2006.05.20_Petra 4 - Rock

It was mid-afternoon and we got time to visit two more lookout points uphill to see the arid valley scenery surrounding Petra. Just like the ruin itself, the views of the surrounding were dramatic. On our way out we stopped by more royal tombs and small cave dwellings. We were exhausted from the return hike and heat but we could still get excited and rush to take photos when we encountered rocks with unique patterns. From the ruins of the civic centre it was another 2km before we reached the visitor centre. Everyone seemed to be leaving at the same time, by horses, by donkey carts, by feet and so on. In the evening we had dinner at Red Cave Restaurant. After the meal I walked up to the village of Wadi Musa by myself to the Internet café.

2006.05.20_Petra 2 - Treasury

At the end of the Siq, about 1.5km from the gorge entrance, we arrived at the spot where every visitor would stop for the iconic view of the rock-cut Treasury (Al Khazneh). No matter how many times the image of the Treasury has become in the age of mass images, the view is still stunning. While we were taking photos, groups after groups of tourists passed by us and gathered in front of the Treasury. Certainly this is the busiest attraction in Jordan. Unlike the Indiana Jones movie, the interior of the Treasury is a large but empty high ceiling space carved out from the cliff. No labyrinth or traps, only massive blank walls containing magnificent marble-like patterns in colours ranged from white to red to brown. There are legends suggesting robbers and pirates used the building as a treasury of looted objects, and probably it was where the name “Treasury” comes from.

Petra was the capital city of the Nabatean civilization. First as the Nabatean capital and then later as an important Roman trading, Petra reached its prime time from around 100BC to 200AD. The city’s fortunate was closely tied to how well they managed water supplies and how caravan routes had established in the Middle East. In its high time, Petra was a very significant trading city at the west end of the Silk Road, before caravans reached the coast of the Mediterranean. The city flourished as a trading city until the Bride of the Desert, Palmyra, took over its place as trade routes being developed further north in today’s Syria and Lebanon.

2006.05.20_Petra 1 - Siq

We get up at 06:00 for breakfast. Extremely excited, we were quickly on our way towards the ticket office of Petra down the road. In the itinerary of many Middle East travelers, Petra is perhaps the single most important highlight of their trip. It only took us 5 minutes to reach the ticket office from Petra Moon Hotel, and that was pretty much the only reason for us to stay there. After obtaining our tickets, we walked along a winding and dusty pathway to the entrance of the Siq, a narrow gorge that served as the main entry into Petra. At a few points, the Siq became so narrow and dim that I felt like walking in a tunnel no wider than a car’s lane. From aerial photos one can clearly see how narrow the Siq is – a split in the rose-red sandstone plateau no wider than 3m at some points. In early morning, the rock cliffs seemed to glow in a golden colour. I anticipated the change of colour from gold to red as the day went by. A carved water channel, at about 1m high along the sides of the Siq, was still visible as we walked into the desert city. The water channel was a great engineer infrastructure that led water from flash floods into Petra, where it was stored for daily use.