One heck of a rock carving

From Wadi Rum we drove through the evening toward Petra. I've wanted to come here my entire life. We took the opportunity on our first night to visit the famous Treasury building by candlelight. The narrow Siq valley that you must first walk through is something I will never forget. This ravine is less than two metres wide in places and winds its way to Petra proper for more than 800 metres.

Petra is everything you imagine it to be and more. It truly is a place worth visiting at least once in your life. We spent a full day touring the ruins, visiting all of the major sights including the Monastery, the Royal Tombs, and the High Altar that affords a spectacular view of the ancient rock-carved city below.

According to archeologists the area around Petra has been inhabited for more than 9000 years. However, it was about two thousand years ago that things really kicked up a notch. The Nabataeans settled here and transformed the desert valley and surrounding area into an urban hub which at its peak was home to more than 20,000 people.

Most of its world-renowned rock-cut buildings date from the First Century AD. The most iconic of them all is undoubtedly the Treasury. Carved directly into the face of the rock, this structure spans 24 metres and towers 37 meters above the sandy desert floor.  There simply aren't words to describe how extraordinary this building is. Needless to say, I took countless photographs.

While remaining in remarkably preserved condition, the face of the Treasury is marked by hundreds of bullet holes made by the local Bedouin tribes. Apparently, they've spent time shooting at it hoping to dislodge riches once rumoured to be hidden within it.

A little farther from the Treasury, at the foot of the mountain called en-Nejr, is a massive Roman theatre. Hewn from solid rock, it's positioned with an orientation that brings many of the city's impressive tombs into view. This is also the point where the valley opens out into a small plain revealing the city's ancient ruins. 

Our guide explained that most of the rock-carved structures in Petra are actually tombs. The most notable of these is the aptly named Mortuary, also known as Ad Deir.  This massive structure sits astride a small rocky plateau high above the valley floor. It's reached by a rocky, winding staircase carved from the rock face. 

Garry climbed up to the Mortuary on foot. For a laugh, I hired a donkey from one of the local kids. I swear it was a scientific endeavour. I didn't believe a donkey could climb such a jumble of rocky stairs. Garry considered the poor animal to be overloaded. Personally, I think it simply lived up to its nickname as a beast of burden.

The Mortuary looks like a mirror copy of the Treasury.  However, it's a little wider and incorporates a few additional carved pillars on either side of the central structure. We were lucky enough to have the entire clifftop to ourselves for almost the entire time we were there.

Likewise, I got to enjoy the Urn Tombs largely to myself. This is a dramatic series of terraced platforms and arched columns precariously carved from the valley wall. To reach the highest terrace you have to climb several steep rock stairways, none of which come with handle rails or barrier walls. Understandably, Garry gave it a miss.

The Urn Tombs are part of a collection of tombs known as the Royal Tombs of Petra. These tombs span an entire rockface of the valley making for one of the more dramatic landscapes in the Petra valley.  They also command a superb view across the valley floor, a perfect way to conclude our time in Petra. 

Read on as we follow Moses (and a bunch of marauding Crusaders) towards the promised land.

2023 NOTE

As I've noted in earlier posts, my camera suffered a serious knock while in Alexandria. This badly affected its focal range. As a result, most of the images captured in Jordan ended up rather blurry. Almost two decades on, technology has come to the rescue. I've used an AI program to partially unblur many of the images shown here. 

While the technology isn't perfect, it's dramatically improved the quality and clarity of many images taken during our week in Jordon. No doubt I'll revisit them again in future years as AI software continues to improve.