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Published: July 14th 2009
A lot of people don’t understand what the big deal is about seeing ruined sites. But when you walk through and get to the other end of the Siq, a narrow gorge made from years of water flowing through. Confusion changes to understanding. 1.2km long, 200m high walls, so narrow its width is sometimes a few metres. What the Siq does, is leads you towards the symbol of Jordan.
My first glimpse was not how I thought it would be. Throughout my time here I would see the symbol in 4 casts. The first was under candlelight. 3 times a week the Tourism office offers Petra by Night tours. At 12JD ($24) it really is something and is a great alternative for your first gawk instead of the typical Indiana Jones experience. Mostly dark, except for two rows of candles snaking it’s way through the Siq. At the end you are greeted by a sea of candlelight’s sitting in front of the Treasury.
My first visit to Petra was met with frustrations towards the ATM’s here. They only accept Plus cards so for two bloody hours I walked around trying to get some money out. All the while this
little kid is begging for “1JD, 1JD, 1JD” ($2) I turn to him whilst walking briskly up the hill “Why would I give you 1JD for? For walking next to me and annoying me? Why would I do that? Fuck Off?” I had just come from the Israel border so it was all day again from A-B. I had people telling me off and someone threw a half-full bottle of water at me in Amman bus station.
So naturally the begging kid follows me up the long hill. With the hill I knew I had the upper hand in this battle in the Wadi Musa sun (The town for accommodation). Building on my stronghold I mock him, “You know I have got all day to do this. I’ve got nothing else better to do today except walk up this hill. You can follow me if you want to. Ask for 1JD I don’t care. You are not getting anything… alllll day… allllll day.” He went on his way.
That was after I booked my ticket to the Night tour. Visually you can’t see too much, romantic probably not with the amount of tourists here, but what it does
is provides an atmosphere of slight mystery and whets your appetite for what the next day will reveal. I knew the following day would be one of the great travelling days.
As I sat there up on my little elevation in the rocks behind where everyone else was sitting a performance began. Starting off with two solo performances. I can’t remember the first one as the flute player got in my head. He starts from inside the treasury echoing and weaving his way through the candles. The night finishes off with a Bedouin (Local Native) starting to call out for “Peter!” He starts a speech that really didn’t make sense. I think it was an attempt to be poetic with Peter being Petra and he was Peter? I just used his echoing voice to put me into this mysterious mood. So I suppose he did his job.
The next morning the 530 alarm was set and I was on my way for 12 hours and 10 minutes of walking around Petra. Apart from the money situation I think for someone like me who doesn’t like to see a lot of tourists, one day is good enough here. I
Petra by Night
The Treasury - elevated viewlearnt from my Angkor Wat experience and didn’t over do it. But to do it in one day takes a huge effort and a bit of pre planning. By the time I finished it would be a perfect day.
I was through the entrance a couple minutes after 6 and would be the only tourist for at least 15 minutes at the treasury. A shadow cast itself over the treasury and like last night the Siq walk can make you drift off until the treasury is in front of you.
What is interesting are the intricate details of the treasury and how with every change of light a new detail is discovered. The morning light is not the best of light but it provides something that the rest of the day doesn’t. Solitude with you and the giant façade carved into the rock.
Because of the one-day stand I had to move on. I wanted to do 3 hikes and the first was for me the most important. To get there you need to walk past the Royal Tombs - there is no need to look at them now, lighting will be better in the afternoon. Instead
keep going until you see some steps leading up the mountain. This mountain is Jebel al-Khubtha (climbing past Jebel Umm al’Amr - 1066m), which will eventually put you around 200m up, looking down on the Treasury.
At the Royal Tombs a dog joined me and apart from the sights of the local Bedouins going to work on donkey, camel etc the dog would be my only sign of life for the next hour or so. Half way up you get a great view of the Roman Theatre and Petra city centre. The dog got a bit more comfortable around me and went ahead whilst I stayed there.
I sat there appreciating the view in silence until I heard squeals and a dog barking. The Bedouins dog was chasing my dog. Out of breath my dog nestled up against my bag. So I gave it some vegemite on khobz bread. The problem for the dog though was I needed to head that direction so I start my climb again to the dogs concern. She starts sobbing, “Well stay there then” I said. But the dog had an attachment to me and reluctantly followed.
