One of the New Seven Wonders of the World, Petra (in Jordan) is now in the top three of my favorite sites that I’ve experienced. Petra is an enormous archeological site that simply cannot be appreciated in one day. Even my two days there was way too short. Words and pictures (and movies!) do not do justice to this magnificent piece of architecture, but I will do my best.
Most people know Petra by the striking image of the Treasury peeking through the Siq, the ancient main entrance to Petra with its natural, narrow, deep canyon that curves to the Treasury. But there is much more to the site than this.
Around noon I follow a sign which points in the direction of the Siq. Following the hoards of camera toting and shorts and flip flop wearing tourists, I make the trek towards the Siq with the sun brutally shining down on me. As I enter the narrow and tall gorge, the images that I have seen before of the Siq does not give a fair image to the spectacular sight that is set before me. Our witty and entertaining Jordanian tour guide explains to us in perfect English (I later come to find that our eccentric guide also speaks Tagalog and Chinese) the history of this city carved into stone.
The Nabateans were an ancient Arab tribe that settled in southern Jordan who fought for their independence until the kingdom was eventually seized by the powerful Roman Empire. What made this culture so different and unique is that they were open to outside cultural influences and added these influences to their own society, creating a true cultural melting pot. This is reflective in the architecture of the city – for example, the carved Treasury has classical (Greek/Roman), Egyptian, Mesopotamian and local styles, all blended to create a rich piece of architecture.
I normally try not to go on tours because I prefer the flexibility of exploring a place on my own without crowds, but it was easier to reach Petra via a tour. As a result the first day was a whirlwind of the main sights without really scraping past the surface or going deeper into the site past theatre or Treasury.
The second day, I set out alone at 6am with a goal of beating the tourists and the heat to the Ad-Deir, or the Monastery. Once again, the trek through the Siq did not cease to amaze me. The quiet and stillness at 7am was quite a contrast to the day before where the sounds of tourists would bounce off and echo throughout the tall walls of the gorge. The reddish brown colors start to become more vibrant as the sun’s rays climb higher in the sky and cast itself onto the rock. Images of the Grand Canyon start to appear in my head – rightfully so because the rock formations reminded me of the Grand Canyon – but on a much smaller scale. I make my way towards the Treasury where a few tourists and camels were standing about. I take the obligatory tourist photo before continuing towards the Monastery.
The path to the steps to the Monastery was relatively easy, passing donkeys and camels lingering about, locals trying to sell me jewelry and other odd items, and various remnants of the fantastic city carved into rocks. I then hit the 800 steps to the top of the Monastery. The steps are not continuous, nor are they linear. They are unevenly carved into the rock, almost purposefully as if the designer wanted you to pause to take in the views of the mountain scenes on the way up. Unfortunately for me, these views were interrupted by smells of donkey doo left by donkeys climbing up the stairs. My adrenaline helped me to make it to the top of the 800 steps, where I was rewarded with the sight of the Monastery, a larger and more simplified embellished version of the Treasury. The large open space in front of the Monastery was probably a gathering space. I stood alone in this space and felt so tiny. A sign on a cliff catches my eye – “The Best View in Petra” so naturally, I headed towards this.
I sit on the cliff with a view to the Monastery and take a deep breath, close my eyes and breathe the fresh air while listening to the sound of silence. The heat is tolerable and after a few minutes I do not notice the sun shining on me anyway. My mind goes blank as I sit completely still, cross legged in the dirt. I do not know how long I sat there or how long my eyes were shut for but when I do open up my senses back to the world, the heat has gotten intolerable, the sun so bright that it hurts my eyes, and the tourists greater in number.
By the time I make it back to the meeting point, I had spent 9 hours exploring and still had not experienced everything. I wish I had more time here but I must move on. For now, I will have to be satisfied with re-watching Indiana Jones, The Mummy Returns and Transformers to remind me of my time here spent in Petra… :P
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