Flag of Jordan Petra, Jordan

Khazneh (The Treasury)

Khazneh (The Treasury) Petra, Jordan

The Lost Red-Rose City of Petra "half as old as time" is the most fabulous sight in Jordan. At it's height it was the capital of the Arab nation of Nabatea which controlled a vast network of trading routes between Greece, Rome and Asia from 312 BCE until the Roman Empire conquered them in 106 CE.

Colorado Cooper follows in the Footsteps of Indiana JonesPetra was the Nabateans' virtually unassailable fortress hidden in a valley at the eastern edge of the Rift Valley which separates Israel from Jordan.  Protected by the uncrossable hills, it can only be approached through an extremely narrow canyon known as the Siq.  Even today visitors to Petra must enter by foot or on horseback and then go about on foot as the Nabateans did 2000 years ago.

The entrance to Petra through the Siq is a very dramatic experience as the high walls of the canyon grow higher and higher and closer and closer until suddenly the walls open up to reveal the 130m hall Khazneh or Treasury monument.  Nearly all of the construction in Petra was done by carving monuments out of the soft sandstone cliffs.  The intricate carvings, in a Greek influenced style, form ornate tombs and dwellings throughout Petra.  Unfortunately, the detailed work stops at the entrances of these buildings.  While Indiana Jones walked into the Khazneh, navigated death traps and found the Holy Grail, I only found three very plain empty and rather boring rooms.

Want to Buy a Camel?Petra has been left pretty much as the Nabateans left it because shortly after the Romans conquered the city, new trade routes opened up which bypassed Petra and the city swiftly fell into decline and by the time Islam arrived in the 7th Century, Petra had passed out of all knowledge except for the few local Bedouin who jealously guarded the secret.   In 1812 a Swiss explorer called Johann Ludwig Burckhardt acting on some rumors convinced the locals that he was a convert to Islam who needed to make a sacrifice at the tomb of Moses's brother Aaron which local tradition places in Petra.  He was thus able to visit the site and report back to the world its discovery.  Petra has not been forgotten since.  However, it is only been since the peace treaty with Israel, that Jordan has been able to really begin developing the area into a proper international tourist site (and tripling the entrance fees).

As impressive as Petra's monuments are, they pale beside the natural beauty of the area.  The sandstone forms in many layers of wildly varying color to produce swirls of colors in every known shade of red, yellow, white, purple and yellow which seem to change color as the day passes.

While most of Petra is located in a valley there are several sites located at the tops of the surrounding hills where sacrifices were made to the major Nabatean gods Dushara and Al 'Uzza.

Petra TombAccess to Petra is made from the village of Wadi Musa (Moses's Valley), so named from the belief it was here that Moses angrily struck the rock in a moment of lack of faith as his Israelites were on the verge of dying of thirst.  Wadi Musa is a small village dedicated almost entirely to the serving of the tourists to Petra.

Local Bedouin in PetraThe modern nation of Jordan is a country which paradoxically seems more modern than its neighbor Egypt, but more obviously conservative.  The smaller population has a higher standard of living, the country is kept impeccably clean, the roads wide and in good repair and the capital city Amman is the most western look city I've seen in the Middle East.  However, Jordanian women almost never mix with foreigners the way they do in Egypt, all the women wear conservative dresses and scarves, and many wear veils to hide their faces.

For most of Jordan's history, Jordan was ruled by King Hussein Ibn Talal who was almost unanimously revered by the Jordanians. During my three visits during his reign pictures of him could be found everywhere, each different, each a statement of personal love for him. King Hussein and his heir King Abdullah II are leaders of the Hashemite tribe, the tribe of the Prophet Muhammed, and thus claim direct decent from him.

After Petra, the other major site in Jordan to visit is Jerash a Roman colonial city which was destroyed by an earthquake, and like Pompeii, was discovered unchanged by later history.

Last: Eilat / Aqaba Next Adventure Next: The Pyramids of Giza, Egypt

See Also:

Grand Central Station
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  • © Copyright 1999 Richard S. Cooper