Petra is an amazing and, apparently, a very ancient city in the heart of Jordan. It is said that about two thousand years BC, the Nabateans came to these lands. It is also said that they were later conquered by the Tenth Roman Legion. In the architectural elements of Petra, art historians find monuments that could have belonged to the ancient Egyptians, the ancient Greeks, and the ancient Romans. The construction of two citadels in the heart of Petra is attributed to the Crusaders. But in fact, when bringing tourists to the territory of Petra, the guides honestly admit: nothing is known for sure about this ancient and mysterious city. This mystery attracts travelers from all over the world.
The ancient ruins of Petra are hidden deep in the sandy mountains near the city of Wadi Musa (Valley of Moses). The path from Wadi Musa to the heart of Petra is long and varied. And it begins with a paved road that runs between the mountains.
The road to Petra.
It is believed that it was in these parts that Moses, leading the Israelite people to the promised land, hit the rock with his staff, and a source was formed. And on the top of the highest mountain (a white dot on the highest mountain in the right half of the photo), Moses' brother Aaron, who was the first biblical priest, is buried. It is interesting that now at the burial place of Aaron there is … a Muslim mosque.
Panorama of Wadi Musa.
Miracles and mysteries of Petra begin long before a tourist sees with his own eyes what he has come a long way for … On both sides of the road you can find traces of architectural monuments that could once have been tombs, obelisks and altars.
Jin-block, idol of the god Dushar.
On the road to Petra, you can most often see huge blocks. Historians believe that they all symbolize the god Dushar. It is believed that in the pagan pantheon of Nabatean gods, the most revered was Dushara, who combined the features of Zeus and Dionysus.
Promotional video:
Jin-block, idol of the god Dushar.
Here, the traveler first encounters mysterious caves high in the mountains. Scientists believe these are tombs. The fact that a person could have been buried here is indicated by the stairs above the entrance to the tomb. The ancients believed that the soul ascends to heaven along this ladder.
The staircase above the tomb means the ascent of the soul to heaven.
Gradually, the open paved road turns into a winding passage in the Siq Canyon. Each stone evokes awe and interest. With each turn, there are other turns - even more bizarre.
Siq Canyon.
The height of the canyon is from 70 to 120 meters, which makes this space even more majestic. The total length of the canyon is just over a kilometer. Most tourists prefer to walk this path with their own feet in order to be able to carefully examine every stone, every twig of miraculously grown trees, every trace of history … However, those who wish can go this route on a horse hired from the Bedouins or on a cart with a horse.
Siq Canyon.
From time to time, the long weathered outlines of ancient altars are visible on the walls of the canyon.
Altar of the god Dushar.
One of the sacrificial altars in the Siq canyon is fairly well preserved. According to historians, the god Dushara (a large rectangle inside the altar, in which the outlines of square eyes are actually clearly visible) and his wife (a smaller rectangle) are carved on the stone block.
Idol of the god Dushar and his wife.
The colors of the Siq canyon are amazing. Tall and curving walls create a whimsical play of light and shadow. The top of the canyon is brightly lit by the Jordanian sun. The sun's rays never reach some corners at the very bottom of the canyon. And in rare places, the Siq canyon can be safely called colorful.
Colored layering.
Along the road, at a height of about a meter, there is a drain, through which rainwater flowed into the reservoirs of the ancient Nabateans. Now this drain has been destroyed almost everywhere. But in one place on its base, the remains of human sculptures are clearly visible. Nothing of the kind could be seen in other parts of Petra.
Remains of ancient human statues.
And now, finally, the almost one and a half kilometer path ends, and the outlines of the famous Khazna first appear from the cleft of the canyon.
A traditional postcard from Petra, at its best.
The magnificent facade of the Khazna (or Treasury) is a unique creation. In the sculptural group of the facade, art critics saw Horus (the Egyptian eagle god), the Greek goddess Nika, two warlike and beautiful Amazons and two centaurs. Despite the name, scientists are sure that Khazna is not a storehouse of money, but the tomb of one of the Nabatean rulers.
The famous facade of Khazna.
More recently, the whole world was sure that the famous Khazna facade consists of two levels. It was only in the summer of 2006 that scientists began to dig deeper. And they dug another floor under the facade. Instead of giving scientists a clue, the excavated underground facade of Khazna made it clear only one thing: Petra is still fraught with many secrets that can be found, but are unlikely to be revealed.
The lower facade of Khazna was excavated in the summer of 2006.
Once on the territory of the city, tourists find themselves not only among the ancient ruins, but also in the real kingdom of donkeys and camels. For a small contractual fee, a local Bedouin will happily put you in his taxi and take you from one attraction to another.
Nabataean camel.
