Lomography

Weekend in Petra
written by hind on May 9th, 2008 (1 vote)

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Petra is known as the rose red city, the lost city, whatever you want to call it, it is an archaeological delight. Petra has always been on top of my list of places to visit, so when the opportunity came up a few weeks ago to visit for the weekend with a friend, I couldn’t say no.

The place is magical, felt biblical, adventurous – not only was Temple of Doom filmed there, but some locations felt very Star Wars.

Of course the first thing you go through is the Siq, a gorge over one kilometre long and surrounded by high cliffs. Amazing rock formation and colour, each time you walk will be different because of the time of day and lights. The Siq leads to the Treasury and I will never forget how it was slowly being revealed in front of my eyes as I made my way through the Siq and looking up through the high cliffs. The closer I got, the bigger the treasury appeared and I was in awe when I finally stood in front of it. Amazing facade carved in rocks in great hues of pinks.

Ignore people that say you can see Petra in a day. These are the people that just walked through the Siq till the Treasury and returned. There is so much to see beyond that. Get away from the tourists and off the beaten track to see how amazing the place is. Better if you can do it with a local guide, just ask around and don’t fall for the first offer.

When you reach a spot overlooking Petra, it really is mind blowing to see the city carved in mountains. How did they live? What was life like? Questions that were on my mind the whole time.

The more you walk, the more you discover, whether steps leading to more steps leading to standing up on top of hills, or nooks and crannies leading to caves – every moment felt like you will discover something new. The other famous site is the Monastery, but you can also see amazing views from the Petra valley. Walking around you come across roman style amphitheatres, carved rocks and tombs. So much is such a mystery to me and would probably like to keep it that way.

Another amazing experience is Petra by Candlelight. This happens during the winter months only. Thousands of candles in paper bags are lit along the Siq walk leading to the Treasury where the ground is covered with candles and you sit there listening to Bedouin musicians playing stringed instruments and the flute. They served us a deliciously sweet tea and talked about the music and the Bedouins. I would have settled for just the music without any explanation. The candlelight experience is very special and there was an almost full moon that night, which made it even more special for me.

Modes of transportation include donkeys, camels, horses plus horse or donkey drawn carriages. But the best way is by walking, so make sure you wear comfortable shoes. I would suggest you try visiting during the cooler months as it gets very hot during the summer.

The local Bedouins are lovely and everybody was so welcoming and kind. During this trip, I learned there is a lot to see in Jordan, so I plan to go back and discover more of this country.

Websites to check out:
Visit Jordan – www.visitjordan.com
Make Petra one of the new seven wonders of the world – new7wonders.com