Places to Visit in Petra
We awoke for our second day in Petra. We had another hike planned to the High Place of Sacrifice and through Wadi Farasa. Suman and Syreeta decided that they would rather spend a more leisurely morning strolling around the theater and the Great Temple as we didn’t spend much time exploring them yesterday. Margaret and I opted for the hike that would lead us up above Petra for views down on the complex.
But first, we had to walk the long path and the Siq to the Treasury. We met Ramiz around 8am. He announced that this family from Australia would be joining us. This was a bit of shock given we booked a private tour. I think it was a shock to the Australians too, since they booked months ago as well. But none of us knew exactly what to say, so we just carried on slightly perplexed.
The Siq
Today we walked into Petra the way we left Petra yesterday. We, as pedestrians, along with zooming horse carriages passed by several tombs before we entered the Siq. Just as in Little Petra, the Siq was very narrow so that the Nabateans could easily protect their city.
The Siq included a variety of carvings such as a soldier and camel, notches indicating the narrowing of the gorge, and two slots where people stand to get married as they worship the carving on the wall across from them. An aqueduct lined almost the whole gorge as we passed by several dams.
The Treasury
We exited the Siq right in front of the Treasury. The Treasury is thought to be a temple or a place to store documents, but derives its name from a story that an Egyptian Pharaoh hid his treasure here while he was pursuing the Israelites.
It is believed the Treasury took 50 years to build as indicated by the variety of decorations. Some of the carvings are Nabatean while others are Roman. There is a graveyard beneath the building and of course the facade was used in the filming of Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.
Jebel Madbah
After snapping more photos of the Treasury, we parted ways with Suman and Syreeta and started our hike with the Australians to the High Place of Sacrifice. We took a long, gently inclining path of stairs up through a gorge before we made a few “S” turns as we climbed more and more stairs past two obelisks that represent the Nabatean’s two most important gods.
Along the way, we had the option to purchase some souvenirs from a few merchants that peppered the path, but we kept going to finally reach the top of Jebel Madbah. This cultic area is one of the most well preserved in the world. The mostly flat, rectangular courtyard included three benches, a table, an altar and a basin. Originally animals were sacrificed up here, but then the Nabatean’s felt the animals were important for their survival so they began sacrificing frankincense.
High Place of Sacrifice
From atop the High Place of Sacrifice, we looked down on old homes that the Nabateans lived in and enjoyed an amazing view of Petra. We could see all the way from Qasr Al-Bint to the Royal Tombs! Of course, we couldn’t spot Suman or Syreeta. The people looked like ants.
Wadi Farasa
From the High Place of Sacrifice, we followed a different path down through Wadi Farasa known as the processional route. The path was beautiful! Writings and figures were carved in the rocks which we certainly wouldn’t have noticed without Ramiz pointing them out. A guide is worth every penny even if he did “double dip” and smoke while hiking.
Lion Fountain
Before we descended toward the monuments in the valley below, we stopped at the Lion Fountain which earned its name due to the Lion carved in the sandstone that spurted water from its mouth. In addition, they carved a channel above the lion’s head that received water from Ain Braq spring. It deposited the water in a basin at the Lion Fountain which then flowed to a large cistern at the foot of the mountain. The Nabateans were so creative with water. They considered it sacred as proven by the altar for sacrifice carved in the rock across from the lion.
Garden Hall
From the lion fountain we descended past local family with the cutest kiddo hardly taller than the cairn marking the trail toward a large cistern. A large cistern may be an understatement. It was enormous! It had to be the size of a football field. Greenery grew on top of it. Not only did we have a view of the cistern from above, but also the Tomb of the Roman Soldier and the Garden Hall.
The area in front of the Garden Hall used to be the gardens. It must be that much more pretty in the spring time/summer when the wildflowers bloom. The Garden Hall is home to another cistern (and lots of cats)!
