PETRA

Friday, 1/16, we boarded the bus at 7:30 AM for the 3 hour drive to Petra.

Petra is heralded as one of the 7 wonders of the world.  It has been featured on Indiana Jones and other films.  It's a place that I have wanted to visit for many years.


The area around Petra was originally inhabited by the Edomites, the family of Esau.  The Edomites were mostly cave dwellers, and caves are found throughout the area.  Moses asked the Edomites for permission to cross their land, but was refused, causing the Israelites to go into the desert, or wilderness, and then come back to the promised land near Mt. Nebo.  It is believed that Aaron, brother of Moses, was buried here.  He is remembered in the Tomb of Aaron, high on the hill outside of Petra.  The Nabateans defeated the Edomites, establishing a rich trade center.  They controlled the water, creating an oasis in the desert.  The Nabateans worshiped Arab gods and are credited with carving the facades in the rocks.

The path entering Petra

The Treasury

From the Visitor Center, we walked through the small rock "gorges" and were met with the most famous facade, The Treasury.

Our guide told us that these facades were entrances to tombs rather than buildings, homes, and palaces.  The facades have Egyptian, Greek, and Roman influences.

Caves where inhabitants lived.  Our guide told us
the caves on the right were all one home,
probably a wealthy family.

Visitors could ride camels rather than walk
Note the caves in the background

Palace Tombs

In 106 AD, the Romans absorbed Petra into the Roman Empire.  Petra declines quickly as trade routes changed.  Earthquakes and invasions by Persians followed.  The last known inhabitants left the city around 650 AD.  It was largely unknown to the western world until the 1800's.  In October, 1917, Lawrence of Arabia led a revolt of the Arabs and Syrians against the Ottoman Empire in this area.






















Access to the site is unbelievably open.  We could climb most anywhere within the site and actually touch the facades.  Some tombs were open and we could walk in.

The vendors selling postcards, trinkets, camel rides, horse rides, etc. were so aggressive that it became irritating.  We had to learn to say NO as we saw them approach.  One young girl was so persistent with Ginger that she put a stack of postcards in her hand, saying it was a "gift", but then was waiting for Ginger to reciprocate with a "gift".  Ginger gave the postcards back.

Petra is Jordan's most visited site.  We felt is was a bit crowded, but our guide reminded us that this was the extreme low season for tourists.  We imagined what it would be like in the high season.... must be AWFUL.

After more than 4 hours, it was time to go.  For a couple of days before our arrival at Petra, storms had brought snow and rain, with the roads closed the day before.  Our guide wanted to make sure we could leave the area before more storms came in and potentially closed the roadways.

Back to the hotel, a tired group had dinner and retired early.  Tomorrow...Jerash........