The Lost City

What a glorious start to our day this morning at Sun City Camp! Many of us came out of our huts and walked the board walk and climbed rocks for a better view of the sun rising in the desert. The chilly morning temperature required coat, hat and gloves but soon warmed up as we enjoyed breakfast in the giant dome.

After piling our luggage and ourselves into the two buses, we drove the two hours to Petra. Those who have been there before were just as excited for those who were going to see it for the first time! Our guides Mohanned and Hamad led us down the 3-mile walk through the siq (Arabic for canyon), stopping along the way to point out things of interest. The beginning is the necropolis, the burial place for the city consisting of cut out tombs with decorations carved above them (stairway to heaven design). We saw decorative niches carved out which would’ve held statues of their gods. There was even the remnant of a sculpture in the sandstone wall which could still be recognized as two men each leading a camel. I read in an article that at the city’s peak, over 11 million camels would come in and out of Petra in one year because of their corner market on frankincense and myrrh. Beyond were dwelling caves, facades, a Roman theater and elaborate royal tombs.

Mohanned described the Nabatean people’s amazing ability to manage water. Their water system included channels which ran along the left side of the canyon and were covered, bringing in water from the spring in Wadi Musa (see photos). The right side featured clay pipes. The slight downward great created water pressure. There were even occasional water filter areas cut out for the silt to drop to the bottom (see photo). They built their own dam which ended in a cistern; in fact there were over 200 found in the city.

By the end of the winding siq, the canyon walls narrow and the shadows darken; suddenly it opens and there is the breathtaking sight which is so famous in photos and in “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.” We enjoyed some picture taking time from our guide’s favorite vantage point. Two ten-year-old boys convinced me to climb up to the next level of the canyon for a better view of the treasury. They kept repeating, “Five minutes, no problem” on the way up and “Slowly, slowly” on the way down. They were right – the view was spectacular! (see photos)

After a brief break at the Royal Tombs café, we divided into groups: those walking back and those riding donkeys out. (Several members of our group had already hired a horse cart to take them back to the entrance). The larger group walked a bit further and encountered a large herd of donkeys and their owners, 70 in fact! We each climbed up and began the ascent out of the canyon, the dramatic city ruins as our backdrop.
Lunch was served at “My Mom’s Recipe” in the nearby town of modern Petra. Then we drove to our hotel which was also close. Aptly named “The Old Village Resort”, this lovely place features an old Turkish village which was converted to a modern hotel. Goodnight!