January 9, 10 and 11 2019
Petra has been on my list of must do’s for a very very long time. I did not realize, however, that my visit to Petra also meant that I have now been to all of the 7 new wonders of the world. I would like to say that I have been to the site of the original 7 wonders of the world, but I must contend with only 6 on that list, as the 7th is in Iraq.
The one thing I found interesting about Petra was the fact that I did not have an OMG moment when I came out of the 3/4 mile long rock alleyway – or Siq – and saw the Treasury. I have a feeling it was because of the number of tourists that were in front of me, or possibly, it was the fact that I have seen so many photographs I had a higher anticipation quotient. None-the-less, I spent three glorious days exploring it all and loved each and every moment.
The Treasury
While I always assume everyone knows all about the Wonders of the World, a short background on Petra:
Petra was the capital of the Nabataean Arabs and is one of the most famous archaeological sites in the world.
It is not known precisely when Petra was built, but the city began to prosper as the capital from the 1st century BCE. It grew rich through trade in frankincense, myrrh, and spices.
Petra was later annexed by the Roman Empire and continued to thrive until an earthquake in 363 AD destroyed much of the city.
The earthquake, combined with changes in trade routes, led to the downfall of the city and it was ultimately abandoned.
By the middle of the 7th century, Petra appears to have been largely deserted and it was then lost to all except local Bedouin from the area.
Buggies ply the Siq for those too tired to walk. However, considering the bumpy road, I think all you do is trade sore feet for bruised ribs.
Petra was rediscovered in 1812 by an extremely wealthy Swiss explorer named Johannes Burckhardt, he dressed up as an Arab and convinced his Bedouin guide to take him to the lost city. Cambridge has all of his papers, but a review by the college of what is in the archive is a good summary of Burckhardt’s adventures.
The Bedouin’s still thrive in the area by selling trinkets and giving rides on camels and donkeys.
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This 1st Century CE Nabataean theater was cut out of rock and could hold 8500 people.
One of the glorious things about Petra is the stone. The colors change at every step
The Nabataeans buried their dead in these intricately carved tombs that line the valley
Tombs
On day two I walked to the top of the mountain via the Al Kubtha trail to see both the theater and the treasury from above. There are 600 stone steps and a lot of rocky steps to get to the top to see the theater. That was just the beginning.
Some of the 600 stone steps
He wasn’t offering rides, he was going to work
Some of the steps on the way that were not so easy, but the colors were amazing
The theater from above.
I continued up, just past the view of the theater at which point the trail and all the signage ended. I was eternally grateful for having done my research before departing my hotel. There are many Bedouins begging to be your guide, and they insist that the trail that is marked will not take you to the right place, so you must hire them. Fortunately, I had tripped over a single traveling woman’s blog and she laid it out. While her information was old, the one tip she said it go down, although counter-intuitive, go down. Eventually, I did.
The trail down to the view of the Treasury
I got to the end of this trail and again, nothing. I could hear voices but I could see absolutely nothing. I crept to the very edge of the rock, and there was a stone stairway down to a welcoming tent and a hot cup of Turkish coffee.
If you want to see the view you have to drink something
Help support the store, buy something for heaven’s sakes. Their Turkish coffee was freshly brewed on a wood fire outside and delicious.
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There it was – The Treasury
People that know me, know I hate to have my picture taken, but this was special. Notice how I am holding on for dear life, that is a long drop to the bottom.
Of course, now I had to do it all in reverse, as I did I ran across this little fella lonely and all alone, I am sure his owner was somewhere in the mountains
Looking down upon the Great Temple. Based on the style of fragments found at the site, archaeologists believe the Great Temple was built in the last quarter of the 1st century BCE and further enlarged in the 1st century CE. It continued to be used until the Byzantine period (5th century).
Mosaics in the Petra Church which is thought to have first been built over Nabataean and Roman remains around 450 AD. It may have been a major 5th- and 6th-century cathedral.
In December 1993, 152 papyrus scrolls were uncovered inside the church. The scrolls, which are the largest group of ancient written material found in Jordan, were carbonized due to the early 7th-century fire and are still being deciphered
On my last day, I visited the Monastery. I began by climbing 800 steps from the desert. – Then one has to climb down the same distance to reach the floor of Petra proper.
Walking the backside of Petra
The view down on the world from the mountains over Petra
Then you turn the corner, and there it is the Monastery. It dates to the early 2nd century CE, during the reign of King Rabel II.
The last site I saw before leaving Petra for points further was the Turkmaniya Tomb. It is mentioned in Married to a Bedouin, an excellent read if you are planning a trip to Petra.
Petra can be done in one day, I had three, and I think two is enough if you are willing to exhaust yourself climbing. Some people stay for weeks, I would be exhausted from so much wonder if I stayed that long.
Two little boys struggle with their mules.
Mules are found in every crack and crevice of Petra
Goats are everywhere as well
The sites were so many, the light every changing, that I could not stop taking pictures. Here are just a few more.
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