Having heard and read enough about Petra, I had taken liberties to let my expectation sore, as I walked past the visitor centre at 7.00am along with the guide, the walk through the fortified wall became more and more intriguing with each step. As I passed the sandstone mountains, my eyes popped out and I felt a rush as I entered the Siq- a narrow gorge between two mountains with the most unique colour scheme on rose red. At some places the mountains come close in a way that only one person can walk through the gorge. I would have wanted to take my own sweet time and observe the agricultural terraces, water channels and bizarre geographical formations but the guide rushed us and for some reason all the tourists seemed to be rushing, along with horse-drawn carriages, and donkeys, then suddenly my narrow passage ends in wide big street and in the front is the most magnificent façade of pillars and statues created on a rock. What a climax! It looked spectacularly radiant as sun's rays fell on it and I knew why I was rushed.
Al- Khazneh - Treasury
Yes! I was at the treasury and though I had seen its pictures in the books but it was as if I was seeing it for the first time. No picture can do justice to the experience of seeing this monument in person. It was carved in 1st century BC as a tomb of an important Nebataean king and later it was used as a temple.
The Petra- History
The Petra city was sculptured by the Nebataeans who came from the Arabian Peninsula more than 2200 years ago. They were essentially nomad traders and agriculturalists who traded with India, China, Syria and Egypt through the silk route. They made Petra their capital and carved grandiose buildings, temples and tombs out of sandstone. They were gifted engineers as they constructed the most amazing water- conservation system by making dams, canals and reservoirs that enabled them to survive in the arid desert. In Petra I witnessed how these ancient people lived like us; they smoked, had wine , feasts and prayed to God in the same sequence. Jokes apart, they were open people and allowed outside cultural influence which is evident when you see various monuments in Petra which has influences from Greco- Roman, Egyptian and Mesopotamian styles. The Nebataeans worried the Romans, and allied themselves for many- many years until the Romans annexed Petra and redesigned it according to traditional Roman- Architecture. The Nebataeans left Petra in an unhurried and organised manner as no silver coins or treasure was left behind.
Ad- deir Monastery
A trek up the mountain through rock-cut steps( approx.-800) took me to the Monastery, I took a donkey (only one way) to go up as I had bought a single day ticket and I had lots of places to cover up. The monastery was carved by Nebataeans as a tomb and later it was used as a church. The intricate work on the rock cannot be expressed in words and from the mountain top you can feast your eyes over splendid views.
High Place Of Sacrifice
This one is a definitely a hard climb, and it was challenging to go on in the heat of the day but the sites on the way kept me going and at the top there are some great views of Petra but I firmly believe that the journey was greater than destination. As experienced by me, it is advisable for tourists to take different routes to the high point as each path withholds unique sightings.
Turkish Bath at Salome
A Jordanian friend recommended this one and it did live to my expectation. They provide pick up and drop from your hotel in Wadi Musa. It is run by two brothers whose fore-fathers were Bedouins, they themselves provide the bath. The bath essentially has two elements opening the pores of the skin by being in a steam room and a massage bath with herbs. It is definitely cleansing and the muscles do feel relaxed. If you compare it with a deep-tissue massage it falls short but its the best bath one can get after 9 hours of climb in Petra. It costs 40 JD for a couple.
Petra by night
Imagine the exquisiteness of Petra when it is lit by thousands of lamps. Yes! every Monday, Wednesday and Thursday the city that was erected by enterprising Nebataeans is lit up by candles put in paper bags. As I walked through the Siq (gorge) the silvery circular moon in all its glory peeped at the little lamps acting as an elder brother . The air danced in the magical romance, but my legs that had been punished enough by the day’s job began to wobble. My husband and i clinged to each other for support. We had reached the Visitor Center way ahead of many hundreds, but soon were behind the many hundreds. On reaching the treasury, we were seated by the Bedouins in a circle around the thousand lamps that were lit in fron of the magnanimous structure. They served us tea and entertained us with traditional Bedouin music. It was indeed one of those special moments which can be experienced only once in a life time and though the walk back to the hotel ( Petra Moon) was also an inhumanly experience, the difference being that the latter was forgotten the very next day and the former still makes my senses softer as I think about it.
A Smart travel advise
If you are planning a trip to Jordan, make sure you have two entire days for Petra at the least. Petra is large spreading over more than 40km and it is not humanly possible to see it in one day. No words can describe it beauty and I am sure you will not like to miss it spectacles. Also the entry ticket for one day visit is 50 JD, two days- 55 JD and 3 days 60 JD which validates this smarttravelogue suggestion
Little Petra
Little Petra is 10 km away from Petra and the Nebataeans used it as a resting place during their long journey. There are remains of a temple, triclinias, biclinias ( meeting places for feasts and celebrations) carved from the sand stone. The Bedouins were living here until few years back, UNESCO dislodged them in order to restore the historical treasure. Little Petra has some unique sightings like art work on the cave rocks dating more than 2000 years back, enthralling rock formations, narrow steep gorges and some fascinating views of Petra. Most travel agents do not include it in their itinerary but this free of charge site is definitely worth a visit.