Review: Petra: The History of Jordan’s Rose City by History Titans

Posted August 5, 2019 by Stephanie in Uncategorized / 4 Comments

Title: Petra: The History of Jordan’s Rose City
Author: History Titans
Publication: July 31st 2019
Genre: Nonfiction, History, Ancient History
Purchase it on: Amazon
Rating: 4/5


Interesting look into the history of PETRA

While Petra’s fame might often come second to things like the Egyptian pyramids at Giza, ancient Greece, or the Great Wall of China, you can now see that the Rose City certainly deserves its place under the Sun as one of the most precious jewels of our collective, human heritage. Petra surely has a surplus of beauty and other kinds of visual appeal, but you can now see that this is only half of the picture.
Our world is filled to the brim with such wonders, bestowed upon us by countless different cultures from every corner of the planet. Some are older or more renowned than others, but all remnants of civilizations of the past have one thing in common: they tell us invaluable stories. These are stories of lives led by people who seem infinitely distant from our perspective but might have as well lived yesterday as far as the grand scheme of time is concerned. They might have had a different outlook and daily life, but the essence of humanity remains fundamentally unchanged.

A great history lesson if you have a general interest or plan on visiting Petra Jordan!

Inside you will read about…

Early Settlement
Feats of Engineering
Slow Decline into Obscurity
Petra through the Centuries
And Much much more!

So if you want to learn about Petra scroll up and click the “add to cart” button!

I got so excited when I got offered Petra: The History of Jordan’s Rose City by History Titans to read and review. It’s not a secret that I’m a huge ancient history fangirl so I didn’t hesitate to grab this book and start reading it. And, although not really surprising, I really enjoyed this short but fascinating nonfiction.


Petra is well-known I think but I wouldn’t say it’s the famous of historical sites in the world. Even so I’ve always been really interested in its history and simply awed by the beautiful architecture that I’ve seen on photographs and documentaries. Someday I would like to visit it. I think it would be an amazing experience, especially after reading this book and having learned more about the history and the Nabataean peope who inhabited Petra.


At 50 pages this definitely isn’t a very long but but I also wouldn’t say it so short that there’s barely any information. I really liked this length because even though I took my sweet time with reading it I still managed to finish it in less than a day. So it’s a very easily read book but it also makes you smarter at the same time. That’s a win-win situation I’d say. I also never got bored of reading it, which can sometimes be the case in some nonfictions but with this one I would’ve been happy to continue reading it. 


I’m not sure what more I can say except that if you’re interested in ancient history or have plans to visit Petra in the nearby future then this is absolutely a book I’d recommend. It’s informative but to the point and short enough to read in a day at least. You definitely can’t go wrong with Petra: The History of Jordan’s Rose City by History Titans.

5 interesting facts I learned:

  • The city was “rediscovered” in the 1812.
  • Under Aretas III’s rule the Nabataeans came into military contact with the Romans in 64 BCE during General Pompey’s campaign into Syria.
  • According to inscribed Nabataean sources, women could join priestly orders and queens could rule alongside their kings on equal terms or even autonomously in some circumstances.
  • At the height of its glory, luxurious goods from Egypt, Greece, India and even China would all pass through Petra.
  • The Nabataeans, like countless other ancient civilizations, also worshipped the Sun.
Some pictures related to the book:

Tourists in front of Al Khazneh (The Treasury) at Petra

The narrow passage (Siq) that leads to Petra

View of the Royal Tombs in Petra

El Deir (“The Monastery”)



4 responses to “Review: Petra: The History of Jordan’s Rose City by History Titans

  1. I actually really like the sound of this book length only being 50 pages? Because for me, that would be perfect. Just enough but not too much because although I like nonfiction, I am more interested in people rather than places and sites…

  2. Great pictures! I've always been interested in Petra and it would be intriguing to read this book. I also like that the book is only 50 pages. That would make it easier to pick for me for sure.

    Have a wondeful week!

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