Tomb of the Roman Soldier
From there we passed through the valley to the Tomb of the Roman Soldier. The Tomb of the Roman Soldier is the only structure that still has statues on its façade. The statues are of military officers, thus the name. Across from the tomb was the Colored Triclinium, a striking chamber which is the only room in this funeral complex that has carved architectural decorations on its interior surface. It served as a funeral banquet hall.
We continued through the valley to a low ridge across from the Royal Tombs where we searched for gypsum and pottery pieces before we ended our half day tour. I asked Ramiz if he was going to take the Australians for the rest of the afternoon. He said, no. I thought it was ashame they wouldn’t see the Monastery, but he told me that most people don’t make it past the Treasury and Royal Tombs on tour.
Wow, I felt fortunate we got to see all those structures and would have liked to do another hike that goes above the Treasury. To travel all the way to Jordan, Petra at least deserves a full day! I really enjoyed visiting the ancient city and our guide was a wealth of information, but it was time to move on. After a quick and tasty lunch at The Oriental, we piled into the car and headed to Wadi Rum (The Valley of the Moon), where we planned to spend two nights in the desert with the Bedouins.
Wadi Rum
The security check points continued along the way to the desert. As usual, they waved us on. Soon we arrived at the gates of the entrance to Wadi Rum where we were greeted by many friendly Bedouins. Our information instructed us to ask for Attallah who operated the Bedouin Lifestyle Camp. The Bedouins directed us to his headquarters, a building in the small city where we were served tea with sugar (or should I say sugar with tea) while we waited for a few more visitors to arrive.
Once we had enough people to fill up the back of a pick up truck with benches that lined each side and a canopy, we ventured into the desert. Before getting to camp, we stopped at some rocks to watch the sunset where we were served more tea. After sunset, we traveled just a little farther to our camp.
Having done virtually no research on this trip and heavily relying on Suman, I pictured us staying in tents at best. I thought the structures would be low and covered in tarps and blankets like the ones we passed near Petra on our hike the first day. I assumed we’d be sleeping on cushions on the ground with warm blankets, thus when I saw our small, arched cottages made of warm wool material, I felt this was quite an upgrade.
We had two cots in our room with one bedside table, a door and a window. The walls were decorated in fancy cloth and the floor covered with a rug. Fayez, the young man who transported us to the camp, gathered blankets and doled them out. I took two in preparation for the cold night. One felt like it weighed 50 pounds. I could barely lift it.
our camp 
Traditional Bedouin Dinner
After getting situated, we used our headlamps to walk up the sand dune to the dining and entertainment hall. The hall was lined with cushions where we joined 20 other tourists who sat covered in blankets. Of course, we were offered more tea with sugar.
Soon they played us traditional Bedouin songs. Then it was time for a traditional Bedouin dinner called Zarb that they cook beneath the sand in an underground oven. We were invited to go outside and watch them remove the food from the ground, but we picked warmth instead.
They asked once more if we would like to join as most everyone else went outside, but we said we’d see it tomorrow. For some reason, we were still tired from our travels. The dinner included chicken, zucchini and potatoes along with a vegetarian dish, pita bread, rice, a few salads, and salty lentil soup.
After enjoying dinner, we tried our best to stay up for music, dancing, and sheesha, but the dark communal room made our eyelids close involuntarily. During the dancing, we danced our way out to our cabin.
We were all pleased to find a wonderful bathroom facility with three sinks, three toilets, and hot showers! This was definitely glamping for me, and more like the tourist Bedouin lifestyle versus the real Bedouin lifestyle which included building tents, herding goats, and searching for water.
Though for Syreeta, while a good sport, I think she would have liked at least a Holiday Inn Express! We signed off for the night and prepared for a day of 4×4 in the desert tomorrow. ETB
Other Articles About Jordan You May Like
- The Dead Sea, Mt Nebo, and Mosaics in Madaba
- New Year’s Eve at the Dead Sea
- A 4×4 Drive Through the Wadi Rum Desert
- From Little Petra to Petra…Phenomenal
- Ambling Through Amman’s Citadel in Jordan
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