Aqaba, Jordan - Petra, the Rose-Red City

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25^thApril Aqaba, Jordan



After 5 days at sea we arrived in the Port of Aqaba, Jordan for what we think is one of the highlights of the cruise with a visit to the City of Petra, a spectacular attraction, abandoned and forgotten for centuries, a ‘Rose Red City half as old as time’.



Aqaba is Jordan’s only seaport on the southernmost tip of the Red Sea; it is the countries winter resort because of its sandy beaches and coral reefs. It was 30 deg C when we arrived at just after 8.00 in the morning & people were flocking for the weekend from Amman.



The deep water port was built by King Hussein to accommodate the imports the country needs but also to facilitate the export of its main commodity of phosphates.



As we approached the port through the Gulf of Aqaba, we were able to see four countries – Jordan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia & Israel. No wonder it is such a volatile area.



Aqaba played a strategic role in WWI as a supply base against the Turks; Lawrence of Arabia assisted Prince Feisal in capturing Aqaba from the desert side which the Turks thought impregnable. It has played a controversial role during the Iran/Iraq war, with Allied ships blockading the port for a time.



There were two main tours here, Wadi Rum – 35 miles away or the BIG one Petra – 80 miles away. We chose the Petra as did 1398 other guests – 20 coaches with 3 crew coaches booked as well. Just to boost numbers when we arrived there were two smaller cruise ships in front of us.



Whilst we did not visit Wadi Rum. It was Lawrence of Arabia’s (T E Lawrence) base during WWI, with his Bedouins he attacked the Turkish supply lines and it was here he attacked and conquered Aqaba, it is still a desert patrol outpost and a water spring can be found called Lawrence’s Well.



Onward to Petra, a 90 minute coach ride. We stopped once for a photo opportunity to view Aaron’s tomb (brother of Moses) from a distance (about 10 miles) on the mountain top arriving in Wadi Mus for our walk to the City of Petra.



The City was the site of the most important of Arab kingdoms, the Nabataeans. From this fortress they commanded trade routes becoming very rich. The Romans conquered them in 106 AD.



The walk to the City takes about 1 hour although there are various transport systems to get you there – Pony and carriage, horse or donkey – all at cost (negotiable of course). As you walk down to the entrance of the As-Siq you pass by the Obelisk Tomb & the Bab As-Siq Triclinium monuments from Egyptian & Greek/Roman times the triclinium for the Nabataean a place for feasts which took place every year in honour of the dead.



The entry to Petra is by a narrow mile long chasm – the Siq, over a hundred feet high in places and sometimes as narrow as 10 feet. The only alternative to walking is the pony & carriage!! It is impossible to describe everything in detail and we hope the photographs will convey the utter magnitude of the place. The Roman army only succeeded in overcoming resistance by cutting off the water supply.



Nothing can prepare you for when you finally emerge from the Siq. You come face to face with Al-Khazneh (The Treasury), Petra’s pride and joy; we would say the most beautiful monument there. You are just dwarfed by the huge facade (30m wide x 43m high). It is truly breathtaking, even if you have emerged with 200 other people you pour into this cavernous place. It is like a market place and you have stepped back in time. There are the shanty shops that sell souvenirs and snacks etc but it is the hustle and bustle of the Bedouins who operate all the transport around the site that brings it all to life. There are camels and donkeys to take you further into the City from this ‘market place’ and no amount of descriptive prose can do it justice.



Our guide who did a fantastic job of keeping us all together (the whole day) explained the significance of The Treasury as he did as we progressed further into the City.



The temperature within the City was hot – 105deg F – and we were going further in to a dustbowl with little shelter from the sun. Mad dogs & Englishmen come to mind!! The walk down to the Roman ruins took us past the Street of Facades, the Theatre (carved into solid rock), Royal Tombs, Urn Tomb, and The Palace Tomb. The Roman part took in a Colonnaded Street with a marble pavement (still visible) to the Temenos Gate.



Petra is a World Heritage Site (1985) and excavation work is still being carried out. Recent work in the Roman sector has revealed some beautiful mosaics within a church built in the Roman ‘Basilica’ style.



The sheer size of the place, the buildings, the Tombs, the facades all carved out of the sandstone all those years ago is awe inspiring. Standing at the bottom of the valley in all that heat it was difficult to comprehend what it would have been like as a hustling, bustling City. The Bedouins lived in the City until 1985, but they still work there in the tourist industry as guides or providing the transport to and from the Visitor Centre. The vastness of it all meant that we had just scratched the surface as to what to see, our guide suggested you need a minimum of three days to do the place justice.



It was also when we realised we had to walk back to the Visitor Centre for lunch, what we forgot to say was to reach the Roman section was all downhill.



Guess what, the walk back uphill took us over 90minutes and in that heat it was gruelling!! A lot of people were suffering – there were times we looked at the transport back up to the top but with a couple of pit stops we made it!!



Dean Burgon’s famous poem we think reflects some truth about Petra



‘match me such a marvel save in Eastern time/A rose-red city as old as time.



We hope that the description and pictures convey some of the magnificence of one of the ‘New’ seven wonders of the World.



A long day but well worth it – beats going to the gym!!



Next – Suez Canal

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