Petra visit, Tuesday Feb 7th

 Covering over 2500 acres, the Petra archeological site is much more than the standard photo shot of the Treasury which is shown on most tourist brochures.

 

It probably began around 400 BC, developed by a Bedouin tribe called the Nabataeans, as a trading centre. It was later taken over by the Romans around100 AD and fell into decline around 350AD, mostly due to changes in trading routes as well as a major earthquake. Primarily carved out of the sandstone hills on which it is located, very little remains of the original buildings. This is due to the eroding affects of wind and water. 

Very little is known about the purpose of most buildings, the names being mostly romanticized by the locals. Several of the structures are known or believed to be tombs of various rulers and officials. 

From the main entrance a paved walkway lead along a relatively flat route flanked by several tall hills. Several small structures could be seen, probably tombs of various types. Some , termed the Djinn Blocks, are cube shaped blocks of varying heights. 

Next is a large structure called the Obelisk Tomb above which are carved several pyramid shaped structures.

Entry to the actual site is gained by walking through a natural gorge some 2 Km in length, parts of which are paved, a feature attributed to the Romans. The colours of the walls range from pale yellow to black, with the sandstone taking on a more rose colour as one approaches the site.

The treasury is the first structure encountered upon exiting the gorge, its colour not quite as rose coloured as it is shown in most photos, but still very impressive. When we reached the site, several vendors and camel drivers were milling around looking for customers. 

From the Treasury several trails could be followed to various parts of the ruins. For the most part we stuck to the main trails as the ground was mostly level and even. Several structures could be seen along the main route, which was more or less the original road through the town centre. A theatre, with rows of seats carved into the side of the mountain was reasonably well preserved. 

Further on lay the ruins of a large temple and a street lined with several tall columns.

 Due to the required climb of 900 steps we skipped the opportunity to visit a structure termed the Monastery, as it was believed to have been used for religious gatherings. Instead we opted for a less strenuous route to visit the ruins of a 5th century church with some reasonably well preserved mosaics. From there we returned to the Treasury by an alternate route which passed a number of different tombs carved out of the mountain.

All in all, our route covered a trek of about 14km and kept us busy until quite late in the afternoon. Although it was rather cool (4C) there was little wind except when out of the shelter of the mountains. The predicted rain, fortunately held off until we were back at the hotel.

According to our taxi driver, snow was falling in Amman and severe sandstorms had resulted in the temporary closure of the main highway  leading to Petra.

As a result, any plans for tomorrow may be in jeopardy as our route to our next stop, Wadi Rum does take us through some higher elevations.