4/4: Petra by Night: After dinner, as darkness approached, Suffien led us to the entry point for Petra. We were not allowed to enter for Petra by Night, until well after 8:00pm. It was already dark, but the sky was clear with a bright moon. We enter the ancient Nabatean capital by walking through the Siq, a long, narrow fissure between two overhanging cliffs. Towards the end of the Siq, we get glimpses, and then full views, of Petra’s most famous monument; the Treasury.
- “The Siq” is a narrow crevice where we walk between red and orange cliffs reaching up to eighty meters high. As the main entrance to the ancient city, The Siq provided an effective natural defense for Petra’s inhabitants.
- “The Treasury:” If you’ve ever seen “Indian Jones and the Last Crusade,” (1989), you may recognize this location within Petra: “The Treasury,” is a spectacular façade carved directly into the red sandstone cliffs.
Once we reached the large area fronting “The Treasury,” the many participants were offered tea and were guided to sit on the ground and enjoy a brief program of music, dance and poetry. Given a beautiful, warm evening and this fantastic setting, all alight with candles on the ground, it was truly a magical experience. And Tomorrow we will see Petra in all its glory.
4/5/2022: Our Day in the ancient city of Petra, “The Rose-Red city, half as old as time.”
A little history: Human settlement here can be traced back over 10,000 years. The ancient city, founded by the Nabateans more than 4000 years ago, began to prosper in the 1st century BCE due to trade in frankincense, myrrh and spices. With its proximity to important trade routes along the Silk Road, Petra flourished until late in the Roman Empire when trade routes shifted elsewhere. In the 4th Century CE, an earthquake destroyed most of the city. By the 7th century, Petra was deserted except for the local Bedouins. For hundreds of years Petra was “The Lost City” until it was “re-discovered” in 1812 by Swiss explorer Johann Ludwig Burckhardt. Since then, Petra has become the most popular tourist site in Jordan. Petra was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1985 and one of the New Seven Wonders of the World in 2007.
Nothing beats a Good Guide: Our driver, Suffien knows Jordan so well that he always knows the best routes, and he seems to have friends at every stop. As he did before, he selected another great guide to lead us through Petra. Our Petra guide explained the city’s history and pointed out so many fascinating but easily overlooked sights that we surely would have missed on our own. Engaging such a guide has really enhanced our appreciation of many sights in our travels.
It was a bright sunny morning when we walked once again along the path and through the narrow passageway called “The Siq.” In the daylight we marveled at the many-colored stone walls, and the ingenious water paths designed by the Nabateans. And then we reached the point where the narrow walls open and we get our first glimpse of “The Treasury.” It’s an amazing façade carved into these red sandstone cliffs. But there’s so much more than just this one façade, for the Nabataean’s built an entire city by carving into the soft sandstone cliffs.
We spent at least six hours walking through the ancient city, with its fascinating structures, many like the Treasury, carved directly into the multicolored rock. There is a Forum, a Hippodrome, a Monastery, and a Theater. We’ve seen plenty of Roman theaters in our travels, beautiful structures built with large stones into hillsides or freestanding. But the Theater in Petra was unique, all of it carved directly into the red sandstone.
Along the paths through Petra are many tents with Bedouins offering trinkets, souvenirs, coins, snacks and drinks. Many offered handmade scarves, hats, blankets, and even small carvings. Near the Treasury, you can ride a camel. Along the Siq, you can ride horses. The Bedouins here live on what they make from visiting tourists.
A Donkey Ride: It’s a tough climb up to the Monastery, walking along narrow ravines, with uneven stone steps. We could have walked it, but we were told that the donkeys are more sure-footed than humans and the ride would be much easier. So our guide recommended a local who made his living with his two donkeys, riding visitors up the hill. One at a time, he simply picked us each up and set us on the donkeys. He walked the whole way, leading his donkeys as they climbed the stairs. The ride up and back down was both fun and at times nerve-wrenching.
Like so many others we met in Jordan, our donkey driver was so kind and helpful, and so grateful to see tourists visiting again. The Covid pandemic hit Jordan especially hard, and all those who depend on tourism suffered greatly. Our donkey driver told us how he had to sell his automobile in order to buy food for his family and for his donkeys.
After six hours on our feet, we were quite tired, so we headed back into town hoping to find a bar to serve us gin and tonic on a hot day. But then we were distracted and spent another half hour on our feet visiting the lovely Petra Museum to learn more about the Nabataeans who built this city. When we renewed our search for a cool drink, we were spectacularly disappointed. We forgot that this is still Ramadan when Muslims are waiting until sundown, on long summer days, before they eat and drink again.
Below is a collection of short videos from our day in Petra. Sara is just learning how to put videos together to make one video, plus add some voice overs on a few of the segments …. This video is a collection of 5 short videos.
Sara’s Jordanian cooking class: At our hotel in Wadi Musa, they offered a Jordanian cooking class, so Sara signed up, eager to learn, while Evan generously volunteered to help eat the products. Sara enjoyed learning and meeting other visitors, and Evan appreciated the chance to share in a lovely communal meal. What a great way to end our day!
