, architects for a professional assessment of the work done by the ancient builders, some of which are not yet available to modern technology.

So, our "group of Vladimir Pugach" in Jordan. Through the bus window we see well-preserved traces of the Great Silk Road. (1) Caravan trails and traces of ancient sites are visible. Interesting. But our group travels to Petra, an ancient city whose houses and temples were carved out of the rocks. We will see this soon, but for now our guide Issa (from Arabic Jesus, is strong, isn't it?) Tells us how 50 years ago, King Abdullah I (2) told his people that there is no oil in the country, how in the Emirates, there is no cheap electricity and pyramids, like in Egypt, there is no outlet to the sea, like Sudan. The main resource of the country is people. For 5 million of the population, 25 universities were opened! Jordan today has the highest educational attainment in the Middle East. And, according to Issa, educated people themselves began to figure out how to make money. Now it is one of the richest countries in the East and people come here to work from poor Egypt, Sudan and other countries. In every Bedouin camp and camp, we saw a dish of satellite dishes and no one is surprised by a nomad riding a camel talking on a mobile phone. Like this.

1. Silk Road, trails and parking lots (click on the photo)

2. Jordanians love their King Abdullah and his son (click on the photo)

And now briefly about the purpose of our journey. "Petra" is Latin for "stone". This is a unique natural fortress. Imagine a valley surrounded by sheer cliffs with a height of 70-100 meters, hidden in the mountains (how can you not remember the "Wizards of the Emerald City"?). In order to get there, there is a single narrow canyon 1.5 km long and 4-5 meters wide in places. (3, 4) Traces of the fortress gates have been preserved. That is, a small group of soldiers could hold on to an entire army. For 2000 years BC the city was inhabited by the mysterious Nabateans and for thousands of years the city-fortress could not be taken by enemies by force. The Nabateans organized a security and escort company LLC "Petra" ™ (just kidding), and accompanied the caravans along the Silk Road. After them the Romans came and made their own buildings inside the city. Then Arab nomadic tribes settled there, who demolished sculptures of gods and people (that's right, according to Sharia law it is forbidden) and used the "rented premises" as caves in which it is convenient to make fires. Thus, the city has mixed traces of several civilizations and cultures. Then the city was forgotten for about 700 years …

So, we are in Petra. (5, 6) What is revealed to us is amazing. (7, 8)

5. A second and there will be magic …

6. … like from the movie "Indiana Jones"

To be honest, I thought there was a set in the Indiana Jones movie. In reality, everything turned out to be even more amazing! To date, about 10% of the city's territory has been excavated. Tourists are shown 9-10% of the excavations. However, the scale of the buildings is amazing. Some of the tourists from our group were so tired that they refused to go further. By the way, after a group of 40 French tourists got lost in the city and died, some of the directions were simply blocked off with walls. (9. Here is the wall. By the way, this is not a horse, and not a donkey, this is a mule, a hybrid from these parents)

So, the general impression is that the grandiose construction was stopped at once by some event or cataclysm, and the first builders left the city forever. Gone or died. The stages of work are visible. First, the rock was roughly cut out in the form of, for example, a cube (not weakly, roughly cut out a “cube” 40 × 20 × 20 meters and remove construction waste?) (10, 11, 12, 13). Further, processing "in draft" (14, 15). You see, the slightest mistake and an object carved in a solid stone is a marriage!

11. It is as easy as a laser, ideally to cut thousands of tons of stone evenly …

12. Easily cut thousands of tons of rock. For us today it is unrealistic …

Second stage, rough processing

However, you will see that automated (computerized?) Machines worked and left their traces. We don't have such people yet. Then they made a sketch of the pediment. (16)

Further, finishing with construction machines. (17)

Only during the construction of the main temple at the entrance to the city, according to our calculations, 8000-9500 cubic meters of sedimentary rocks were removed. The building's gable is 6 meters (20 feet) deep, 20 meters (65 feet) wide, and 40 meters (130 feet) high, plus excavation in the inner three halls, as measured by the height of the "front door." (7)

We do not even discuss the hypothesis that the entire colossal amount of work was done with bronze or even iron chisels.

