Toss Up! Book review or our visit to Petra!

Looks like Petra won. The book review must be next even if I do love the books I have recently read...two I bought in Petra at our hotel and two I bought at the Save The Children's second -hand book store at Belmont for $3.00 each before we left. But more of that in the next Blog.

Some Archaeologists have ranked ancient Petra as the eighth wonder of the ancient world...too true! Here the Historian, Anthropologist, Archaeologist, Geologist, Architect and Naturalist, not to mention the tourist, can find  something to satisfy their cravings for the ancient world. Once inside questions about how, why, and where and by whom will fly to mind never to be left unanswered.
Multicoloured sandstone mountains on a secluded site will challenge the fit and unfit tourist with the rocky slopes, craggy mountain tops, high cliffs, celebrated tombs, theatres and carved stairways. All make up and leave or create a mythical aura filling the visitor with wonderment.
So who created this amazing city with its capitol named Petra?

The Nabateans, one of the most talented people in history.They were an ancient tribe from the Arabian Peninsula. A materialistic peoples they settled 2,200 years ago in southern Jordan and utilised the existing trade routes to become very successful traders. When the trade routes were displaced by the warring Romans the Nabateans had to give in and be over-ruled. So the city which had been throbbing with life had to be disbanded. Thanks to a Swiss traveller Johann Ludwig Burckhardt it was re-discovered in 1812.

But how could any warring people reach Petra? Its isolation heavily disguised as anyone who visits will find out.
The ancient main entrance to Petra, As-Siq, an impressive 1200 metres long, deep and narrow, is hemmed in by cliffs soaring up to 80 metres high.Bizarre looking geological features, colourful rock formations, water channels cut into cliffs and niches cut into the rock keep the visitor enthralled.
The 1200 metres disappear in minutes, well almost, and the reward awaits the traveller. The treasury, Al-Khazneh, the most beautiful and astonishing monument in all of Petra, faces you as you emerge from the Siq. Suddenly this enormous sandstone carving dwarfs you and you turn to find, camels, donkeys, horses and their drivers surrounding you and offering 'air-conditioned' rides for the exhausted tourist. Yes, you could have been driven to see this marvel but never mind the offers will follow you as you struggle your way through Petra, sometimes hot sand, sometimes slippery steps hued into the walls of rock and sometimes dirt tracks. A flight of 800 stairs cut into the rock takes you up the mountain of Ad-Deir, the second most attractive carving, the monastry, with its surrounding views.






Salesmanship starts early in young lives. In this case the patterned rocks chipped out of rock somewhere in the area attract tourists but then so do young eager little girls....leaving the tourist wondering...many stopping just to smile in sympathy with the little sales lady.







Through the city centre a beautiful collonaded street remains, flanked by temples, public building remains and shops. A nymphaeum once adorned the street, the marble pavement still visible  and useable today.

 The largest of the Royal Tombs, believed to have been carved around 70 AD, was altered in the 15thC as it was consecrated as a Byzantine church. The main chamber was 17x18.9metres.

We scrambled over heights and rocky paths to find at the end of the day a ride home to the gate using a horse driven chariot would not only help the local economy but rush us to a nice cold drink at the hotel bar. Yes this hotel did have a liquor licence.

The colour of rocks changes as the day is long reflecting the sun's rays. Sometimes a rock carving is discovered, perhaps reflecting someone of importance, however our archaeologist thought it was worth photographing.