Cave Shelter Below The Corinthian Tomb

Petra, Jordan

This photo illustrates the sheer contrast in scale between Petra's enormous tomb facades and the later human occupation after the city's decline. What must it have felt like, to live at the foot of such a monument? It is no wonder that so many fantastic local legends grew up around this place during the medieval period. Yet, we should remember that the later cave occupants were the same people who built these great monuments in the first place. The only difference was the closing of their trade routes, which finished off the vibrant civilization of the Nabataeans.