Petra

From Dahab to Wadi Musa

I was planning to visit Petra during a three day trip out of Egypt. So the day after I had arrived in Egypt I took the public bus from Dahab to Nuweiba port (90min, LE14). A few daily ferry services connect Nuweiba and Aqaba in Jordan. However only one of these services is on the much faster (and probably much safer) speed ferry Princess of Aqaba. The daily (except Sundays) speed ferry service leaves Nuweiba at 2pm for the one-hour cruise across the Gulf of Aqaba to Jordan. So far the extract from the glossy leaflet and the official website.

I bought a first-class ticket which cost me an enormous US$70 one-way (second class was US$50) excluding the Egyptian exit tax (LE41). Being in Egypt I half-expected the ferry service not to run on time. I wasn't disappointed - we were running late. Quite so: it was only 2.5 hours after the actual sailing that boarding commenced. When I went aboard I was asked to hand in not only my ferry ticket but also my passport which I gave away reluctantly.

By the time everybody was aboard it was already dark. The Princess of Aqaba left Nuweiba port finally at around 5.30pm, some 3.5 hours late. Whilst the second class was pretty full only 10 out of some 50 seats in first class were taken which made the crossing very comfortable. Not having eaten since breakfast I went for a lunch box (LE40 or EUR5) containing two massive tasty chicken burgers, a banana and some horribly sweet juice.

The crossing took 90 minutes and was very smooth despite the high cruising speed of more than 30 knots. However, after disembarking I had to wait another full 2 hours before I finally got my passport back, now bearing a Jordanian visa. At his point I was travelling for 12 hours since I had left Dahab and was eager to find a comfortable bed. Leaving Aqaba port a number of taxis were waiting outside. Practically all tourists aboard the ferry intended to visit Petra the next day. We shared taxis and set off for the 2 hour ride to Wadi Musa, a small village located just beside ancient Petra.

My fellow travellers had been recommended a place called Petra Gate Hotel run by a certain Nasser. When we - some 6 people - arrived at around 11pm Nasser was understandably pleased. After I had a quick look at the basic room I decided to stay - all I wanted was a bed, I thought. During the night I found out I would have wanted a working heating as well, since it was a pretty cold night - after all, it was December and I was at an altitude of 1,100m.

The cold night ended with the Muezzin calling for prayer from the minaret of the local mosque at around 5am. Unfortunately the minaret was equipped with state-of-the-art loudspeakers and located directly in front of my hotel room. Rather than listening to what the Muezzin had to say I went for a very long and very hot, steaming shower. I met up with the others for a quick breakfast at around 6am.

Nasser drove us from the hotel to the entrance gate. Easier said than done: beside him driving, 6 people were crammed into his car on 1 passenger seat and 3 rear seats. Luckily it was only a short drive. We arrived at the entrance gates around 7am and bought a rather expensive day ticket (JD22, EUR25).

Exploring ancient Petra

Petra is a huge city which was carved into red sand rock mountains more than 2,000 years ago. At this time it was the capital of the Nabataean Kingdom and an important meeting point of ancient trade routes. The excellent combination of impressive archaeology and amazingly shaped and coloured rock formations make it the most famous place to visit in Jordan. Or maybe even more than that…?

Petra is the most wonderful place in the world!
British adventurer T. E. Lawrence (Lawrence of Arabia), 1914

Having this statement in mind it was with great expectations that I started to walk towards the entrance of the Siq.

The Siq
We were quite lucky to be practically the first people on that day. When we entered the Siq we were virtually on our own, walking down the chilly, narrow gorge in the early hours of the morning just after sunrise.

The Siq is an impressive, deep and narrow gorge which leads to the ancient city of Petra. It is a natural feature formed from a deep geological split in the sandstone rocks. The path of the Siq winds around between high and beautifully coloured sandstone cliffs for 1,200 meters. The Siq sometimes widens to form broad spaces which are sometimes dotted with a few small green trees. In the narrow parts the sheer rock walls shoot up 150 metres on either side, blocking out nearly all daylight. Awesome! It is more than justified to say that the Siq is Petra's most dramatic natural feature.

Stepping out of the mouth of the gorge another breathtaking vision was waiting: the Treasury, Petra’s most famous temple.

The Treasury
The Treasury or Al Khazneh was designed to impress and it still does. It is positioned opposite the end of the Siq mouth. Everybody who steps out of the narrow gorge and into the wide Wadi is stunned by the face of this temple which is carved deep into the rocks.

With every step I took out of the Siq and into the Wadi more and more of this amazing temple became visible, like a present which is slowly unwrapped.

