Imagine millions of years ago in the mountains and hills of southern Jordan seismic activity taking place, creating a large fissure or gap. Flash foods and winds further deepened the crevasse, smoothing the red, sandstone walls and making fascinating rock formations. The exposed rock was all variations of reds and browns.
Toward the end of the fourth century B.C. the Nabataens, a group of nomadic people, began settling in this valley. They devised a complicated system involving canals, cisterns and dams to collect and control the water supply. They became wealthy by honing their ability to detect sought after goods and expanding their sphere of influence along the nearby trade routes. And most amazingly, they carved a city into the mountains complete with temples, amphitheaters/ coliseums to seat 4,000+ people, colonnades...some of the facades reaching several stories high. The architecture was clearly influenced by Mesopotamia, Persia, Egypt, Greece and later Rome.
But enough with the history lesson... you have to see the pictures of this place!
We started out riding in on horseback. The horse weren't allowed to go fast, to the boys chagrin. It was at this point we began to learn about tipping in tourist sites; the open palm was evident everywhere we went. Unfortunately we didn't have enough small change to give the "cowboys" who led the horses from the visitors center to the gorge entrance. Rather than just accepting what we were able to give them, they became enraged. I quickly ushered the oblivious boys away while Steve tried unsuccessfully to placate them with apologies. From that point on, we always tried to have plenty of small change ready.
We walked the rest of the way in, beginning our way through the Siq, narrow gorge that led to the city. If you look closely at the entrance of the canyon, you will see about halfway up on the left side the remnants of an ancient arch.
As we wandered slowly through taking in the sights, the boys kept themselves entertained for hours by walking in the dried up water canals, climbing onto rocks, running ahead and then running back. They were covered in fine red dust from head to toe. Knowing how many days it would be until I was able to do laundry, I was severely tempted to rein them. I held my tongue though and let them enjoy themselves, a decision I ended up repeating daily the rest of the trip.
The rocks walls along the way were beyond words: the variation of colors, the smoothness of the walls, and the interesting ways the wind formed the rocks all delighted and amazed us. Here are some of my favorites:
On this wall below, we were able to see the remains of some kind of mural. It apparently used to be a carving of a man leading a camel. You can still see the man's legs and the camel's feet and belly. The rest has been worn away by the elements.
Finally we came to the Siq (gate) to the city. We rounded a corner to see this:
It was astounding, simply astounding. That was all hand carved into the side of rock hill over 2,000 years ago. The building you are looking at was called the Treasury, probably the most widely known building and the most representative picture of Petra. It was actually three stories tall: there is another level below the ground. Flash floods have raised the silt/sand level in the canyon. The beautiful reddish color is natural sandstone - there was not a speck of paint anywhere, nor have my pictures been retouched.
The building was in a sort of courtyard, leading to winding roads that led through rock hills to other parts of the city. Along the way we saw tombs, homes, colonnades, arches, and various buildings all cut into the sides of the hills.
The picture below shows what is left of the theater, which in its day sat over 4,000 people.
Interestingly, people still live in some of the caves you see on the hills. Quite a few Bedouins lived in the caves until the government "moved them" to preserve this ancient city. They were basically relocated to newly built, subsidized housing nearby. A few have been allowed to stay (I have no idea why), and if you look closely, you can see the glass that they added to the cave windows.
After walking about four hours we found a restaurant and had a quick lunch. Even though we had only seen a fraction of the city, we thought it best to begin the long walk back to the visitors center. Grandma and the boys wisely chose to ride donkeys part of the way. Jacob's donkey was very flatulent, which made the boys laugh hysterically! It's still one of their fondest memories of Petra - go figure!
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