Petra’s Mystery Platform: ‘Monumental’ Structure Unearthed On Jordanian Site

Archaeologists have unearthed a huge, mysterious structure buried under the rose-coloured sands of the ancient Jordanian site of Petra.
Drone photography and satellite images were used to reveal the monumental platform, which is as long as an Olympic swimming pool and twice as wide. Sarah Parcak of the University of Alabama, Birmingham, and Christopher Tuttle, executive director of the Council of American Overseas Research Centres, revealed their find in a bulletin for the American Schools of Oriental Research.


Sylvester Adams via Getty Images

Petra was established by the Nabataeans in 312BC  
Entitled ‘Hiding In Plain Site’, the paper points out the find throws opens the doors of possibility for a wealth of new discoveries in the 250-acre site, which was established by the Nabataeans in 312BC. Tuttle told the National Geographic: “I’m sure that over the course of two centuries of research [in Petra], someone had to know [this site] was there, but it’s never been systematically studied or written up.
“I’ve worked in Petra for 20 years and I knew that something was there, but it’s certainly legitimate to call this a discovery.”


http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/petras-mystery-platform-monumental-structure-unearthed-in-jordanian-site_uk_575ae043e4b0069193658e0d?edition=uk&utm_hp_ref=uk



Interesting, as have just been reading a book about the Ark of the Covenant, which places the biblical mountain of God by Petra, in what was formely know as the kingdom of Edom. This Valley of edom, is called Wadi Musa, which means, in Arabic "the valley of Moses".
There is a tradition by the Bedouine, that Moses created the Ain Musa here, "The Spring of Moses".
The mountain here is the Jebel Madhbah, which actually has an alter on the summit
All a hypoethsis of course but all very interesting, which i can expand on more.
This new find may shed some further light on all of this

I'd skimmed over this update on the National Geographic page ...would love to be there unearthing some of this extraordinary find. 
Between the use of our satellites and now drones, we're getting a birds eye view of things that have made some marvelous discoveries possible in my life time.

BTW, you've got a link up there that takes you back to the refugee article  

A First for Petra
The newly revealed structure consists of a 184-by-161-foot (about 56-by-49-meter) platform that encloses a slightly smaller platform originally paved with flagstones. The east side of the interior platform had been lined with a row of columns that once crowned a monumental staircase.
A small 28-by-28-foot (8.5-by-8.5-meter) building was centered north-south atop the interior platform and opened to the east, facing the staircase.
This enormous open platform, topped with a relatively small building and approached by a monumental facade, has no known parallels to any other structure in Petra. It most likely had a public, ceremonial function, which may make it the second largest elevated, dedicated display area yet known in Petra after the Monastery.
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2016/06/space-archaeology-satellite-petra-ancient-city-discovery-jordan-monument/

I have now amended it

Thanks

NP - I enjoy these type of articles and so many of these sights are on my bucket list.