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| nuthatch | profile | all galleries >> Jordan >> Petra | tree view | thumbnails | slideshow |
 our bus trip to Eilat from central Israel is detoured... |
 ...due to heavy rains the night before |
 so we get to see some of the high mountains in the Negev desert |
 water on the road is still an issue |
 but the scenery is great |
 we cross the Jordan border and arrive in Aqaba as night falls |
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 our first time at the Red Sea |
 it's a busy port here, as in Eilat |
 the next morning we are up early for a drive north thru the Arabah |
 the historic King's Highway climbs up the desert mountains |
 down the slopes we see many bedouin camps |
 our visit to Petra starts with a horse ride; not sure why! |
 a hint of things to come |
 OK, the horse ride was very brief |
 here the Nabataeans cut channels in the rock to control water |
 we start our walk through the narrow rock cleft |
 the stone turns to shades of red and yellow |
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 the path descends slowly as the canyon twists |
 here's a reconstruction of a small dam used to hold water |
 all along the path, the rock walls direct water down... |
 where it was captured by these gutters on each side |
 the rock is smoothed and scalloped by wind |
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 the scale of the place is amazing... |
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 ...as is the sculpture, both natural... |
 ...and man-made |
 and the colors! |
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 in the upper valley, much of the sculpture is funerary |
 though the natural shapes can be whimisical |
 some subtle color changes |
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 niches in the rock are believed to be for offerings |
 here's a remarkable sculpture of two camels and a man |
 we are becoming accustomed to looking for traces of water... |
 and wind... |
 and man... |
 ...all along the path |
 but we are hardly prepared for this glimpse thru the narrow split |
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 the structure known as the Treasury, cut into the cliff face |
 not sure how to photograph this place... |
 OK, this sorta works |
 alright, one more |
 not everyone here is impressed |
 cut steps are one way beyond the canyon here... |
 ...but we'll continue down the walking path |
 more tombs are appearing in the rock walls |
 the old water channels are still following our descent |
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 now we are entering the 'street of facades'... |
 ...a large area with many tombs |
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 more steps wind up the rock |
 some of the tombs have massive facades |
 other areas are crowded with smaller tomb cavities |
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 a little local color |
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 here's an amphitheatre the Nabataeans cut into the tomb site in Roman style |
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 a tomb with a view |
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 we're still quite stunned by the colors |
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 the people in this photo help us appreciate the size of the structures |
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 the ruins of the Nymphaeum, a public water source and one end of the waterways we've been following |
 a collonaded street thru the ancient city's residential area |
 rocks for sale |
 starting to head back up now |
 everyone is enjoying the colors |
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 it's hard to not keep looking up |
 the 'dolphin' again |
 and a quick ride for the last leg of the path |
 we leave the site, still in wonder |
 driving thru the high desert again, more bedouin camps... |
 ...and the ruins of some past dwelling |
 a long view west toward Israel |
 passing the new village and archeological site of Humayma |
 and then our day ends, back at Aqaba |