It seems that the entire territory of the old city has turned into a burial place. Historians tend to call almost every hole in the wall a tomb. It is noteworthy that in the entire history of excavations in Petra, not a single buried person has been found in its tombs.
Tomb of an unknown noble Nabatean.
Tombs can be at ground level or high on a mountain. Here again we see an element of the staircase, along which the soul must climb.
Tomb on a dais.
Architectural elements similar to the Khazna façade are ubiquitous in Petra. True, in most places the weathering was so strong that only outlines remained of the facades.
Weathered bas-relief.
In the photo below, according to experts, there could be burials of ordinary Nabataeans. By the way, modern Bedouins lived in these premises twenty years ago, who were forcibly evicted from the historical monument. True, in return they received quite decent housing in Wadi Musa and a work permit in Petra.
Tombs for the poor Nabataeans.
Petra also has its own amphitheater. Scientists believe that the first few levels were built by the Nabataeans. However, later, when the Tenth Legion came to Jordan, the Romans completed the theater to their usual size.
An amphitheater built by the Tenth Legion.
Apparently, the Tenth Legion stayed in Petra for a long time and managed to build many temples, administrative buildings and defensive structures on its territory. Among the well-preserved monuments, the Colonnade stands out.
The ruins of the colonnade.
From the ruins of the Palace of the Winged Lions, from which now only the bases of the columns remain (in the photo below, in the foreground), a good view of the royal tombs opens up.
Palace of the Winged Lions and a view of the Valley of the Tombs.
In fairness, it should be noted that in Petra there are some traces of ordinary settlements. Scientists believe that the monumental tombs and foundations of the palaces have survived, and the houses of ordinary residents were also there, but did not survive several earthquakes. Experts attribute the stone ridges in the photo below to the foundations of the houses of ordinary Nabateans.
Foundations of houses destroyed by an earthquake.
The outline of the Roman parliament in Petra is much better preserved. However, archaeologists are still continuing excavations at this site of the ancient city.
Here the Roman parliament sat.
Only in the summer of 2006 in the Roman part of Petra, scientists dug out defensive fortifications with a moat (pictured below). At the bottom of the ditch, all the found decorative ornaments and stone balls, which, presumably, could serve as nuclei for ancient Roman tools, were carefully laid.
This aqueduct was dug up in the summer of 2006.
In the depths of the valley, entirely consisting of Nabatean burials, there are the walls of the once monumental Qasr temple.
Great Nabatean palace Qasr.
The Nabataeans were not only great architects and skillful masons, but also skillful stone carvers.
Nabataean patterns.
Art critics call the patterns of the Nabataeans unique to the Middle East. Many elements of the architectural monuments of Petra are borrowed from different peoples, but the patterns on the stones are considered original.
Nabataean patterns.
You can walk around Petra for a long time, the distances are long, and there are a lot of places where you want to look. But sometimes you need to stop and look around to realize the greatness of these places in all its glory.
Panorama of the royal tombs.
Petra itself is an open-air museum. But on its territory, within closed walls, there is also the Museum of Archeology, where the found fragments of sculptural groups and utensils of the Nabateans are collected.
Museum of Archeology.
There is a restaurant next to the Museum of Architecture. A hearty buffet decorated with chic gilded dishes, complemented by personally prepared kebabs and kebabs. So everyone can taste the local cuisine in the very heart of the ancient Nabatean kingdom.
Buffet in the restaurant.
Modern Petra is quite familiar with the benefits of civilization. You can safely go for a walk even from early morning until late at night. There are toilets in Petra and they work great. And if the walls of the booths are finished with ordinary tiles, then overhead there is either an open sky or an overhanging multi-colored rock.
Here is a public toilet in Petra.
In the meantime, excavations in Petra continue. Having unearthed another level of the Khazna façade and a defensive fortress near the Palace of the Winged Lions in just the past few months, archaeologists have set to work with redoubled enthusiasm.
The beginning of new excavations.
For the Jordanian Bedouins, however, life in Petra goes on as usual. While tourists admire the secrets of antiquity, and scientists are trying to unravel these secrets, local residents calmly walk herds of rams on the surrounding hills.
Bedouins live their lives in Petra …
We spent about six hours in Petra as part of a day trip from Sharm el Sheikh. Of course, we got an idea of Peter, but this is not enough. But the appetite came with eating: now I really want to someday organize a full-fledged trip to Jordan. A half day in Petra is enough to make it clear to any sophisticated traveler: Jordan is an interesting country, rich in historical monuments and other wonderful places. Yes, and we will return to Petra with great interest in a couple of years, because even the most experienced archaeologists do not even know yet what else they have to dig in the multi-colored sands of this enchanted city of the ancient Nabateans.
Maria Puzankova