Back on the roadā¦
By: Sharon Stetz, fellow travel buff and good friend.
We left Aqaba at 5:30 in the morning and headed to Petra by taxi, about 80 miles. The drive up Highway 15 took us through vast areas of high desert and deep cut gorges. We planned to arrive early enough to get a full day of exploring in. Well, that full day, in typical Mark fashion, turned out to be almost ten hours! Thanks be to Allah- (peace be upon him) that our hotel was right at the entrance to the site- donāt know how much further my legs could carry me. We had planned on staying in Petra for 2 days, but had pretty much worn the site and ourselves out by six that evening. So the next morning we decided to head back to Amman and have a day of rest (and laundry!) before Mark began his assignment.
The city of Petra is a UNESCO World heritage site- they have described it as “one of the most precious cultural properties of man’s cultural heritageā- and it truly is. Itās possible that the city was established as early as 312 BCE, but the area has been inhabited since 7,000 to 6,000 BCE – Mark did some panoramic photos trying to capture the scope of the city, but you really have to see it to appreciate it. Itās also known as the Rose City because of the color of the rock- an absolutely amazing combination of pink/burgundy/maroon that changes shades with the daylight. We went crazy photographing the rock facades of the buildings, but it couldnāt do them justice. Beyond its beautiful rock cut architecture, the site is famous for its water conduit system. Itās believed that the ability to channel and store (and sell) water is what made this site into the capital city of the Nabataeans and the center of their caravan trade. While most people think of Rome when they think of water delivery systems (and rightfully so), the Nabataeans may have taught the Romans a thing or two about water delivery systems. While not very visually impressive, the remaining systems were clearly functional at one time and indicated a fairly sophisticated knowledge of hydraulic engineering.
When Petraās glory declined (in large part due to Roman conquest) and it had been lost to the western world, it was guarded fiercely by the Bedouins until its rediscovery in 1812 by Johann Ludwig (or Jean Louis) Burckhardt. Itās a very interesting story of spying, infiltration, and disguises – the real life Indiana Jones.
As you enter the site you can see carved cubes called God’s Blocks – Baetyls in Arabic – that are 18 to 24 feet high. They appearĀ next to the path just around the first corner, carved probably to serve as both representations of and vessels for the gods to stand sentinel over the cityās vital water supply. There are twenty-five God-blocks in Petra, and are thought by locals to have been the work of Djinn, or genies, and so are also called Djinn-blocks- another name is sahrij, or water-tanks, which is loosely interpreted to mean tanks holding divine energy next to flowing water.
The main entrance to the city itself is called a Siq, roughly translated to be “a shaft” – we thought it was a slot canyon. But unlike slot canyons (think Antelope Canyon near Page, AZ), which are directly shaped by water, the Siq is a natural geological fault split apart by tectonic forces- only later was it worn smooth by water. The walls that enclose the Siq stand between 300ā600 feet high and at places only 8 or 9 feet wide. Itās a dim narrow gorge- the rocks have a beautiful golden cast and must have provided much appreciated shade for travelers.
You walk through this gorge for about a mile and in places you can still stand on the original road- it was amazing to think of the history that passed this way before us. As the gorge widens, you come upon the Treasury or Al Khazneh as itās known. Although itās called a treasury, it is actually the tomb of a Nabataean King. This is the iconic image associated with the entire city and the most visited place in Jordan. In 2010 there were over 975,000 visitors, but increasing unrest in the region has dropped visitor attendance to 609,000 last year.
For you movie buffs, the Treasury was the highlight of the Indiana Jones & The Last Crusade movie. They did not close the site during the filming, they just shunted everyone to the side when needed. So if your perception of the site is based on that film, you might be disappointed to see the hordes of visitors, camels, and the gift shop selling both interesting and tacky souvenirs nearby.
Thereās no shortage of transportation in Petra- you can ride a horse, a camel, a donkey, or take a surrey – some even have the fringe on top. We choose a donkey for the trip up 800 carved stone steps with 725 feet of elevation gain to reach the next site we were visiting – the Monastery or Ad-Dayr in Arabic. Riding a donkey was worth the 10 Dinar ($14) in entertainment value alone. They seem resigned to their fate, schlepping overweight tourists up & down (mostly up) the long trail and occasionally attempting to brush the rider from their backs by walking close to the canyon walls. They also reduced our overall fatigue and made us laugh in the process. I was concerned at one point- laughing so hard I would fall off my ass.
At the top, it isnāt a Monastery, but most likely a temple. The left side of the monument as you face it has a scramble-path leading up to the urn that decorates the top of the facade, the urn by itself is 30 feet high; the height of the building is close to 165 feet. Leaping around the urn is a test of manhood for the local goat-footed boys, and we watched as some jumped from cornice to urn and back. Mark did a photograph, but the boys were so tiny you could hardly see them peeing over the ledge.
We hiked past the Monastery to the edge of the plateau where the views out toward the desert and the mountains were just beautiful. We stopped to have a small picnic here and to appreciate the splendor of the Jordanian wilderness.
In 1979, Marguerite van Geldermalsen from New Zealand married Mohammed Abdullah, a Bedouin in Petra. They lived in a cave in Petra until the death of her husband. She authored the book “Married to a Bedouinā and she is the only western woman who has ever lived in Petra. Our guide, Mustafa (a Bedouin himself, as are most of the guides) introduced us to Margueriteās son who has a shop in Petra. He was selling copies of his Momās book and it was interesting to hear New Zealand accented English in the Siq.
http://www.aramcoexpats.com/articles/2007/01/the-bedouin-from-new-zealand/
So ends our tale of Petra! Our next blog will be part silly- The Dead Sea, Mud Baths and hiking up a river. And part serious history- standing on the steps of the Jordan River where John the Baptist baptized Jesus Christ.
Stay tunedā¦
