Red Rose City (Sela), "City of the Forgotten Past"

In 1812 John Lewis Burckhardt, a Swiss explorer, disguised as a Bedouin sheik, found the ancient "Red Rose City" that is built under Mount Hur where Moses' brother, Aaron's tomb stands. Mount Hur is located near the city Petra in the country Jordan, half way between the Dead Sea and the Gulf of Aqaba. Red Rose City, also called the "Strong City" in Psalm 60:9 and Psalm 108:10 was the capital of Edom. (2 Kings 14:7)

The city is also known as the "silent city of the forgotten past" and is said to be half as old as time. The only access to it is through a 6,000 ft. long passageway through the mountain. It has nearly 1,000 caves, many reservoirs, basins, cisterns and springs that served as the water supply for the city.

The city is said to have been a rich caravan city known for its international trade. Goods were stored there, then were sent to Arabia, Africa, India and other countries. The city was very important as a place of great wealth to the Romans but after Rome fell it was forgotten. Only a few Bedouins were left living there.

Nearby, at the foot of Mount En-Nejr, is a massive theatre, built to view the many tombs that were built into the mountain. At the point where the valley opens out into the plain, you can see the city. The amphitheatre has been cut into the hillside and into several of the tombs during its construction. You can still see the rectangular gaps where the seats were located.

The Bedouins fought the British plans to keep them from building a road to the city after World War 1. They said it would take away their income if they couldn't rent their donkeys to people who came to visit the ruins. Their main reason was to preserve the city as it was in ancient times. The British agreed and the Bedouins have kept modern transportation from the city since its discovery. Some believe that it's being kept as a place of refuge for the Jews during end times.

I didn't realize it until a few months ago, but I recognized "Petra" in the last part of Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. Indiana and his friends are shown riding out through the long passageway that leads out of Petra. The last scenes where Indiana is looking for the Holy Grail and when Indiana's father is given the "living water" are filmed in Petra. The "Treasury" is the room you enter from the front of Petra. I had to do some digging to find out what is inside and unfortunately found that It now stands empty. It is shown in one of the videos below.