E PETRA

1 DVD 0:00–2:47 Watch the DVD and tick () 3 DVD 0:00–0:36 Watch Part 1 and tick () the
the items you see. items you hear.

□ an amphitheatre □ the Nabataeans

□ cliffs □ dramatic
□ an old painting □ 260 years
□ treasure □ theatre-goers
□ remains of a statue □ narrow gorge
□ a stone path □ a historic building
□ a donkey □ city
□ a museum □ the Treasury
□ camels □ wonderful
□ a Bedouin tent □ ancient world

2 Read about the city of Petra and match the 4 DVD 0:00–0:36 Number the script in the
underlined words or phrases with the correct order. Watch Part 1 again and check
definitions below. your answers.
arguably, the eighth wonder of the
Petra ancient world.
The ancient city of Petra is the most visited
Here it opens out to the Treasury
tourist attraction in Jordan. Petra means
‘stone’ in Greek. The city is famous for its 1 The Nabataeans had a flair for the
dramatic.
architecture, with buildings cut in red
sandstone or rock, for example, ‘Al Khazneh’, they call ‘Al Khazneh’,
known as the Treasury. In the past, Petra was
Their city of Petra has been wowing
the capital city of the Nabataeans and an
audiences for 2600 years,
important trading centre between the east and
the west. The sense of theatre builds as you
enter the city through ‘Al Siq’, the
However, Europeans forgot about Petra for 500
narrow gorge dwarfed by 80-metre
years until 1812, when it was rediscovered by cliffs.
Swiss traveller and adventurer Johann Ludwig
Burckhardt. The historic city became a from theatre-goers in ancient times to
Indy’s ‘Last Crusade’.
UNESCO world heritage site in 1985 and has
been called the eighth wonder of the ancient
world. Petra has also featured in many films
5 DVD 0:37–1:21 Watch Part 2. Are the
such as ‘Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade’.
sentences true (T) or false (F)?
1 Petra was a trading centre between the east
1 a place that is listed as of special cultural or
and the west.
physical significance
2 the style and design of a building or buildings
2 Johann Ludwig Burckhardt discovered the
3 important in history
tombs at Petra 500 years ago.
4 extremely old
5 something interesting or enjoyable for visitors
3 Burckhardt managed to get into Petra by
6 something that makes you feel surprise and
pretending to be an Indian.
admiration
7 the activity of buying and selling goods or
services
8 a hard solid mineral substance

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E PETRA
6 DVD 0:37–1:21 Watch part 2 again and 9 Choose the correct definition for the words
choose the correct options in the script. and phrases from Part 3. (They are
underlined in the script in Exercise 8.)
This building was the central bank for a 1 1 Time is taking its toll.
trading empire / business centre linking China a) Things will get better with time.
to 2 Romania / Rome. Today, the 3 treasure / b) Things are getting worse with time.
Treasury is in the building itself, rather than the
2 fund
4 golden / gold and silver hoards of long ago. a) to give money for an activity
For 5 600 / 500 years, Petra was forgotten by b) to find money to do something
the outside world, a fiercely-guarded secret
known only to the local 6 tribes people / 3 watch where you put your feet
tribesmen. Then … 7 Nineteenth / Eighteenth a) be careful where you stay
b) be careful where you walk
century 8 explorer / adventurer Johann Ludwig
Burckhardt tricked his way into the city by 4 wear and tear
posing as an Indian … a) get thinner or disappear
b) damage you cause something because you
use something a lot
7 DVD 1:22–2.47 Match the words 1–8 with a–
h to make phrases you will hear in Part 3. 5 under your own steam
Then watch and check your answers. a) independently, or without help
b) without any strength
1 under a) paths
2 main b) camp
6 livelihood
3 official c) after
a) the way you earn money to live
4 looking d) guide
b) pay you receive from an organization
5 Bedouin e) worldwide
6 worn f) work
7 renowned g) away
8 conservation h) threat OPTIONAL TASK
Write some recommendations (about 150
words) for visitors to Petra to ensure that they
8 DVD 1:22–2.47 Complete the script using respect and avoid damaging the site. Include
the phrases from Exercise 7. Watch Part 3 some of the following details:
again and check.
• walking through the gorge, ‘Al Siq’ (1 km),
Today, Petra is 1 and rather than taking a horse-drawn carriage
protected as a UNESCO world heritage site. • wearing walking shoes on the paths
Yet, it’s 2 . Time is taking • hiring horses, donkeys or camels at the site
its toll. … The city is in danger of being
• tombs, artefacts and buildings
3 . … Visitors are needed
to fund 4 , but you have to • taking personal litter away
watch where you put your feet. The Petra
National Trust is asking people to keep to the
5 to avoid wear and tear
on ancient roads and buildings. … so explore
Petra with an 6 , and
under your own steam. Help, too, by combining
a visit to Petra with an adventure in the desert,
staying in a traditional 7
with the Amarin tribesmen. … these people rely
on Petra for their livelihood. For them, 8
its ancient city and the
desert really is the last crusade.

