Petra

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Match me such a marvel save in eastern clime / a rose red city half as old as time.

Petra is astonishing. What more, indeed, can be said? I found a car and driver to take me there and arrived at about 8:30 this morning. Al- Siq, the entrance, a 1.2 km walk through a fissure in sandstone rock; up to 200 metres high in places and only a few across; streaked with shades of pink and red and yellow and brown is a sight to behold in itself, but the anticipation of glimpsing the treasury, as you approach it; mounts, until finally there she is bathed in the golden morning sun. Apparently carved in the 1st century BC as a tomb for a Nabataean king, it is awe inspiring and at the end of a long day she was still very hard to leave behind. But Petra stretches for miles around.

As you turn the corner from the treasury itself you pass through more of the ‘canyon’ and come across the street of facades; more than 40 tombs carved high up into the rock face and then the theatre, with it’s rows of seats in the shape of a semi circle, later renovated by the roman’s. If that weren’t enough there is plenty more, the magnificent royal tombs are quite extraordinary, 5 of them next to each other carved out of the rock in different styles. You walk back down from the tombs and come across a widening in the path to the basin along which is a colonnaded street, the great temple and Byzantine church; complete with mosaics, largely in tact, depicting animals from all over the world. If you take the trouble to walk up to the Petra’s cave museum you can wander further around the edge of the rocks to a Bedouin man still living in traditional style who’ll invite you into his cave dwelling to show off his home. When I was there the tourist police had dropped by for a cup of tea and he was chatting merrily on his mobile phone.

A quick stop back in the basin for a cup of mint tea and I engaged a donkey, jack and his very friendly owner Ahmad to take me up to the monastery. If you’re going; don’t be proud - take the donkey! I travelled up in style (you’re getting plenty exercise along the way, anyway) to the pained smiles of fellow tourists who were clearly regretting their decision to make the hour long climb to the top in 30-35˚ heat, even in cool weather it would be stretch. The monastery is an incredible Nabataean temple and I used my best rock climbing skills to clamber the 5ft entrance way, into it’s inside where I hung out for a while with the Bedouin and listened to someone playing the Oud. Then Jack obliged me by taking me further up the mountainside to see the view, where somehow you could imagine being tempted with the whole world laid before you at your feet. Another quick stop at the basin again for some mezze and a visit to the Byzantine church and a long, long, long, walk back to the entrance past the treasury, longing to be able to stay and climb above the treasury and watch the sun slowly set over her colours; but I’ll have to wait for return trip for that.

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Photos

The Silk tomb
Not the most ornately decorated of the royal tombs but I do love the simplicity that allows the colours to present themselves