Day 02 - Petra

For Day 2, we loaded our luggage on the bus and left the Old Village hotel to drive to Petra, of the New Seven Wonders of the World and a UNESCO world heritage site. The name Petra is derived from the Greek word 'petros', which means ‘rocks’. Petra is also called the “Rose City” from the color of the sandstone out of which it is carved.

Petra is believed to have been established in 312 BC, making it one of the oldest cities in the world. It was the capital city of Nabateans, who were ancient southern Arab people that arrived in Jordan around the 6th century BC. They were essentially the makers of one of the most extraordinary civilizations. Situated between the Red Sea and the Dead Sea, Petra was a trade center and the financial center of the ancient world. However, trade brought more than wealth and exotic goods to Petra. As traders from around the world passed though on camel caravans, they also brought new ideas and culture from places near and far like Egypt, China, and Greece.

The Rose City is home to roughly 800 tombs, therefore known as the "Royal Tombs", with the most renowned being The Treasury. Most people associate the image of the Treasury façade with Petra; it was made famous in the movie “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade” and is really the beginning of the sites to see. The Treasury was originally built as a mausoleum and crypt and is estimated to be over 2,000 years old. It was discovered in 1812 by a Swiss explorer.

Our guides Mohanned 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 have 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. Beyond that were dwelling caves, facades, a Roman theater and elaborate royal tombs.

Mohanned described the Nabatean people’s amazing ability to manage water. It wouldn't have been possible for Petra to exist if it had not been for the water channel system that was constructed, which was enough to support the 30,000 citizens that are believed to have occupied Petra at its first-century peak. The Nabateans were extremely skilled water engineers, traders, builders and carvers. They even built a large swimming pool by the palace - in the middle of the desert!

The right side of the path featured clay pipes, and the slight downward grade created water pressure. There were even occasional water filter areas cut out for the silt to drop to the bottom. They built their own dam which ended in a cistern; in fact, there were over 200 cisterns found in the city.

By the end of the winding siq, the canyon walls narrowed, and the shadows darkened; suddenly, the walls opened and there was the breathtaking sight for which Petra is so famous! Its startling beauty always draws almost audible gasps. Our group then enjoyed some picture-taking time.

We had the opportunity to ride donkeys and mules up out of the canyon instead of walking up a long, steep hill to the bus. We slowly ascended out of the canyon, the dramatic city ruins as our backdrop. What an incredible place! Perhaps the best souvenir of our time here is being able to close our eyes and relive these moments, the memories of which won’t be wiped away as easily as the sandstone dust on our shoes.

After lunch, we drove to the port city of Aqaba, which is uniquely situated next to Egypt, Israel, and Saudi Arabia. Tomorrow we will be crossing the border and beginning the Saudi Arabian portion of our tour!

Tisbah ‘ala khair (Goodnight in Arabic)!