Petra- Jordan's Treasure

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To arrive in Jordan we have sailed through the Suez Canal, which is just a cut through from the Med to the Red Sea with no locks and is rather like sailing along a narrow Nile. One of the main reasons for this Middle East trip was to visit Petra and we were not disappointed. It is a long walk down through the narrow As Siq with its stunning rock formations. Our guide pointed out the water channels constructed by the Nabateans so that all rain water could be collected and directed to the City. There are Djin blocks of stone which were memorials to their gods as well as numerous niches carved out of the stone by the ordinary people. The As Siq narrows and there is the first glance of the Treasury through the gap. It is crowded with people made worse by the buggies and donkey drawn carts ferrying people up and down. Coming out of the Siq into the open area of the Treasury is stunning. How these people carved such an amazing structure with primitive tools is fascinating. Apparently they had to start at the top of the stone and work their way down. We walked along further and got to the Street of Facades which are mausoleums for important people and then on to the Amphitheatre, opposite which are the Royal Tombs. There are numerous caves in which ordinary nomads lived. We saw a lot more than we hoped we would see so very happy. Damn clever those Nabateans! However it is a long way to walk back so we cheated at the end and had a horse ride.

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Photos

The street of Facades
The richest person gets the largest most complicated facade

Comments

[David Thomas]

Petra horse
Wonderful to visit but no doubt the horse ride caused more soreness than walking!

[paul]

Nomads living in caves.....interesting concept
Rocks and hard places - looks like a fascinating spot even if there's not nearly enough green "stuff" for a Mick. Stef - not at all sure what the heck happened to the team that stuffed the AB's; it was certainly a very different crew that showed up against the Springbok!