November 1 – 2, 2009: Even if all I had seen of Petra had been the Treasury, the beautifully preserved pink facade that is in all those iconic photographs, I would have been happy, but there is so much more to Petra than that. I had chosen this so-far-not-so-good tour partly because it included three nights, and thus two full days, at Petra. I could easily have used another day.
The first morning we started off from the entrance gate with the same
national guide who had bored me the day before, and once we reached the Siq, the 1.2 km long rock passage that ends in front of the Treasury, I abandoned the group and went ahead on my own. This meant that at times I was completely alone beneath the soaring rock walls. While I really enjoyed experiencing the Siq that way, I suppose it wasn’t very authentic – one theory is that when the Nabataeans who built Petra were at the height of their power and influence this route was used for religious processions. I could also imagine it, more prosaically, impressing visiting ambassadors and potential trading partners.
I met up with my group again near the Roman theater (where access to the
seats was blocked off) and the toilets. The toilets were the blue portable type, with a woman guardian who was trying to charge 1 JD (1.40 USD) instead of the more usual .10. Since many of the visitors to Petra were on day tours from cruise ships, and maybe not up on local prices, she probably had a very good thing going. Most of the group kept going to the Monastery at the far end of the site, but my roommate turned aside with me to climb up to the High Place of Sacrifice. As she was half my age, and my lung capacity not what it should be, she made better time than I did, but we met up at the top.
The guide had said that lunch options only included buffets at the two rather expensive restaurants by the museum at the foot of the path up to the Monastery, claiming that we weren’t allowed to take our own food into the site. Our hotel was quite willing to put up box lunches so I chose to disbelieve him, and of course, we had no problem taking food in. Presumably he got a commission from the restaurants. The two of us ate lunch all alone, high up, facing the altar. Magical.
Coming down the back way was pretty magical too, as frequently the rock face was decorated in beautiful multicolored swirls that seemed almost too regular to be natural. We also passed several tombs – the Nabataean tombs featured a carved facade and a large central room where the mourners could gather for funeral and commemorative feasts, the dead being actually buried in small chambers carved out of the walls. We celebrated our descent with red wine and coffee at the Basin Restaurant – it was getting ready to close for the day, otherwise you can only get in if you take the buffet.
The next morning three of us got up really, really early so that we could have not just the Siq but the Treasury to ourselves. We reached the Treasury around 6:15, and although it wasn’t completely deserted, we shared it with only a couple of couples. Then we walked right through the site and up to the Monastery, pausing only for a cup of coffee at the Tent Restaurant, as the Basin wouldn’t let us in. Up at the Monastery the wind was so fierce I bought a Bedouin headscarf to keep from getting sandblasted.
Then we visited the Royal Tombs before heading up again, climbing behind the tombs to a somewhat precarious perch where we could overlook the Treasury. Again, we ate lunch alone in a magical setting. After that, visits to the museum and the Byzantine church were anticlimactic, and I was tired enough to be almost tempted to take a ride in a horse cart on the way out, except that they bounced and swayed so much.
I still had more walking to do, as I had signed up for the optional Night Tour. For this the Siq is lined with candles, and the area in front of the Treasury used for a concert. I didn’t care about the concert, but I did want to walk the Siq by candlelight. By hanging back enough for the crowd to get ahead of me, but walking fast enough to leave the serious photographers (and their annoying flashes) behind, I got the full effect – or almost the full effect, I think it would have been even better if the moon hadn’t been full.
Don’t miss Petra!
A couple of questions:
How did you finally find your tour group and where had they been meanwhile?
Do you need hiking boots for Petra?
Your pics are wonderful. Must have been making the effort to get there before the crowds.
I met up with the group on the bus to Jerash, aside from a couple that had been on an Explore! tour of Syria and met us at Jerash. My roommmate came overland from Damascus and arrived just before 11:00 on Day 2. The rest had flown in from England and arrived about 1:00 in the morning of Day 2.
Ever since I fell in Switzerland and broke my wrist I’ve obeyed my chiropractor and worn over-the-ankle hiking boots for travel. I saw some women off cruise ships wearing flip-flops, and they would work if you just walk through to the Treasury or the theater, or maybe even the museum, but if you’re going higher you need something sturdier.
Thanks! I have over 200 pix from Petra, which is why they aren’t up on smugmug yet.
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Kathy, Petra truly is a magical place, and your photos really capture its essence. Like you, we went very early and tried to experience as much as possible away from the crowds. Just standing in front of the Treasury made me want to walk right in. Your photo of the veined rock is exceptional. James (the geologist) was in his element. 🙂 Thanks for the lovely tour. ~Terri
Thanks Terri. The natural sights at Petra were almost more entrancing than the man made. I have more rock photos at https://kwilhelm.smugmug.com/Travel/Caucasus-and-Middle-East-2009/Petra/
Wow! I can’t wait to show those to James. Great photos. ~Terri
I am so glad you posted these pictures and account of your journey to Petra. I was scheduled to go to Jordan this past March, but the pandemic cancelled all hopes of a trip there. I love the photo of the cart in the siq — good catch! And your details of what you saw each day helped me process just how much there is to see. Thanks for taking me where I wanted so badly to go. (Thanks to gallivance.net for featuring your post!)
So sorry you had to cancel your trip. Glad you liked the photos, but it’s hard to take a bad one at Petra! If you would like more, the link to my Smugmug page is just before your comment.
Thanks for letting me know. Stay safe!
Amazing! I was supposed to go in April this year… can’t wait to resume my travels and see all these sites for myself, hopefully soon 🙂
Hope you get there. I’m not planning any travel right now, but I’m doubly high risk.
Yeah it’s safer to stay put for the time being. Keep well!