November 16th, 2019
Today we got up early and had breakfast at our hotel before walking to the entrance of Petra. I think we left the hotel around 7:15am and had a full day exploring yet another Wonder of the World. I have been super excited about Petra since a few years ago when I saw a show on it. I have to say as excited as I was, it far exceeded both of our expectations. Petra is an ancient city over 2,000 years old that served as a vital part of a major trading route connecting Mesopotamia and Egypt. It was built by Nabataeans in the heart of the Shara Mountains. It is a whole city of intricate facades sculpted into sandstone cliffs that is just incredible. The city grew very rich through the trading of frankincense, myrrh, and spices. It thrived until a large earthquake in the 4th century destroyed much of the city. This combined with changes in trade routes led to its downfall and ultimate abandonment. It was then lost to all except local Bedouins from the area until 1812 when it was rediscovered by a Swiss explorer disguised as an Arab.
I have seen one or two pictures of “Petra” (also known as the Rose City due to its beautiful color) but the amazing thing is, it is so much more than the one iconic picture. It is a whole city you can explore that at one point had 30,000 inhabitants. We started by going through the Siq which is a narrow gorge leading to the city.
This provided great protection for Petra because at some points it is only wide enough for people and camels pulling carriages to come through single file. The color and designs in the rock walls were so beautiful and I felt my camera couldn’t pick up the detail.
I got goosebumps when we got our first glimpse of The Treasury coming through the Siq and entering the City.
The Treasury is one of Petra’s most magnificent façades at 40 meters (133 feet) high.
We had a map of explanations of Petra’s highlights and spent our day exploring this incredible place. We took additional trails for great viewpoints such as the High Place of Sacrifice and the most amazing site which was Ad Deir (the Monastery) at the end of the city. We came here at a very nice time of year with good weather. I was actually surprised how cold it was in the morning and night, but during the day it was sunny and beautiful without being too hot. We spent about eight hours walking all around and really didn’t take many breaks. Both of our feet ached by the end of the day but the whole time was absolutely spectacular. We were both amazed and agreed that it was the most impressive site we have seen on our trip.
We made it back to the hotel right around sunset and I opted to have another “first time” experience. Our hotel advertised a traditional Turkish Bath that I decided to try. Brendan absolutely had no desire to have the experience so he stayed back resting his feet. The experience was interesting to say the least. There were parts I really liked, and other parts that were a little awkward (at least for me). It was a nice way to end the day though. When I got back, Brendan got some shawarma and I got a falafel pita and we were both completely exhausted by the time we went to sleep.