Petra

The Treasury Building

Today I did the complete Petra visit. I started at around 8:30am and finished up by 2:30pm (and there were many things I still did not see). It was pretty hot at times (I had to remind myself I was in the desert after all), but as the sun changed positions, the colors of the sandstone mountains went from yellow to pink to red to orange. My tour guide was a retiree who did the job part-time – he spent twenty years in the Jordanian Air Force and, the world being small as it is, spent time training at Fort Bliss and in San Antonio.

Petra is an ancient city carved into solid rock by the Nabataeans, whose capital it became, about 2,200 years ago. It eventually became part of the Roman Empire and later the Byzantine Empire. It was a major hub for commercial activity and because of its position on a trade route, it soaked up a lot of foreign influences. After trade routes changed and earth quakes damaged the city, it was eventually abandoned by the 14^th Century and was re-discovered in 1812. The most famous site in Petra is the Treasury Building (which was launched to pop-culture fame not by the amazing building feat that it is, but thanks instead to its prominent role in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade).  The name “treasury” comes from an old myth that the urn at the top of the building was filled with gold.  It is actually a tomb of a Nabataean king. It is huge and was carved into a single piece of rock. It has Egyptian, Roman, and Greek influences. I had been looking forward to seeing it in person since the trip began, and it did not disappoint.

Other sites in Petra were a 6,000 seat arena, numerous tombs, temples, churches, a column lined street of shops, and building that would be equivalent to a city-hall. All along the Siq, the main entrance to Petra which is a deep and narrow gorge, there are terraces for water (for bringing in water to the city and for camels to drink – including one that had camel legs and feet on the bottom).  There were also niches carved into the sides of rock where idols of gods would be placed. You could also see writing in Aramaic and Greek. Water and rain have created some amazing color striations on the rocks.

Overall Petra was awe-inspiring and totally worth the trip (even though you leave pretty sweaty and dusty/sandy). It’s no surprise that it’s considered one of the Wonders of the World. Tomorrow I leave Petra to spend my last day in Jordan at the Dead Sea. 

Walking through the Siq

Tombs and Temples

Color striations in the rocks

In front of the Treasury - this involved several takes before getting a picture with the entire building

Fig tree growing into side of the mountain along the Siq