Petra has for years been at the top of the places we’ve wanted to visit. We were so excited about going on the trip that it completely overshadowed any complaints we had about having to meet up with our tour group at 6:10 a.m.
I’ll write more about the journey between Aqaba and Petra tomorrow. For now, I’ll concentrate on our visit to this UNESCO World Heritage Site.
As we approached the modern city of Petra, our guide Hamzeh told us, “You will hear me say at times on the tour, ‘This man has excellent souvenirs that you may wish to buy.’ When I say that, I am lying. I am saying that only because we have to appear to show support for the local merchants. If you see something you wish to buy, let me know and I will tell you the best place to find it and the price to aim for in your negotiations with the seller.” We appreciated his telling us that in advance! It saved a lot of hassle later on.
The Journey Down
We arrived in Petra at about 9:30 a.m. and began the hike down a long, sloping dusty trail. Paralleling us on the left side of the path was a trail for donkeys and horses. These were available for hire either for one-way or round-trip excursions.
About one-quarter mile after starting, the road came to a bend, and we saw the Snake Tomb, a small carved-out cave that was the first evidence we saw of the Nabatean inhabitants of Petra. Everyone stopped to take photos, even though we knew much bigger splendors awaited us.
We passed the Djin (Genie) Blocks off to our right a few hundred yards later.
Past that was the Obelisk Tomb, with four obelisks carved high on the rock face to our left.
We eventually came to the opening to The Siq. The Siq (pronounced “seek” and meaning “The Shaft”) is the main entrance to Petra. It’s a mile-long canyon, a geological fault in the sandstone which was subsequently worn smooth by eons of running water. The canyon walls vary from 300 feet to 600 feet in height along the path.
The floor of the path is mainly sand and loose stones. There are places where the sand gives way to large limestone cobbles. These were added by the Romans as “improvements” to the canyon floor. Hamzeh pointed out an inscription in ancient Greek along the canyon wall where someone long ago complained about the Roman road.
A man-made water channel was carved into the rock wall the full length of the Siq. The Nabateans built several dams along the path as well, to control flooding.
The path was about 15-20 feet wide in most places. It widened briefly at the halfway point.
Echoing clip-clops announced the approach of donkey carts from either direction. Coming down in the morning, the carts were carrying tourists and traveling at a pretty good pace. The ones going back up the Siq were running at breakneck speed, as the drivers wanted to get back to the top of the path to pick up more tourists. We had to move over to the sides of the paths frequently to let the carts pass.
The high walls of the canyon provided a welcome relief from the sun. There was a nice breeze, and it didn’t feel at all stuffy.
I felt like I was constantly staring up at the dramatic cliff walls. The colors of the sandstone seemed endlessly varied. A fig tree clung to the wall at one spot. Other foliage occasional hung down from higher up, but otherwise there was little plant life along the way.
All along the way, there were idols carved into the sandstone walls. The idols were faceless squares or circles. If there had been any faces or other features, they were all worn away. At one point, there was a life-size carving of a man leading a camel. All that remained was the camel’s feet and the man’s legs. A “wedding chapel” had two hollowed-out spaces for a husband and wife to stand and a spot for the priest in front of them. As they stood there, they would be facing a three-part idol carved into the wall on the other side of the path.
Our guide stopped us at one spot, moved us to one side of the path, and told us to look up back in the direction from which we’d come. Then he turned us around, and we saw The Treasury gleaming in the sunlight though a “keyhole” in the rock. We had arrived at the old city.
The City
Throngs of people congregated in the open area at the foot of the Treasury. Off to the left are steps which lead high up onto the cliffs. Donkeys, horses, camels, and dogs abounded. People yelled out to offer camel and donkey rides. Young boys and old men offered postcards, Bedouin headdress, or jewelry. Tourists posed for selfies with the Treasury behind them. Tour guides called out to their groups. Fresh-squeezed juices were available in a shady stall.
It was chaos and confusion, but very happy chaos.
Everyone was smiling. We all felt elated to be here. It was a magical place.
The Treasury is the iconic image of Petra, and it’s the first thing you see upon emerging from the slot canyon. Hamzeh described some of the features to us. Sphinxes at the top of the “roof.” The circular roof of the middle colonnade at top has 12 recesses, one for each month. Seven wine goblets carved into the pediment above the tallest columns, one for each day of the week. Two rows of holes on the the sides provided support for scaffolding as the temple was carved from the top down. (All of the edifices appear to have been carved from the top down, as there are some in which the top was finished but not the bottom.)
Hamzeh pointed out to us that in the tourism downturn between 9/11 and the Arab Spring, the Ministry of Culture used the opportunity to excavate at the foot of the Treasury. Their excavations revealed that the carvings extend another 6 to 10 meters below the current ground level. Floods over the ages have filled in the floor of the town that much. One recent flash flood dumped 10 feet of sand in one area of Petra. “It will take us several years to excavate back to where we were in 2008 before the flood.”
Jane pointed out a donkey sanding in a wide pit at the bottom of some stone steps. Behind the animal was a cave entrance where several other donkeys were taking a siesta in the shade. A few minute laters, the donkey climbed the steps like it was no big deal.
The road continued off to the right of the Treasury. We came to the Street of Facades, a row of many facades carved into the cliff wall. None were nearly as well preserved as the Treasury.
Next we came to the Theatre, an open air semicircular seating area that accommodated about 2,500 people in Nabatean times. The Romans enlarged it to seat 5,000 people.
We next stopped across from the Royal Tombs. I would have loved to climb up the many steps to explore it, but there wasn’t time. Someone had told me that you need at least two full days to explore Petra. I can certainly see why. We weren’t able to go even one quarter of the way along the road leading to “The Monastery” at the end of the city. We’ll have to make another trip.
Hamzeh pointed us to a stall run by Marguerite van Geldermalsen, a New Zealand woman who married a local man and lived in the caves of Petra for many years. She wrote a book (“Married to a Bedouin”) about her experience. We purchased a copy of her book and some other items from her.
We then had about 90 minutes to make our way back up to the restaurant at the visitor center, where lunch would be ready for us at 1:00. I had heard from many people that pacing yourself is important on the way back up out of the canyon.
The mile-long walk back through the Siq wasn’t much of an issue. The footing was pretty good, and we were in the shade. We saw many donkey carts headed back to the visitor center, carrying tourists who looked relieved not to be walking. Yet at the same time, they looked somewhat terrified at the bone-jarring jostling of the carts on the cobbles. (Hamzeh: “If you don’t have back problems now, you will after the donkey cart ride.”)
We conserved our water and took occasional rest breaks. After about half an hour, we were back out in the open again for what I knew would be the hardest part of the walk. The path became steeper, and we had to make the the last 2/3 mile in the open sunshine. Rest breaks became more frequent, and our water consumption rate went up. It was high noon and the temperature was over 100° at this point. I wet my bandana with water, and we dabbed our faces and necks. Finally, we were back at the visitor center, not a moment too soon.
Our buffet lunch provided a chance to relax and cool off for a few minutes, to compare stories, and look at each other’s purchases. Many people took well-deserved naps as soon as our buses headed back to Aqaba.
All in all, it was an incredibly satisfying day. The Jordanian people we met were exceptionally friendly and good natured, happy to have us visit their country. Beside the joy of seeing such a beautiful site, we had the pride of knowing that we could manage 5 miles of walking in challenging conditions. It was a badge of honor to have the dust of Petra mixed with the dust from the Acropolis on my hiking boots. I may never wash them again!