Petra by Night and Day

I just returned from visiting Petra, Aqaba, and Karak. It was an amazing trip with too many stories for just one post. So today I will begin with Petra.

There is only one word to describe Petra – incredible. Well, I guess I can also use: astonishing, amazing, extraordinary, staggering, unbelievable, remarkable, fantastic, huge, tremendous and wow. My words, nor my pictures, can do justice to Petra’s splendor.

I would like to begin by giving a brief (if possible) history of Petra and then I’ll share some pictures and give some Petra-travel advice.

This history of Petra goes back thousands of years. The Old Testament mentions Petra (Edom) as on the path of the Israelites’ march towards Israel after their escape from the Sinai. Legend notes that it was in the hills just above Petra that Moses struck a rock that then gushed water to quench the thirst of the parched Israelites. It was here that Moses’ brother Aaron died and he was buried on a mountain (Jebel Haroun) that overlooks Petra. Around the time of 1000 B.C., King David attempted to take control over Petra which had become rich from its success as a trading outpost between civilizations. King Solomon then controlled Petra for 50 years and profited from his control of the area. After the death of King Solomon and the collapse of the Israelite kingdom, the power vacuum in the area caused Petra to pass from Edomite, to Assyrian, to Babylonian, and to Persian hands.

After the Babylonians depopulated most of Palestine during their rule in the 6^th century B.C., the Nabateans migrated out of the Arabian Desert to the more moderate climate that was found in the Petra valley. While the previous occupants of Petra lived in the hills above the valley, the Nabateans found out that they could survive much more efficiently down in the canyons between the mountains. It was at this time that the Nabateans found out that they could prosper by setting up a trading colony at Petra, which lied on major trade routes and was protected by its geography.

Profits from the Nabateans' caravaning business allowed them to create a powerful kingdom that stretched from Damascus to parts of the Sinai desert. They fought and won wars and used diplomacy to secure their Kingdom from the Greeks (the great power at the time). By 106 A.D. the Roman Empire became too strong for the Nabateans to hold off and they soon became annexed by Rome. Even under Roman occupation Nabatean culture continued to survive for many more years until the source of their riches – mainly the frankincense trade – was depleted as Christianity replaced the regional pagan religions.

After reaching its historical peak between 100 B.C. – 300 A.D. (approx.), Petra was gradually abandoned after the 14^th century and completely lost to the “West”. It wasn’t until a Swiss researcher/adventurer, Johann Ludwig Burckhardt, “discovered” Petra in 1812 that it became known to the rest of the world. And I discovered it for myself this weekend.

First piece of advice – Do “Petra by Night”. Petra by Night is an after-dark guided tour through the Petra valley that leads you by candlelight to the Treasury plaza. Guides set out 1500 candles to lead the way. You walk in silence (cameras and cell phones are supposed to be turned off) through the darkness and try to imagine what it was like to live here 2000 years ago. Once you reach the plaza, which is flickering with hundreds of candles, a Bedouin musician plays music on a stringed Bedouin instrument and another plays on a small wooden flute. You are served tea and you listen to a story from the guide. We were lucky enough to have a full moon that night which added to the excitement. I only wish my camera could have captured more of the beauty of the darkness on film.

Second piece of advice – If you visit in the summer, start Petra by day when the area opens at 7am. This is for two reasons: 1. Even in the off-season (which is now) Petra is flooded with hundreds and hundreds of visitors. Getting there early allowed us to wonder nearly alone through the area which made the hike very special; 2. By 2 p.m. my thermometer had maxed out at 50 degrees C. That means it was at least 132 degrees F. Bring a LOT of water.

Now for a short tour. I recommend checking out my Petra photo album slide show here as well. It is worth a look.

The Siq - This is the ancient main entrance to Petra. It is 1200m long and the cliffs rise 80m high. The colors are beautiful, changing from beige to rose to black to white and all kinds of shades in between.

The first view of the Treasury.

The Treasury. The unique archaeological style of this building was inspired by Hellenistic and Alexandrian-Hellenistic influences. It is huge 30m x 40m and breathtaking. I can't really describe it beyond that - you have to see it for yourself. The name "Treasury" is not Nabatean... the local Bedouin could not figure out how or why someone would build such a monument. So they came up with a legend that while the Pharaoh was chasing the Israelites after the Exodus, he was slowed down by all his treasure. So he stopped to have this monument carved out of the rock to store the loot. People have taken this legend to heart because as you can see at the top of the photo, the urn at the top center has been shot at dozens of times to see if there was any gold hidden inside of the rock sculpture.

Insert Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade theme music here.

The Street of Facades.

One of dozens of tombs carved into the solid rock.

The Theater. This theater looks Roman but it was created by the Nabateans in the 1st century A.D.. (Clearly it was built with Roman influence.) It is carved into the solid rock. Initially it could seat 3000 people but it was expanded to finally hold about 7000.

The colonnaded street. This led through the city center. It was flanked by temples, public buildings and shops. The marble pavement is still visible today.

With the temperature now over 100 degrees (F) we decided to hire donkeys from the Bedouin to ride to the top of the mountain where the Monastery is located. Pictured along with myself and my donkey Steve-O is my roommate Holli and her donkey Michael Jackson.

The beginning of the path up the mountain to the Monastery.

Nearing the top.

It was worth the shlep.


The Monastery. At the top of Ad-Deir mountain lies Petra's second most famous attraction - the Monastery. It is huge. The Monastery was certainly a place of worship used for large religious ceremonies. The plaza in front of the Monastery was not naturally flat. It was carved out of the mountain by the Nabateans to serve as an area for large numbers of worshipers to congregate.

The blogger having tea with his Bedouin friends.

I could go on and on about how amazing Petra was and about all of the things we experienced there. And I just may do that in additional posts. But as I said earlier... just go see it for yourself. And bring the SPF 55.