Aqaba and Petra, Jordan

Petra (Greek "πέτρα" (petra), meaning rock; Arabic: البتراء, Al-Batrāʾ) is a historic and archaeological city in the Jordanian governorate of Ma'an that has rock cut architecture and water conduits system. Established sometime around the 6th century BC as the capital city of the Nabataeans, it is a symbol of Jordan as well as its most visited tourism attraction. It lies on the slope of Mount Hor in a basin among the mountains which form the eastern flank of Arabah (Wadi Araba), the large valley running from the Dead Sea to the Gulf of Aqaba. Petra was chosen as one of the New Seven Wonders of the World in 2007 and a World Heritage Site since 1985. Petra was chosen by the BBC as one of "the 40 places you have to see before you die".
The site remained unknown to the Western world until 1812, , hence “the lost city of Petra”, when it was introduced by Swiss explorer Johann Ludwig Burckhardt. It was described as "a rose-red city half as old as time" in a Newdigate Prize-winning sonnet by John William Burgon. UNESCO has described it as "one of the most precious cultural properties of man's cultural heritage."

It seems no work of Man's creative hand,
by labour wrought as wavering fancy planned;
But from the rock as if by magic grown,
eternal, silent, beautiful, alone!
Not virgin-white like that old Doric shrine,
where erst Athena held her rites divine;
Not saintly-grey, like many a minster fane,
that crowns the hill and consecrates the plain;
But rose-red as if the blush of dawn,
that first beheld them were not yet withdrawn;
The hues of youth upon a brow of woe,
which Man deemed old two thousand years ago,
match me such marvel save in Eastern clime,
a rose-red city half as old as time.



Pliny the Elder and other writers identify Petra as the capital of the Nabataeans, Aramaic-speaking Semites, and the centre of their caravan trade. Enclosed by towering rocks and watered by a perennial stream, Petra not only possessed the advantages of a fortress, but controlled the main commercial routes which passed through it to Gaza in the west, to Bosra and Damascus in the north, to Aqaba and Leuce Come on the Red Sea, and across the desert to the Persian Gulf.
Petra declined rapidly under Roman rule, in large part due to the revision of sea-based trade routes. In 363 an earthquake destroyed many buildings, and crippled the vital water management system. The ruins of Petra were an object of curiosity in the Middle Ages and were visited by Sultan Baibars of Egypt towards the end of the 13th century. The first European to describe them was Johann Ludwig Burckhardt in 1812.

According to Arab tradition, Petra is the spot where Moses struck a rock with his staff and water came forth, and where Moses' brother, Aaron, is buried, at Mount Hor, known today as Jabal Haroun or Mount Aaron. The Wadi Musa or "Wadi of Moses" is the Arab name for the narrow valley at the head of which Petra is sited.

Excavations have demonstrated that it was the ability of the Nabataeans to control the water supply that led to the rise of the desert city, creating an artificial oasis. The area is visited by flash floods and archaeological evidence demonstrates the Nabataeans controlled these floods by the use of dams, cisterns and water conduits. These innovations stored water for prolonged periods of drought, and enabled the city to prosper from its sale.

Petra is known as the Rose-Red City for the colour of the rocks in which Petra is carved. The impressive eastern entrance leads steeply down through a dark, narrow gorge (in places only 3–4 m (9.8–13 ft) wide) called the Siq ("the shaft"), a natural geological feature formed from a deep split in the sandstone rocks and serving as a waterway flowing into Wadi Musa. At the end of the narrow gorge stands Petra's most elaborate ruin, Al Khazneh (popularly known as "the Treasury" because legend has it that the urn, which you can see I the photos, contained a treasure, which it can’t because it is solid), hewn into the sandstone cliff. A little further from the Treasury, at the foot of the mountain called en-Nejr, is a massive theatre, so placed as to bring the greatest number of tombs within view. At the point where the valley opens out into the plain, the site of the city is revealed with striking effect. The amphitheatre has been cut into the hillside and into several of the tombs during its construction. Rectangular gaps in the seating are still visible. Almost enclosing it on three sides are rose-coloured mountain walls, divided into groups by deep fissures, and lined with knobs cut from the rock in the form of towers.

You can see from the photos that the Nabuteans were adept at reproducing various architectural styles: Roman, Greek, Egyptian, Indian, Syrian…as they controlled the water supply at a crossroads of caravan routes, they absorbed the various styles described to them. You can also see the amazing range of colors – no painting anywhere, just a clever use of the natural shadings of the sandstone.

Basically the Nabuteans were troglodytes who built elaborate tombs. That said, the site is astonishing. The tombs are all carved from the rock; he carving was done from the top down. They used elaborate scaffolding to get to the top of the area to be carved an worked their way down.

What can I add other than to say that, when you emerge from the narrow Siq and the Treasury gradually comes into view, the effect is breathtaking. The rest of the site is wonderful, but nothing compares to that moment. Unforgettable.

A footnote - we docked in Aqaba - famed resort for diving - very attractive town...the drive up to Petra - up to 5,000 feet and then down to 3,000 -was very interesting. Wonderful mountain ranges and desert as far as the eye can see. Some, Bedouin tents, goats, donkeys, barley - but a very stark, but beautiful landscape. The Bedouin settlements have mostly been dismantled and the people dispersed to towns (as in Egypt), but some remain. Same for the cave people of Petra. Our guide claims to have been born in a cave. There are still 15 families that are allowed to live in the caves - the others have been resettled. From Aqaba we could see Eilat in Israel - one could walk there. And we encountered a sandstorm on the way back.