Visit to Petra

July 21 - Visit to Petra

July 29 - I have finally been able to out together a few reactions to our visit to Petra last weekend.

Petra is a remote, ancient and dead city that holds such great archeological treasures that it has been declared one of the Seven Wonders of the World.  It is located in Southern Jordan in a valley that is completely surrounded by craggy sandstone mountains, and its only access is via a narrow cleft in the mountains called the Siq.  This dramatic gorge was initially created by an earthquake that split the mountain and formed a channel that flash floods subsequently eroded.  The Siq follows a meandering path that continues for 1200 meters (0.7 miles) through pink and yellow sandstone cliffs until it opens up into the Petra valley.  The sides of the Siq almost touch in places, at times being only 2 meters apart, and which soar 200 meters (600 feet) from the floor to the mountain top above.  Provision of fresh water for the inhabitants of Petra was a challenge, but they showed incredible ingenuity in insuring a reliable and generous supply.  Several small springs inside the valley were not adequate, and were therefore supplemented by water from a spring outside the city that flowed down an aqueduct that had been carved by carving into the side wall of the Siq, and which is still clearly visible.

A simple house in the Neolithic village of Beidha near Petra from round 7000 BC.  Notice the primitive round walls that are being reconstructed usuing simple mud for mortar.  The wooden poles held up a thatched roof.

Petra is very old.  There are signs of a Neolithic settlement in Petra, at a site called Beidha that has been reliably dated from the stone tools found and from carbon dating to around 7000 BC.  Much later the area was occupied by the Edomites, people who were descendants of Esau, the brother of Jacob and who are mentioned in the Bible.  It is not clear when and how the Edomite settlement declined but Petra was eventually inhabited by a different people, the Nabataeans, a few centuries BC.  It was the Nabataeans who performed all of the carving of the mountains within the city, and it was their subsequent influence from the Greeks and Romans that prompted the classic designs of the structures so visible today.  The settlement became Christian during the Byzantine period, but that ended in the seventh century and Petra became silent except for a limited and isolated occupation by some nomadic people.  The city remained unknown to the west until it was rediscovered by a Swiss explorer in 1812, 1200 years after it had been abandoned.

Entering Petra after traversing the Siq - first view of the Treasury

As the visitor to Petra reaches the last few yards of the Siq he/she is treated to the dramatic sight of an indescribable building, the Treasury, featured in all the travel books and magazines.  This structure was carved out of the rock on the mountain-face in the first century BC.  The sensational facade is quite beautiful, designed and executed in the classic style of Greek architecture.  It appears like an inset into the vertical wall of the sandstone cliff and is clearly the most remarkable monument remaining in Petra.  Behind the striking facade is a large interior space that was carved right into the mountain and served as a tomb for a Nabataean King.

 The Treasury

From the Treasury the valley floor expands out and reveals numerous archeological gems – facades carved into the rock face, a Roman theater that originally could seat 7000 people, and many openings in the cliffs that were tombs, some decorated with highly elaborate carvings and obviously meant for Royalty.  Further down the valley are the elaborate remains of a Roman city with a colonnaded street paved with marble or limestone still quite visible today.  The street is flanked by ruins of a large market, many public buildings and a Great Temple.  Across a bridge and up a hill are the remains of a three Byzantine churches which we explored.  Some colorful mosaics that were laid on the floor of the original church are still clearly visible.

I decided to join several other hardy folks (foolhardy?) on a hike up to the High Place where the Nabataeans had created a dramatic site for religious ceremonies.  I didn’t count the number of steps up the mountain and although somebody mentioned that there were 650 it felt to me that that figure must be a serious under-count.   Right at the top of the climb, in a large flat terrace there were two tall obelisks, not raised cut stone, but upright monuments that had been left standing after the Nabataeans had chiseled away the top 15 meters of so of the mountain.  They are standing 30 meters apart and are aligned exactly east and west.  Right at the top of the mountain is a small rectangular court surrounded by cut stone benches.  It was in the court that the Nabataeans practiced some form of ritualistic worship that included animal sacrifices on an altar.  It is impossible to view the altar, the space and the extensive rock carving without asking about the religious fervor that drove those people to create these incredible features. 

The High Place showing the courtyard with an altar off to the right 

We marveled at the spectacular view from the top of the mountain and then proceeded to a different set of steps as an alternative route down the mountain.   After lunch our group decided to tackle a visit to another special place, the monastery, which however was also high on different mountain top.  I settled on a donkey ride for part of the way, and hiked the rest.  The extra effort involved in this hike was worth it.  Right at the top is another huge carved monument called the monastery that has a facade that is rather similar to the classic design of the Treasury, not as elaborate, but quite a bit larger. 

The day was hot, very hot, and the heavy physical exertion of the long walk through the valley and the two mountain hikes placed an unusual demand on the body systems designed to maintain my fluid balance.  The fluid loss from perspiration was profuse and I drank 4 and ½ liters of water during the day to try and maintain my blood volume in a reasonable state.  When I eventually returned to the hotel I was astonished to hear from Kent Bramlett our chief archeologist – he had drunk 6 and ½ liters of water during his hikes!    

But words cannot do justice to visual images at Petra.  If you cannot see this incredible place in person I recommend a stunning book called simply – Petra – by Jane Taylor that is filled with wonderful photographs and an extensive descriptive text.