June 27, 2022: Petra, Rose City of Jordan

Famous for its kaleidoscope-colored rock architecture and ingenious water system of dams, cisterns, and conduits, the magnificent “Rose City” of Petra was built by the Nabateans as early as 312 BC. It was obviously a must-see on the itinerary for Ed’s first trip to Jordan.  The day was already warm when our intrepid group of Dima, Ed, Maya, Jawad, and me arrived from Amman at about 10:40 a.m, and began walking through the entrance of the Siq, a narrow gorge leading to Al-Khazneh, or the Treasury, by now famous synechdoche for the city of Petra. In 2007, Al-Khazneh was voted one of the New Seven Wonders of the World. A reedy local girl called Hala joined our group early and tagged along, plying her postcards (10 for 1 Jordanian dinar). She was feisty and even directive at times, pointing out the treasury and carved-out shapes of caravan camels and driver in the rock walls of the Siq.

Maya in the Siq

 

Al-Khazneh

Soon we struck an agreement with Hala to guide us up the rocky and steep trails to most of the major attractions: the Royal Tombs, Djin blocks, Qasr Al-Bint, the Byzantine Church, look-outs over the cliffs, caves and other marvels. Nimble and spry, Hala bounded between boulders with ease and alacrity. Upon quickly assessing our stamina and climbing ability, not realizing the umbrage given, she assured that she would lead us on trails friendlier to us “oldies.” She had finished the school year and would start the sixth grade in September. Her favorite subjects were English and Arabic. When asked what she would like to do when she grew up, she hesitated, and I suggested she’d make a great tour guide. (She already did.) Hala possessed great dignity. People around Petra are poor but prideful, and she must have been raised to never beg or accept charity. She relented to accept our offering of cold bottle of water only after noisy insistence.

A dream come true for Ed was riding a camel. His name was LuLu.

All the working camels at Petra were male, the drivers told us; female labor is reserved for rearing and nursing young. (Sadly, we saw no babies, which are incredibly cute.)

Another dream come true: nuzzling camelids.

Smile for the camera.

Did you know that though they may look goofy, comic, and docile, camels will bare their teeth and bite if strangers try to pet or kiss them? Ed's luck would run out.

This one was a charmer. As you may have ascertained, camels have distinct personalities.

Many large caverns served significant purposes for the Nabateans. We marveled, for instance, at the Royal Tombs, a deep, cool cave whose walls and ceiling were characteristically striated with dramatic reds and browns. Loath to leave the sweet respite of the caves from the day’s heat, we learnt that most of the local population lived in the numerous caves of Petra until as recently as the 1990s. Black soot from fires that these previous residents had built to keep warm streaked some cave ceilings. With growing acknowledgement of Petra’s deserved place in world heritage, the people, many of whom worked in the tourist-service industry, including Hala’s family, were forcibly removed and relocated to nearby villages.

Jawad, Dima, Rima, Maya, and Ed

Another highlight was the Byzantine  – or Petra – Church. Building its triple basilica first began in 450 AD, using stones from Nabataean and Roman buildings destroyed by an earthquake in 363 AD. Notable for its mosaics dating from the early 6th century, the Byzantine Church sits on the hillside, north of the Colonnaded Street. The mosaics depict domestic as well as exotic and mythological animals, including hogs, hyenas, ostriches, and giraffes, as well as personifications of the seasons, the ocean, the earth and of wisdom.

Heights, cliffs, hills, and boulders characterize the Rose City.

Below: Amphitheatre

A vast city!

The Nabataeans called their capital Raqmu (Aramaic-Nabataean for "colored stone"). The city once was home to 30,000. "Petra" is Greek for stone or rock. 

Skink! Smart lizard that sticks to the shade.

Oleander

Flowers -- but not roses -- do grow in the desert city of Petra. 

As the afternoon grew hotter, we decided to head back “hoofed” and so rode donkeys and horses back to the Siq. Dima’s donkey, William Shakespeare, was docile and ambled in a straight line all the way back. Ed rode Michael, who was also well-behaved. My donkey had the cute, diminutive name of Azzouz. Soon, however, he demonstrated the “uncute” behavior of veering off path to smell fellow donkeys’ dung and once even veering off course towards a wide hole and our certain death. No amount of rein tugging and beseeching brought Azzouz back on track, but a donkey driver who heard my piteous bleats.

Maya! Ride from Qasr Al-Bint to the Siq: about 20 minutes.

Rima astride Azzouz. The bristly hair on the back of Azzouz's ears glinted green in the sun. If I didn't know any better, I would have thought his driver had dyed the ears.

From Petra our group headed south into the desert, towards Wadi Rum Reserve, 70 miles away, where we would spend one night in Martian Camp, one of many accommodations in Wadi Rum. Please "turn" the page to those adventures!