Petra's Poetry

edited by Sheila Kim -- Interior Design, 9/1/2003 12:00:00 AM

Current events in the Middle East have focused American and European eyes on the troubled region, but the ancient city of Petra has fascinated Westerners since 1812, when it was rediscovered by Swiss explorer Johann Ludwig Burckhardt. New York's American Museum of Natural History is now examining the mysterious Jordanian archaeological site—a valley of monuments carved into red sandstone hills—as well as the history of the city's creators, the Nabataeans. "Petra: Lost City of Stone" features 200 objects on loan from Jordan, Europe, and the U.S. A life-size cast-bronze statue of Artemis, a limestone pulpit from a sixth-century Byzantine church, reliefs, metalwork, inscriptions, and paintings will be accompanied by panoramic images of Petra's rock-cut tombs projected onto large screens. October 18–July 6; 212-769-5100; amnh.org.