Welcome to Petra

The trip to Petra was amusing. Getting over the border took more than an hour, following which we took two cabs (one to Aqaba and one to Petra) on a crazy road with the cabbie driving like a madman past shacks, sheep, goats, and lots of sand. We shared the ride with a an American family we met while crossing the border; they were going just for the day, so we negotiated with the taxi driver for a slightly better fare (we think).

The road climbed several mountains, and at the top of one of them we took the picture to the left.

It was about 75 degrees Fahrenheit in Eilat, but perhaps 50 at the top of the mountian. Brrrr!!!

The cabbie kindly took the photo to the left, following which we all ducked back in the taxi to get warm. In case you can see it, the view is of Wadi Rhum, or Rhum Valley

Once we got to Petra, we checked into our hotel, the Petra Forum, which was a tad expensive but worth it; we didn't have to worry about our bags, it had a safe for valuables we didn't feel like carrying, the staff was quite helpful, and the location couldn't have been better; it was just outside the entrance to the park. After lunch we bought our 25 dinar ($35) two-day passes and started walking. The family with whom we shared the taxi hired a guide, Hani, who led us on a short (but later extended) tour of the main sites (and then on a nice hike).

These horse carriages bump along down the canyon (or Siq) into the ruins. Granny would have had to brave this rocky ride! We walked.

Tourists share Petra with various animals, including this goat.

All along the siq on either side are aqueducts; the Nabateans who carved Petra in the 1st centuries B.C. and A.D. were quite the engineers, and they marshalled their water resources quite successfully. The intricate water system carrying water into the city and collecting water along the way comprised two sets of channels--one in rock and one in clay pipes for the royalty. It wasn't until the Romans altered the trade route and earthquakes damaged the aqueducts that Petra fell from its exalted status as center of the Nabatean empire.

To the left is a picture of Monica in the Siq on the way to the Treasury, or al-Khazneh (a building you can see below).

The Nabateans, who built this city before the Romans took it over, carved and built many monuments and places for offerings along the Siq. They weren't dumb--the cavern is incredibly impressive as well as being impregnable by the military. In the picture to the right, you can see the faint remains of etchings in Greek.

Many carvings once lined the walls. All that remains of this set are human and camel feet. Quite a feat, Petra.

This photo to the right and the two following are the so-called "Treasury" building, named by the invaders who thought that the urn at the top contained gold. Quite an impressive site when first seen through the opening in the narrow canyon that widens into the Nabatean city.

This is the top of the Treasury, in a more accurate rose-red color

This is the bottom part, with tourists and all. (The carving was too big to get in one photo, at least not horizontally.

Of course, the ever-present salesmen convinced us to get Monica up on a camel for a photo.

Adam didn't get up on a camel until later.

These facades are all carved into the walls of the canyon. There were no tools found at the site by archaeologists, so they have no idea what the Nabateans used to carve the buildings. When you see the full extent of the city, however, you realize what an incredible task it must have been.

Monica loved the many camels passing on the walk.

The picture to the left and the three below can give a tiny sense of the vastness of the city of Petra. Many, many levels of building rise from the canyon floor, and there is a lot of evidence of buildings still buried in the sand.

These facades were carved into the hillside.

It is generally believed that many of the caves were designed to hold the dead; Nabateans believed in reincarnation, so they lived and worshipped very close to their ancestors' remains.

Below, Monica stands in front of the "Silk Tomb," so called because of the rich colors of the rock into which it was carved.

At this point, Hani's official "short" tour ended, but we decided to pay the extra fee to have him guide us on a hike up to a great lookout point far above the Silk Tomb.

The photo to the right proves that Monica made the climb up hundreds of steps to a panoramic view of the valley. These steps are the original Nabatean steps carved directly into the hill. They are somewhat worn down, so the Jordanian Department of Antiquities has added some steps and reinforced some areas. Nevertheless, the Nabateans' carving has stood the test of time in many places.

This is the family with whom we shared the cab to and tour of Petra: Lisa and Michael and their son Patrick (very cute at just six months old).

To the right is our guide, Hani. It turns out his brother Hisham owns the Internet Cafe in town, so we saw him again later in "civilian clothes," so to speak.

Along the side of the walk, there are many columns litered about the path. Monica posed by a couple of carved column capitals.

To the right is the Urn Tomb, another carved tomb (and quite an impressive one, I might add, although it was not as well preserved as the Treasury).

"Farmer Adam" waves from atop a stairway to one of the carved homes...

...and Monica poses in front of a set of Nabatean homes (whether for the living or the dead, we weren't sure).

Monica liked this picture of the triangle-carved building capitals.

To the right is the view outside the Petra Internet Cafe in the center of Wadi Mousa, the town abutting the Petra ruins.

The Arabic/English keyboard caused similar problems to those we experienced with the Hebrew/English keyboards in Israel.

Monica sits at a computer at the Petra Internet Cafe.

Internet Cafe owner Hisham al-Masadah (Hani's brother) puzzles over creating his new Web site...

...and gets advice from his younger brother (I guess it's kind of a family business).

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Last updated on July 5, 1999.