Return to Petra

  Petra, Jordan
Thursday, October 30, 2008

George picked me up early in his Mercedes sedan and we set off for Petra, about a three hour south.  Petra was recently included in the new Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.  We started off driving down the Dead Sea Highway that hugs the eastern shore of the Dead Sea with views across to Israel.  As we drove we passed a number of "check-points".  Although, we never had to stop, I'm sure locals do from time to time.  The government wants to make sure that nothing impacts their tourism industry negatively.

Masada on the far side

We soon were opposite Masada where I had been only two days before. I was amazed at the amount of fertile land that lies along the Dead Sea on the Jordanian side...not quite so dead after all.

One of the more unexpected high-lights of this trip was reconnecting such sites as Lot's Cave and the ruins of Sodom as well as Mount Nebo with hazy biblical stories that were stored so far back in my memory that I didn't even know I remembered them.

Salt deposits

Near the southern end of the Dead Sea is Lot's cave, where Lot and his family were to have lived after escaping the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah.  There's even a pillar of salt representing his wife.  Anyone who travels to the Holy Land and only visits Israel is short-changing themselves.

Near Lot's cave

We soon left the Dead Sea Highway to climb up into the hills towards Petra.  The vistas are indescribable looking out into the valleys and gorges leading down towards the Dead Sea.  I was truly blessed with spectacular weather.

Shobak crusader fort

We passed through several towns along the way, they are all pretty non-descript:  basic concrete block architecture  (not too dissimilar from Mexican towns) few trees, no landscaping, the odd goat, sheep and cat.  Just before reaching Petra, we passed by Shobak Castle. Built on a small knoll right at the edge of a plateau, this crusader castle is especially imposing when seen from a distance.

The Treasury

After about 3.5 hours of driving, we finally reached Petra.  Remember Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade?  Well this is the place. I think this is one of the world's most impressive archaeological sites.  This was my second visit to Petra.  The last time I was here was in 1989, during food riots in the country while King Hussein was visiting the US.  Because of my concerns over safety and of returning to Amman at that time, I had only a limited, cursory visit.  Not this time.

The colors

Hewn from towering rock walls of multi-colored sandstone, the imposing facades of its great temples and tombs are an enduring testament to the vision of the desert tribes who sculpted them.  The Nabataeans (Arabs who dominated the region in pre-Roman times) chose as their capital a place concealed from the outside world and fashioned it into one of the world's most remarkable cities.  Almost as spectacular as the monuments themselves are the countless shades and Neapolitan swirls formed in the rock.  Few buildings in Petra are freestanding; the bulk were chiseled and bored out of the rock face.  The site is huge and there are tombs and carvings in every nook and cranny.

This was a perfect day for seeing Petra.  The temperature was only in the mid-70s, with very little humidity.  I hired an official guide at the main entrance.  This was not a good day for Mohammed (my guide, not the prophet).  He was 30 and told me he had a headache because of the night before.  No wonder he kept wanting to take a break for a coffee.

My guide on the phone

He also was still troubled over his recent (4-month) break-up with his girl friend, who called him several times that day.  TMI!   While we were touring, we ran into a Swedish blonde tourist who he had guided several days before.  They made a date for that evening.  I think Mohammed's problem was juggling too many women.   Good for him.
 

No claustrophobics

To get to the actual site is a trek:  it is 800 meters from the main entrance just to the beginning of the Siq (the narrow passage entrance), then another 1200 meters to the Treasury.  All together about 2 kilometers just to reach the beginning of the city itself.   I decided to hike it, rather than take a horse, camel or donkey.  The weather was nice, even cool, and the hike is flat and slightly descending.  

The Siq is the passage that protected Petra from any outside invaders.  It is 1.2 km long and often narrows to 5 meters with the walls towering up to 200 meters overhead.

The Siq

  The Siq is not a gorge but a single rock that had been rent apart by seismic forces.  The Siq is a gallery of intriguing insights into the Nabataeans' past.  These include remains of a monumental arch, water channels cut into the rock, Nabataean graffiti, carved niches with worn outlines of ancient deities, paving stones, and eerie flights of steps leading nowhere.  

First Treasury glimpse

The long hike up to and through the Siq is rewarded as the Siq closes in and at its deepest, darkest point unexpectedly opens out on Petra's most thrilling monument-the Treasury.  This is a jaw dropping moment as the grandeur of Petra finally reveals itself.  (Again think Indiana Jones.)  The Treasury is best-known of all Petra's magnificent temples, deliberately positioned at the end of the Siq for maximum impact.

On duty inside

So called because Bedouin folklore suggests that an Egyptian pharaoh hid his treasure here.  Alas, the Treasury is really a tomb.  As with all rock hewn monuments in Petra, the exquisite detail, and sophisticated craftsmanship is limited to the façade. The interior is nothing more than an unadorned carved out room perhaps with a well attired park ranger.
 

Tomb facades

As you head into the city, you pass a multitude of carved tomb facades of both the rich and the ordinary Nabataean.  There's even an ampitheatre that differs from that of the Romans, because this one is carved into the rock rather than built from rock.  Further on are the royal tombs which consisted of multiple levels on a grand scale.  Further on the area opens out into a wide plain.

Royal tombs

Here are the ruins of the Roman-style city complete with a colonnaded main street lined with temples and ruins of palaces.  Much of this area hasn't  yet been excavated.  There are mounds of carved stones and pieces of broken columns scattered about.  It's unimaginable what might yet be discovered.

The Cardo

By the time we reached the end of the street, my time with Mohammed was finished.  Now he could have a coffee and sort out his personal life, or at least evening.  But I wasn't finished.  My objective was to climb up to the Monastery.  The way up involves a climb of over 800 rock-cut steps.  But, rather than clamber up the 849 steps to the monastery, I just sat on my ass...a donkey.

Sitting on my ass

Quite an experience, because that donkey knew exactly where it was going.  The steps were steep and winding...better than an "E ticket" at Disneyland.  The path is dotted with Bedouins selling crafts speaking good English, German, French and Spanish.

Bedouin and child

Yes, I stopped and bought a few trinkets for gifts.  Sorry, Jimmy nothing expensive here. The trail offers pretty amazing views down over the city of Petra.  I was really struck, not by the number of tourists, but by the number of older, tourists over 50 hiking up the mountain. 

Hiking to the Monastery

Bigums, you could never do this, because you'd probably trip and fall like Eilene.  You might even trip over the paving stones in the flat areas.  And there is no LifeAlert here.
 

The Monastery

The Monastery is a colossal temple at the top of the mountain.  It is as impressive as the Treasury just not as ornately carved.  It came to be known as the Monastery because of the many Christian crosses carved on its interior walls.  Beyond the Monastery, the trail continues leading up to lookouts with views west over Wadi Araba into Israel and the Palestinian territories.  

The lookout

Oops, I lost track of the time.  I had a 7pm massage appointment, and we had a three hour drive back.  You could spend days at Petra.  I had spent a good six hours exploring.  You know that I have a short attention span, well not as short as some.   From the top of the Monastery, I was looking at a 40 minute walk down and then a trek back through the site to the Siq. 

My ass

It took almost an hour and a half to get back to the entrance to the Siq.  From there I decided to ride a horse back to the entrance.  That was a mistake...was I sore.  But there was a massage waiting for me back at the resort.  Timing was good, we left Petra at just before 4pm and got to the resort just before 7pm.

When I got back to the room, there was a notice on the bed informing me of the time change.   Tonight clocks would be turned back one hour.  Strange, on a Thursday night.  That's because Friday is the Muslim day off, so Thursday is like our Saturday.  I needed that extra, unexpected hour.