At the peak of the
The Siq
entrance mountain laid a solid black dog perfectly fine with our presence. The local says “Hello! Is this your dog? Have you seen my donkey?” No its been following me all morning but its okay. Yes your donkey is down the path waiting near the view of the theatre.” He points me to the right direction - Left of the donkey compound and down a rough dirt path.
Soon the discovery of the Treasury is my reward. Done in the morning it is the perfect time. The path is under shade and between the hours of 9-11 the Treasury is cast in full sunlight. The last steps to the viewpoint is down a steep path, which is not entirely safe, and for a dog it must be very daunting. I am out of sight so the bitch starts crying and I come back “Well stay there and stop crying!” I go back to my seat out of sight from the dog than I hear multiple slams as the dog starts sliding and falling along the rocks to be near me. I thought, “Oh shit I’ve just killed the dog. How is it suppose to get back up?”
Sitting there
The Siq
Entrance is an experience that’s something special, you look down and listen to the tourists arriving through the Siq. You realise this is your last solitude moment with Petra. The last time to be with Petra like a Bedouin. Because you are so high up you can get a better look at the top of the Treasury too, which is more artistic than the bottom half, which is more columns. But still even with this light it’s not at its best. That would have to wait till near sunset.
Walking back my dog starts barking warning me of tourists arriving. But that was after an episode in trying to get the bitch back up the steep incline. Trusting enough to let me touch it I tried to carry her but once it got to the lifting stage it got scarred. I came back 4 times to try and direct it to safety coming back hearing her cries to eventually say “Right that’s it, die than. I’ve tried, I’m leaving.” 1 minute later it’s walking by my side to protect me from the tourists.
On the way back the theatre is at its best lighting around 10am. The day was
4 hours old and near the theatre is where one of the few toilet stops are. By the time I got to the toilet the dog was exhausted from the mornings walk and when it was time to leave she gave up on me. Especially with 2 more hikes to come.
The second hike is also best in the morning so there is no time to rest up. Up the 40 odd minutes to the High Palace of Sacrifice (Al Madbah). Out of the three hikes I did, this is probably the one I’d miss if I were lazy. It does give a good outline of the Petra’s landscape. Dry, rocky landscape of reds, yellows, browns and black with bright blue sky. There are two Obelisks too. On the way back down you can go back where you came from or go via the Lions Monument where if you look carefully you can see remnants of lions carved into the rock. There are other monuments too along the way towards the tourist path.
The tourist path is usually from the Treasury past the theatre along the city centre, lunch and hike to the Monastery. And this is what
was left for the day. The city centre I walked past without realising. I hit the Qasr al Bint. That is because it is one of only a few remaining ruins standing that isn’t carved into a rock. Really it’s a walk through experience.
Lunch is typically touristy with $35aud for a buffet lunch. I had a brief stopover for a water and hiked again. This time to the Monastery (Al-Deir). It is a similar design to the Treasury but bigger - the treasury is 43m high and 30m wide, whilst the Monastery is 50m wide 45m high.
By the time I started this hike it was the middle of the day so really I should have hung around for another hour or so but I was hungry. So on the way up I found a shaded area (hard to find) and opened up my meal of canned corn kernels, tuna (Italian style) and some 2-day-old Jerusalem bagel. Sitting there and you can see the joy this place gives people of all ages.
If people are getting taken up or down by a donkey they are happy. If people are walking down they are happy and when
people are walking up they are stuffed but always manage a smile or small joke. This place is like very few tourist destination where the tourist and backpacker appreciate each other’s company no matter what.
At around 2pm the lighting is perfect on the Monastery and there is a drink station, which positions you in front of the massive façade. It doesn’t have the same details as the Treasury but is a sight all the same. Out the back there is some more views out towards Wadi Arabia and Israel and Palestine. They call one of the viewpoints the end of the world.
With the day coming to an end it is a hike back down and a struggle to the Royal Tombs, which are now perfectly shone on. To finish off it’s back to the Treasury. This time covered in shade but cast in a pinkish hew. The details are so defined at this lighting it’s a shame I was so stuffed from the days walking. Still I hung around to appreciate it. The flowers, the human body depictions and the wine bottles everything came out better.
I walked off completely satisfied with just one day.
Had I had my time again I wouldn’t change a thing. This was one of those really satisfying days. I threw down a challenge ‘Petra in a day’ and was successful... Although it did take me 3 days to recover in Aqaba.
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sanam
non-member comment
really jelly!