24th March
Petra, Jordan.
After a night’s sleep disturbed only by the occasional mosquito and a donkey scratching around outside my near ground level window, I braved the cold shower, then was given a breakfast of olives, cheese, eggs and ‘shrack’ – thin bread cooked on a large hot-plate. As Ghassab was still on his way back from Aqaba, I decided to go around Petra accompanied only by a simple, free map available from the Visitor’s Centre. The route is so simple and the sights so obvious, that although a good personal guide would have been better, I didn’t feel I missed out on much by going it alone.
From the entrance to Petra, one of the first sights to be seen is a tomb carved into the rockface on the way down to one of the highlights of the site, the Treasury.
Although highly eroded, the original columns of this tomb can still be seen as a Bedouin horseman rides past in the foreground.
Then follows a long gorge, natural in origin, though widened at places by the makers of this ancient city, the Nabateans, and fitted with water carrying channels down one side, seen here on the left.
This passageway leads all the way to the Treasury, the first sight of which is near to breathtaking. Despite the fact this is a very familiar sight from the many photographs and films made here, as the Treasury emerges from the end of such a long, narrow path, it’s size is truly surprising.
In addition to the size of this huge carved ‘building’, up close the detail of the stonework is impressive. After around 2000 years, this is in good condition but to see it before it was eroded by all those years must have been incredible.
A little farther on from the Treasury, one comes across a theatre, built to accommodate 3000 people. As with the rest of this ancient city, this theatre is carved directly from the sandstone.
Inside these carved buildings, the pattern of the stone layers, laid down over millennia create a beautiful internal effect.
Higher up from all of these sites is the Monastery - the steep 30 minute walk to this point is very much worth while. Note the size of the people near the entrance for scale - remember, this is not a building but a carving out of the mountain itself. Considering the city was created around 2000 years ago, it’s construction is difficult to comprehend.
In addition to the sight of the Monastery, this point also provides views West over the Jordan Valley and Southern Israel.
After five hours of walking around this fascinating place in the hot sun, there was no better way to refresh than in the Turkish Baths, just a few minutes walk from the main entrance to Petra. Once back in the Bedouin village, which now felt a little like home, I was given another fabulous meal before Ghassab returned. He had brought a bottle of wine with him from Aqaba, so we went out to the desert near Little Petra, and drank it under a crystal clear and starry yet warm night. Tired from my day walking and relaxed after my Turkish bath, scrub and massage, the wine tasted great - even though it was far from it - and served as a perfect finish to a very memorable day.
