Aqaba, Jordan for Petra

After leaving Salalah, our three-day journey to Aqaba and Petra took us through the Gulf of Aden, the Arabian Sea between Yemen on the south coast of the Arabian Peninsula, and Somalia in the Horn of Africa. We later sailed into the Red Sea, passing Ethiopia and along the coastlines of Sudan, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia, coming within 75 nautical miles of Mecca. Early in the morning we passed between Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula and the Island of Tiran, the gap between them marking the entrance to the Gulf of Aqaba.

To me, sailing through the various bodies of water around the world has been as interesting as the countries and cities we’ve visited.

We arrived at our destination of Aqaba, Jordan, which sits at the most northeastern point of the Red Sea. It is the only coastal city in Jordan. Standing on the deck, we could see four countries: Egypt, Israel, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia.

It was Aqaba that Lawrence of Arabia and the Jordanians attacked and conquered during their war with the Turks during WWI. Wadi Rum, about 35 miles away, was the desert area used by Lawrence as a base. The movie, Lawrence of Arabia was filmed there and it is supposed to be a spectacularly beautiful place. This year marks the 100^th anniversary of that revolt against the Turks. 

Some passengers went to Wadi Rum and spoke glowingly about it. Although Wadi Rum would have been interesting, my goal was to see the Lost City of Petra. Since seeing a photo of the Petra Treasury on the cover of National Geographic, I have always wanted to visit there. It was the one place on our long voyage that just the thought of made my pulse race.

At 9:00 a.m., it was already 85F. Forewarned that it was going to get really hot, we took lots of water, as well as sunblock, a back-up camera, and walking sticks that we had gotten just for this occasion. We thought perhaps the sticks might be overkill, but as we made the hike to Petra, we were glad that we had them.    

Approximately 1200 passengers, traveling in 30 buses made the trip to Petra, a two-hour drive from Aqaba. Jordan has only 11 million people, most of whom live in Amman, the capital of Jordan, and it only takes a few hours to drive the length of the country.

Our tour guide told us that although Jordan is a small country, the people have big hearts to welcome visitors. He said that King Abdullah told the tour guides that they were ambassadors for Jordan, and it was evident that the guides have taken this to heart. Our guide appealed to us to tell our family and friends about Jordan and our good impressions. Jordan has no oil or gas, and little water, so it is dependent on its mining of phosphates and tourism.

Although the north of Jordan is green and has forests, this part of the country was very arid, and we passed barren mountains and countryside during our drive to Petra. Even with as dry as the countryside looked, we could see strips of land along the highway that were being irrigated and used to grow tomatoes and watermelons. It was amazing that anything could grow there. We also saw herds of sheep grazing on the hills.

Jordan Countryside

The mountains are sandstone and change continually because of the effects of wind, rain, animals, and humans. Deposits of different minerals cause stripes of different colors on the rocky mountainsides. The mountains surrounding Wadi Rum, which we could see the fringes of, contain a crystal-like mineral that gives the mountain range an iridescent appearance.

We stopped at a rest center and had spectacular views of the valleys below and of a small statue of Mary and child Jesus sitting on a hill in this Muslim country.

Statue

The majority of the people in Jordan are Muslim, but according to our guide, there is a spirit of cooperation between the Muslims, Christians, and other religious. Women have the same rights as men and are members of the government, police force, etc.

Our guide spoke glowingly of Jordan’s monarch, King Abdullah, who has instituted many things to help all the people in Jordan. He has accepted into Jordan large numbers of refugees from Syria.

If we traveled much further into Jordan, we would have come to the Dead Sea, which is 420 feet below sea level and the lowest point on earth. Our guide told us about the challenges the country is facing keeping the sea from drying up. The Jordan River is the only source of water for the sea, and other countries control that source. It is hoped that the Two Seas Water Channel project will help to keep the Dead Sea from dying. Fortunately, Jordan had a good rainy season this year, and it had rained solidly for the two days before we arrived. It would have been just our luck having to see Petra in a pouring rain.

