Petra, Jordan

We were  thrilled to visit the amazing ancient city of Petra again in Jordan. The visit was shorter than we had hoped since it was a 2 hour bus ride each way from the port, and the ship was delayed in reaching port.

Petra is reached by a winding drive through desert and rugged mountains. 

Petra was an ancient trading center in a very remote and protected valley built by the Nabataeans more than 2,000 years ago. It was the capital of the Nabataean empire from about 100 BC until an earthquake destroyed much of it in 363 AD. It is mentioned in the old testament by it's Hebrew name "Sela" in Isaiah 16:1, 42:11, 2 Kings 14:7 and Judges 1:36. It was described as the place that the Jews would flee to for safety when the antichrist begins his persecution. It is close to the location where Moses brother Aaron died, and we passed a shrine to Aaron far in the distance on a mountain top.

It is indeed a very well protected spot, and was lost to modern civilization from about 700 AD. It was then known only to the local Bedouins for centuries, until 1812 when a swiss explorer heard the legend of Petra. He disguised himself as an Arab, and went with a local Bedouin guide to rediscover the lost city and report it's existence to the West. 

It is reached by a 1.2 km long narrow slot canyon with walls up to 650 feet high. 

The entrance to the slot canyon leading to Petra.

Inside the narrow slot canyon.

If you don't want to walk there are a few horse drawn carriages for hire to take you through the canyon. Now, since our last visit, also some golf carts!

The canyon suddenly opens to a very impressive structure referred to as the "treasury", since local people thought that it contained a treasure. The facade of the treasury was made famous in the Indiana Jones And The Last crusade movie.  In fact, the impressive structures carved into the rock were the tombs of Nabatean kings.

A glimpse of the treasury at the end of the canyon.

The front of the treasury. It is not very large inside since it was used as a tomb.

Lots of people, and camels outside the treasury.

Your friendly neighborhood camel.

 The Nabateans also carved cave homes into the rock, and some are still inhabited by the local Bedouins. 

Nabatean cave homes. It is hard to depict the size of Petra, but it covers several miles, including an area reached by a two hour climb, which we visited last time, known as the monastery, with enormous pillared tombs carved into the solid rock.

On the left is the theatre which held up to 

4,000 people.

A close up of the theatre. The seats were carved into the solid rock.