After the business meetings in the Dead Sea Resorts, a group of my colleagues organized a visit to Petra including an overnight stay.
Petra is a historical city in southern Jordan which lies in a basin among the mountains which form the eastern flank of Arabah valley that run from the Dead Sea to the Gulf of Aqaba. It was about 2 hours drive from the Dead Sea.
A little vortex of sand crossing our highway. For us, it was rather dramatic as we entered the sand cloud with zero visibility for a few seconds. Thankfully the road was straight as an arrow.
The picture below was taken from the hotel the night before our visit of Petra which is hidden among these hills.
A visitor center was established to organize visits to the site. One can ride a horse or use a horse-drawn carriage to reach the site which is several kilometers from the entrance. Every one started walking downhill on the Bab al Siq.
Petra is believed to have been settled as early as 9,000 BC, and it was possibly established in the 4th century BC as the capital city of the Nabataean Kingdom.
The Nabataeans were nomadic Arabs who invested in Petra’s proximity to the trade routes by establishing it as a major regional trading hub.
Obelisk tomb carved by the Nabataeans in the 1st century AD.
Above the tomb are four pyramids (‘nafesh’) as well as a niche with a statue in bas-relief that is a symbolic representation of the five people buried there. Below it is the Triclinium, which was a banqueting hall.
The city is accessed through a 1.2 kilometres (0.75 mi) long gorge called the Siq, which leads directly to the Khazneh (Treasury). Two costumed guards stood at the entrance of the Siq (presumably providing employment to the displaced nomads who used to live in the ruins).
The Siq is essentially a rock canal that is 3 to 12 meters in width and reaches up to 80 meters in height. The main part is created by natural rock formation and the rest is carved by the Nabataeans.
Part of the reason the ancient residents survived in the desert is their ability to collect and channel water.
The Siq is gently sloping down towards the Treasury. One can catch glimpses of the Treasury between the rock faces adding to the suspense.
The Treasury is featured in films such as: Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, and The Mummy Returns. What a surprising sight to see in the desert.
It is amazing that the facade was created by hand-carving into the rock on this cliff face. The scale, labor and workmanship is unbelievable. We unfortunately cannot enter the building/cave.
Apparently, one can visit the site at night where hundreds of candles are lit. It must be magical.
We paid some local kids a little money and were then “guided”(allowed) to climb up the cliff on one side. It was very steep and slippery as the rock is soft and has been worn smooth over the years.
This view gives one a sense of the terrain and the scale of the gorge where this famous sight is located.
Camels were available to transport tourist back to the entrance or to enter further into the site.
In our next post, we will continue with the rest of Petra.