The temple is an impressive 43m high and was carved around 100 BC. The interior is a rather very simple big room that leads to three smaller ones. The whole thing is called the Treasury because for a long time the Bedouin who lived in the area believed that the urn on top of the building contained valuable treasures. The original purpose of this magnificent building is not know, however a basin indicated it must have been a place for ritual washings or worshipping.

This temple is known from the third Indiana Jones movie The search for the Holy Grail (the website offers a panoramic 360° view of both the Siq and the Treasury so it’s worth checking out).

After half an hour or so I had to drag myself away from the Treasury, since spending only one day in Petra meant that time was pretty short. I followed the Wadi for a few hundred metres and entered the impressive theatre.

The Theatre
The Nabataeans built the theatre around 100 BC to accommodate 3,000 spectators. In Roman times the theatre was enlarged to house up to 8,500 people. This was achieved by cutting away further, large chunks of the mountain. So the theatre has actually been cut into the hillside - and into several rock tombs during its construction, leaving rectangular gaps in the rock face which are still visible today. Almost enclosing the theatre are rose-coloured mountain walls, making the theatre itself a spectacular stage.

After a steep climb up to the last rank in the theatre I enjoyed the view of the East Cliff with its numerous Royal Tombs before going back down again and heading for a small path which led uphill to the High Place of Sacrifice.

The High Place of Sacrifice
After climbing the picturesque path for some 30 minutes I ended up at two obelisks, each one some 6m high. Nice, but not too spectacular I thought...until I learned that both obelisks were solid. Instead of being placed here, this entire mountaintop was levelled and they were left sticking out!

Scrambling up the steep mountains in the hot sun was exhausting.. So it was here that I checked out Nasser’s lunch box and decided to have a rather basic snack consisting of boiled egg and some flat bread in the shadow of one of the obelisks. Revitalised, I took the last flight of steps onto the next and highest ridge with the High Place of Sacrifice atop.

The High Place of Sacrifice is perched on a cliff that drops off nearly 200m on three sides. It is a large platform, some 15m long and 6m wide featuring a basin and an altar. Again little is known what exactly took place here however it seems obvious the place served as a venue for religious ceremonies.

Walking back down I took the alternative route towards Wadi Farasa on the Western side of the mountain. Plenty of interesting and colourful rock formations could be spotted along the way before I arrived at the Lion Monument, a drinking fountain. Continuing past the lovely Garden Monument I ended up at two rather big tombs, the Roman Soldier Tomb and the Triclinium, the latter featuring a beautiful carved interior. After the next tomb, Renaissance tomb, the Wadi Farasa ended in a wide valley in which the ancient city of Petra once was built.

I walked across the wide valley towards the path to the Monastery. On my way there I passed Qasr al-Bint, a massive freestanding structure built 100 BC and once the major temple of Petra.

The Monastery
It took the best part of an hour to reach the Monastery or Ed-Deir. However, the climb was well worth doing it, not just for the Monastery but also for the sweeping views from the top over the surrounding mountains and valleys.

Again its name does not reflect reality. Although the Monastery may have been used as a church in Byzantine times it was almost certainly built as a temple.

The Monastery is Petra's biggest and one of the most important monuments, dating back to the third century BC. It is as beautifully carved although much less decorated than the Treasury. And it is much larger -the doorway alone is so huge that it is taller than many houses. I found it quite difficult to judge the size of the temple with nobody standing next to it as a measure. The flat plaza in front was levelled, probably to contain the huge crowds that gathered for religious ceremonies.

After having admired the Monastery I wandered around the plateau and enjoyed the superb views into the surrounding valleys before I walked back the same way I had climbed up earlier. Once more, I came past the massive Qasr-al Bint temple before heading through what was the very centre of Petra.

The City Centre
Heading for the Royal tombs I was walking down a colonnaded street. The Romans built the street after their annexation of Petra. Walking down the plastered street I could easily imagine the town centre with little shops on either side of the street. Ruins of various temples and other buildings scattered the hillsides on either side of the street.

The Royal Tombs
The Royal Tombs are set into the rock face and certainly amongst the most impressive of the more than 500 tombs to be found in Petra. Some of these tombs are thought to be those of several Nabataean kings. I visited a number of the tombs, including the Um tomb with its beautiful courtyard with colonnades on two sides and the small Silk Tomb which features swirls of different coloured rock on its facade. The last tomb for the day was another massive one, Palace Tomb.

At this stage I had already spent nearly 10 hours in Petra. I had seen only a fraction of Petra however this did include all the main sights. I decided to head back to my hotel before leaving back to Egypt the next day.

The visit to Petra proved to be as spectacular as expected. Both the incredible number of massive facades that have been carved entirely out of the red sandstone and the surrounding rugged landscape with its awe-inspiring sights were just amazing.

---

---