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E PETRA
DVD script
Part 1
0:00–0:36
The Nabataeans had a flair for the dramatic.
Their city of Petra has been wowing audiences
for 2,600 years, from theatre-goers in ancient
times to Indy’s ‘Last Crusade’. The sense of
theatre builds as you enter the city through ‘Al
Siq’, the narrow gorge dwarfed by 80-metre
cliffs. Here it opens out to the Treasury they
call ‘Al Khazneh’, arguably, the eighth wonder
of the ancient world.
Part 2
0:37–1:21
This building was the central bank for a trading
empire linking China in the east to Rome in the
west. Today, the treasure is in the building
itself, rather than the gold and silver hoards of
long ago. For 500 years, Petra was forgotten
by the outside world, a fiercely-guarded secret
known only to the local tribes people. Then,
along came a real-life Indiana Jones.
Nineteenth century adventurer Johann Ludwig
Burckhardt tricked his way into the city by
posing as an Indian seeking to make a
sacrifice at the tomb of the prophet, Aaron.
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Part 3
1:22–2:47
Today, Petra is renowned worldwide and
protected as a UNESCO world heritage site.
Yet, it’s under threat. Time is taking its toll. The
red sandstone used to build Petra is soft and
crumbling. The city is in danger of being worn
away. Tourists can help. Visitors are needed to
fund conservation work, but you have to watch
where you put your feet. The Petra National
Trust is asking people to keep to the main
paths to avoid wear and tear on ancient roads
and buildings. Use two feet. Donkey hooves
do a lot of damage, so explore Petra with an
official guide, and under your own steam.
Help, too, by combining a visit to Petra with an
adventure in the desert, staying in a traditional
Bedouin camp with the Amarin tribesmen. Just
as two and a half thousand years ago, these
people rely on Petra for their livelihood. For
them, looking after the ancient city and its
desert really is the last crusade.
3
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Ex 6
Answer key 1 trading empire
2 Rome
Ex 1 3 treasure
√ an amphitheatre 4 gold and
√ cliffs 5 500
√ an old painting 6 tribes people
treasure 7 Nineteenth
√ remains of a statue 8 adventurer
√ a stone path
√ a donkey Ex 7
a museum 1h 2a 3d 4c 5b 6g 7e 8f
√ camels
√ a Bedouin tent Ex 8
1 renowned worldwide
Ex 2 2 under threat
1 (UNESCO) world heritage site 3 worn away
2 architecture 4 conservation work
3 historic 5 main paths
4 ancient 6 official guide
5 tourist attraction 7 Bedouin camp
6 wonder 8 looking after
7 trading
8 stone Ex 9
1b 2a 3b 4b 5a 6a
Ex 3
√ the Nabataeans
√ dramatic
260 years OPTIONAL TASK
√ theatre-goers Model answer
√ narrow gorge
a historic building Visitor recommendations for Petra
√ city Petra is a UNESCO world heritage site. In
√ the Treasury order for you to enjoy this ancient wonder, we
wonderful recommend the following guidelines:
√ ancient world
- It is best to walk through the gorge, ‘Al Siq’.
Ex 4 It is 1 km long and the weather is hot during
7 arguably, the eighth wonder of the ancient the day, but cool in the evenings in the
world. summer. For visitors with mobility problems,
5 Here it opens out to the Treasury it is possible to take a horse-drawn carriage
1 The Nabataeans had a flair for the dramatic. through ‘Al Siq’.
6 they call ‘Al Khazneh’, - Wear comfortable clothes and walking
2 Their city of Petra has been wowing audiences shoes. Take some water and light snacks.
for 2600 years,
4 The sense of theatre builds as you enter the - There are horses, donkeys or camels for
city through ‘Al Siq’, the narrow gorge dwarfed hire at the site, but avoid these if possible.
by 80-metre cliffs. The animals’ hooves damage the paths.
3 from theatre-goers in ancient times to Indy’s - The red sandstone at Petra is soft and
‘Last Crusade’. crumbling. Please do not touch the walls, or
any artefacts such as pottery.
Ex 5
- Do not remove any artefacts or stones from
1 T 2F 3T
the site.
- Please take your litter, e.g. paper, plastic
bottles, etc., home with you.

Thank you for your co-operation and

understanding.

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E PETRA

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