Simply amazing …

Monday October 21, 2019

WADI MUSA, Jordan – Travel brochures and promotional literature cannot accurately portray Petra, an archeological gem.

Cited in 2007 as one of the new Seven Wonders of the World, this is a complex of structures spread apart by distance and purpose. Within a time frame, historians and archeologists identified between the fifth and first centuries BC as a rough construction period.

What makes this place so unique is the remoteness and reasons for growth, development and success. To reach Petra is a challenge but to tour and experience the site is probably a greater challenge.

That’s because you have few transportation options. Walking is the best way to get around or you can take a donkey. More on that a bit later.

An important aspect of Petra is mystery. No written records survive from those who inhabited the region and there remain only guesses as to religious, economic and political systems. We do know The Nabataeans settled the area and built the magnificent structures which remain. For about 200 years, from the first century BC to the first century AD, the Nabataeans reached their height of power and influence.

Archeologists have been able to piece isolated bits together but a definitive history of the Nabataeans will never be known.

Petra was a central location on a lucrative trade route. In addition to trade, the Nabataeans charged tolls for those passing through Petra and waxed wealthy. Gaining a high degree of prosperity, there seem to exist among leaders that a show of power and prestige was necessary.

Hence, the structures we see today.

From the Nabatean civilization, four edifices survive. The most important is the Treasury, a striking portrait carved out of sandstone and granite. You reach the Treasury by walking about 2-kilometers through The Siq, a series of winding slot canyons. The Treasury appears in a courtyard and overwhelms those who enter.

Archeologists believe the Treasury was a burial tomb for the wealthy and the important. Over the centuries, those who thought there existed riches beyond its walls tried to extricate the contents but there is no evidence. Still, what archeologists believe to be large bullet holes are found on both sides of the main entrance door.

Passing through another slot canyon, the Royal Tombs appear in the right. A series of facades again carved out of sandstone and granite, these were additional burial locations. Further down to the left, we find the Great Temple, currently undergoing an excavation by an archeological team from Brown University.

The fourth significant structure is the Monastery, built by the Nabataeans but later converted to a church. You reach the Monastery by climbing up 800 steps to an open courtyard. As with the remaining structures, there is clear Greek and Roman styles of architecture. That’s likely because Petra, on a significant trade route, was influenced by ideas from travelers and roving merchants.

The trek to the Monastery is demanding at best. Literature from the visitors center explains this is steep and challenging. There were several series of steps but also you have to traverse shiny, slippery rock formations. I made the walk but Waynette stayed behind and said this would be too demanding for her knees.

What’s interesting about the Monastery is what’s is not there. There’s evidence of the grave robbers at work here as at the Treasury. In Greek and Roman structures, statues were placed between columns and at the Monastery, there are no such statues in these open spaces. This could be evidence the statues or existing artwork were removed or stolen.

Reaching the Monastery, it took me 1-hour, 15 minutes and about 50 minutes to walk down.

Because of two major factors, the Nabataeans did not survive. First, they were conquered by the Romans, who allowed the Nabataeans to continue their trade and life style. More important, a major earthquake in 363 destroyed most of Petra and the Nabataeans faded into history.

Now, a note that you will not find in those travel pamphlets.

There are a plethora of Bedouin capitalists with their tables of ware and trinkets spread throughout the site. Especially walking to and from the Monastery, you’re hit with a constant barrage, ” you want to buy something?” While it’s noble to make a living as a merchant, it’s probably best to keep Petra in the most pristine state as possible.

While walking is the preferred method of getting around Petra, Bedouins are constantly pushing donkey and horse back rides. In their pitch, they are extremely aggressive and the best thing to do is not to make eye contact and keep walking.

Donkey rides are heavily promoted to reach the Monastery and donkey droppings decorate the path. Not only is walking a challenge but navigating through what the donkeys drop merely exacerbates the journey.

Overall Petra, despite its remoteness, is fascinating and to be seen. Be prepared because walking the site is extremely demanding. On Monday, I put in over 28,000 steps and that’s about 13 miles. By far, that is the most I have ever walked in any one day.

We bought a two-day pass and will go back on Tuesday. However, we plan only to go to the visitors center and the nearby Petra Museum.

We leave Tuesday and return to Israel. We arranged for a cabbie to drive us back to the Rabin border crossing and we’re scheduled to leave here at 2 in the afternoon.

Upon arriving and picking up the car, we plan to visit Eilat, a beach resort in southern Israel.