Petra by Petros

The recession of 2008 and 2009 gave me a chance in 2009 to take more time off work. Voluntary unpaid time off or VUPTO of 10 days had to be taken between 1 July and 31 Dec 2009. What to do and where to go ? Jill and I were keen to try a biking holiday, and Exodus were running a 7 day trip in October to Jordan, we had heard of Petra and its beauty, Wazza's wonder somewhere in the back of my mind, so we signed up and hoped our innate fitness would mean no need for special training (not so as we found out but that is another story).
Billed as Petra and Wadi Rum by Bike
"One week cycling through stunning desert scenery, plus Petra and Madaba "
The Kingdom of Jordan is an ideal destination for a week long break. It includes one of the most spectacular wonders in the world - the 'Rose-red city' of Petra - and the ancient sites of Madaba and Mount Nebo. Away from the temples and monuments we ride through quiet villages and ancient olive groves, along the way meeting some of the Bedouin people, renowned for their hospitality. There is also the opportunity to float in the Dead Sea and snorkel in the Red Sea, ensuring that there is time to relax and unwind as well as explore. Most relaxing of all is the night spent in Wadi Rum, the former headquarters of Lawrence of Arabia. Here the solitude, the majestic desert scenery and incredible night skies, ensure a memorable evening of star gazing.

Days 4 and 5 were billed as "Two full days to explore the fascinating city of Petra, including a guided tour of the main sites; ride to the temple of Siq Al Baida (Little Petra)".

We rolled into the hotel and guest-room town of Wadi Musa after a day (3) that had included a cycle down from Moses's look-out at Mt Nebo to the Dead Sea and thereafter a dip in the briny. A coach ride of several hours took us up into darkening hills; at times the view was obscured by the fog of the low clouds.

Although much has been written about Petra, and there has been a lot of lyrical waxing on her beauty by Wazza, nothing really prepares you for this amazing place. It has to be seen to be believed.

Petra was first established sometime around the 6th century BC, by the Nabataean Arabs, a nomadic tribe who settled in the area and laid the foundations of a commercial empire that extended into Syria. It is a vast, unique city, carved into the sheer rock face by the Nabataeans, an industrious Arab people who settled in this desert rock wilderness, turning it into an important junction for the silk, spice and other trade routes that linked China, India and southern Arabia with Egypt, Syria, Greece and Rome.
Despite successive attempts by the Seleucid king Antigonus, the Roman emperor Pompey and Herod the Great to bring Petra under the control of their respective empires, Petra remained largely in Nabataean hands until around 100AD, when the Romans took over. It was still inhabited during the Byzantine period, when the former Roman empire moved its focus east to Constantinople, but declined in importance thereafter.

Despite all their industry, the Nabataeans did not survive the earthquake that crippled their power and they disappeared forever, and their kingdom also disappeared for hundreds of years.
The Crusaders constructed a fort there in the 12th century, but soon withdrew, leaving Petra to the local people until the early 19th century, when it was rediscovered for the West by the Swiss explorer Johann Ludwig Burckhardt in 1812, almost 200 years ago will there be a 200th birthday party in Geneva I wonder ? Johann apparently tricked his way into the fiercely guarded site by pretending to be an Arab from India wishing to make a sacrifice at the tomb of the Prophet Aaron.


The Treasury or 'Al-Khazneh'.
No trickery is needed now only Jordanian currency. Our first morning dawned high up in the Jordanian hills with drizzle and low cloud. Following a hearty breakfast our team of 16 aching bikers left our bike-gear in our rooms and kitted up for hiking in Petra. We headed down the busy main road of town to the tourist entrance to Petra right at the foot of the town. With our newly acquired Petra guide we then ambled down a curving sandy trail, inspecting odd looking tombs carved out of the yellow stone, to arrive after a kilometre at the real Entrance to the city, the Siq, a narrow gorge, over 1 kilometre in length, which is flanked on either side by soaring, 80 metres high cliffs. Walking down through the Siq on our first morning was a cold but stunning experience. We dodged fast moving horse drawn carriages and slower moving red-carpeted camels taking punters for a ride in the Siq. The colours and formations of the rocks are indeed dazzling even in the rain. As we reached the end of the Siq we caught our first glimpse of Al-Khazneh (Treasury) smooth pink perfection framed by the rough natural canyon walls of the Siq.

This is, as billed, an awe-inspiring experience. A massive facade, 30m wide and 43m high, carved out of the sheer, dusky pink, rock-face and dwarfing everything around it. It was carved in the early 1st century as the tomb of an important Nabataean king and represents the engineering genius of these ancient people.
After spending with many others quite a number of megabites on the Treasury we moved on down the main street to try for some shelter from the rain at a tea house, and for some warmth round an open fire for those of us who did not believe that it could indeed be cold at Petra. We shivered until hot sweet tea arrived.
Recharged we moved on out down the main highway of the ancient town. There are hundreds of elaborate rock-cut tombs with intricate carvings - unlike the houses, which were destroyed mostly by earthquakes, the tombs were carved to last throughout the afterlife and 500 have survived, empty but bewitching as you file past their dark openings. Here also is a massive Nabataean-built, Roman-style theatre, which could seat 3,000 people. There are obelisks, temples, sacrificial altars and colonnaded streets.
The group then split up, and Jill and I aimed high above to a place where the hardy will find the almost equally impressive (as the Treasury/Al-Khazneh) carving, the Ad-Deir Monastery overlooking the valley up a flight of 800 rock cut steps. This is worth the climb as there is a fantastic view over the whole of Petra and the extremely wild and crazy mountains from which it is hewn, and it is a good stop for lunch.
We spent the afternoon and the afternoon of the next day exploring Petra, albeit 5 days are recommended to see everything. I can recommend the hike up to the Place of the Sacrifice and also to attend the night session of candles and performance of poetry and music at The Treasury (take a hip flask). The Siq and Al-Khazneh are lit by small candles in paper covers. The return up at the end of the performance was dream like. We were totally alone together walking up the wonderful candle-lit canyon, as we had managed to get to the head of the crowd who were somewhere behind us in the dark. We were all of us spirited along the Siq, our exit up from paradise.
Wazza was right. A place of magic and mystery not to be missed.
Work in Progress : April 2010