See how it looks. Later Roman construction of the amphitheater: the seats were cut down with chisels "and at random". (18, 19)

Now notice (20).

20. Perfectly smooth surface

The beam of light shows literally the ideal level of wall treatment in one of the interior rooms. On the wall there are diagonal stripes, cutter marks up to 120 cm wide. The same on the ceiling.

By the way, the entrance hole of the "Bedouin" culture has been cut nearby. Rough processing, the hole was made, apparently, for easy passage of a loaded animal (camel, donkey). Perhaps it was a room for keeping animals, or for storing goods. We rated this room (20x20x20 meters) as non-residential, as there is no soot from nomad fires on the ceiling.

Further on photos 21, 22, 23 you can see distinct traces of a tool such as a cutter with a cutting width of 80-220 cm. Pay attention to photo 20. When processing a wall, clear traces of a tool are visible, with a cutting width larger than a bronze chisel.

Compare with photos 21a, 22a, 23a. These are also modern traces of a cutter in the salt mine N3 bis, a horizon at a depth of 288 meters in the city of Soledar, Dnepropetrovsk region, Ukraine, 2008.

21. Petra, wall: cutter marks

22. Peter. Explicit instrumentation of the ceiling of the hall, height 20 meters

23. Traces of the cutter, Petra

21a salt mine cutter, similar to the cutters in Petra?

22a salt mine

23a salt mine

Go ahead. Photo 24, panorama, Fantastic amount of work, even for the preparation of this construction. Obviously, it was "easy work" (certainly too tough for bronze chisels).

24. This is the scale … Estimate the volume of excavated rock for construction preparation.

And special machines worked "clean"! (photo 25) Just look! Left half-column. A specialized machine was clearly used for its finishing! (I just want to say - a computer). Professionals will confirm that our civilization “cannot do that” yet.

25. Left semi-column. Layout and operation of a computer and a special machine.

Photo 26. Next sensation. Look, the roughly worked walls on the left are faced with stone "plaster" from the same stone. As if lined with material melted to white heat. How is it? And - where the "plaster" has collapsed, you see traces of the technogenic processing of the wall with a mill.

26. The walls are covered with a facing layer

Photo 27. Petra - earthquake zone. Inside the city, we saw thousands of living quarters of the city's residents. You see an option. The front wall of the dwelling broke off. Look. Apartment, upper level of 5 rooms, the total area of which is 350-500 sq. meters, ceiling 9-12 meters. Agree, not bad. There is a lower room (probably a garage! I wonder how much the mortgage was? Joke). By the way, there were two water pipelines in the city (technical and drinking water). Very decent, right?

27. Apartment, 5 rooms, total area of about 500 sq. meters, ceiling 9-12 meters.

Conclusion

Today, at best, it is hushed up in scientific publications … We found traces of the work of construction equipment, which are still inaccessible to us in terms of the technical level of performance. On the ideal surface of the walls of the halls … traces of a cutter 80-220 cm wide, traces of the surviving cladding made, apparently, by molten stone, the ideal shape of half-columns carved directly from rocks, 20 meters high …

O! This is no longer a fantasy! We are eyewitnesses, this is reality!

Dear friends! We expect that not only friends and like-minded people will pay attention to our article, but also serious mining specialists, builders, architects and others, for a professional assessment of the work done by ancient builders, some of which are not yet within the power of modern technology.

Well, about the Atlanteans. We do not know for certain what kind of civilization erected this miracle. You can believe or not believe in Atlanteans and other aliens. The obvious facts can be hushed up and ignored. But in the modern world it is impossible to hide from the inquisitive gaze the achievements of the ancient builders, who, according to the technical level, possessed higher technologies.

By the way, on the topic: on the last trip to Petra, our guide secretly said that in May 2007, mummies of a man 5.5 meters tall and a woman 3.8 meters were found here. However, the information was closed because contradicts Islam. In general, I understand them:-))

Good luck!

Vladimir Pugach