We traveled on the Desert Highway, the main road through Jordan. Aqaba is a duty free area, so we had to go through a customs checkpoint when we left the city. Fortunately, they didn’t stop our bus. Later we turned onto the narrower Kings Highway, which wound through several villages on the way to Petra.

Our guide pointed out groups of Bedouins who roam the countryside. He said that because of a requirement to have their children educated, they spend less time roaming and at least part of the year in housing. Piles of stacked stone identified their property. Bedouins are known for their hospitality to travelers.

Actually, we found the Jordanians to be very friendly. As we drove through the villages, we passed young schoolgirls in white headdress who, when they saw us,  jumped up and down waving to us. Going down into Petra, every student we passed made it a point to say hello. The king must have told them that they were ambassadors of Jordan as well.

When we arrived at Petra, we were surprised to find the outer area surrounded by a fair-sized city built on the surrounding hills. We shouldn’t have been too surprised since businesses, hotels, and the homes of the people who work there usually surround most tourist sights. We stopped for lunch at one of the hotels before heading out for the long hike into the lost city.

City Outside Lost City of Petra

Main Entrance Into Petra

The path started out as smoothly paved and quickly disintegrated into a rocky trail. Actually, parts were smooth in some places and uneven in other places. We were glad that we had brought the walking sticks, which gave us balance, and then later helped propel us on our journey back through the Siq, which was all uphill. It would take us about 1.5 hours to reach the Treasury. We later determined that the journey had been over six miles round trip.

Beginning the Trek

Carved Rocks and Figures that Appear in the Rocks

The builders of Petra guarded their city and even built a fake city to convince raiders that they had found the city. Water channels dug into the rock along the Siq brought water into the city. Later the Romans were able to conquer Petra by cutting off those water channels.

The Fake Petra to Fool Outsiders

The thing that surprised us the most was the height of the Siq walls, estimated to be 100 feet high at places, and how long the canyon was. It was breathtakingly beautiful.

Starting to Go Deeper into the Siq or Canyon

Colorful Rock

Occasionally we would see a lone tree growing out of the rock, struggling for light and water. It reminded me of the people of Jordan struggling to survive in an arid country with little water.

  

Horse Riding Police Officers

The smell of camel and horses overpowered us at times. Men and boys had been taking horses, and horses and carts, up and down the Siq, giving rides to people who were willing to pay for the ride. It proved dangerous to one woman whose carriage tipped over. Every time we heard the clopping of horses, we quickly went to the sides of the Siq. The vehicles would come barreling down the hill and around a bend in the path with little warning. Sometimes the horses would slip, and we were surprised that we didn’t see one injured. We wouldn’t accept a ride from them because we felt the horses weren’t being well taken care of and we didn’t want to encourage their use. 

Horses and Carriage

Mountains Getting Higher

At one point on the path, our guide told us to line up three abreast and turn around to something he pointed to in the Siq behind us. When we told him we couldn’t see anything on the hill, he told us to turn around, and there behind us was the opening into Petra and the Treasury building. The view took my breath away.

First Glimpse of the Treasury

Treasury

Camel and Rider

Amphitheater

Unknown Building

Sadly, we didn’t have very much time once we actually got into Petra and only saw a fraction of the facades that are there. Apparently there are thousands of facades, both large and small. But what we got to see was absolutely amazing. The theory is that the buildings were carved out of the stone from the top down. I was surprised to learn that the Treasury wasn’t a church like it looked, but was either used to store money or was a burial plot. Unfortunately, there isn’t much information that can be found to tell the story of Petra.

Before we retraced our steps through the Siq, we turned and looked back at the Treasury one last time. It was a moment I will never forget.

Later our daughter Laura asked if Petra had met our expectations—that sometimes places don’t live up to what you expect. All I can say is that not only did it meet our expectations, it exceeded them a thousand times.