City Of Petra

On Saturday - while the rest of the group hiked in the Red Canyon - Chris and I opted to take a day trip to Jordan to see the ancient city of Petra. Established sometime around the 6th century BCE as the capital city of the Nabataeans, Petra is a symbol of Jordan as well as its most visited tourism attraction. Hidden in a canyon near the modern day city of Wadi Musa, it is now listed as one of the new seven wonders of the world. Petra was made famous (at least in the USA) in 1989 by the movie Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (one of my personal favorites) and since then has been a place I have always wanted to see first hand.

Our day started early in the morning. After breakfast, we were met by a rep from the tourist company nearby our hotel. They quickly escorted us to the Yitzhak Rabin Border Terminal, which is the point of entry to Jordan - and to the city directly opposite to Eilat on the Jordan side of the border, Aqaba. After about 30-40 minutes of processing (i.e. visas and stamps were issued) we crossed the border from Israel to Jordan. Once we crossed we were met by our tour guide, driver, and a tourist policeman, who would all accompany us for the day.

"The entry point to Jordan with the poster of King Abdulla looking on"
Photo by Christopher Rajashekar

From the border entry point, our tour bus - which included us and about 18 other tourists (mostly Europeans) - proceeded on the road north to Petra. The drive was about two hours, but the scenery along the way was amazing. We skirted the Wadi Rum area - also known as the Valley of the Moon - which was featured prominently in the classic film Lawrence of Arabia. We also drove through some beautiful back country (there was a detour off the main highway) where we saw many Bedouin settlements.

"Walking through the Siq on my way to Petra"
Photo by Christopher Rajashekar

Upon arrival in Petra, we walked from the parking lot into the archeological site. The path through the entry path, the Siq, took us about 30 minutes. The path winds back and forth through a narrow series of canyons before finally emerging into the most recognizable landmark in Petra, Al Khazneh aka The Treasury. To finally see this amazing architectural site in person was so incredibly cool! What was even cooler though was to realize that this was only the tip of the iceberg in Petra.

"Chris and I stand in front of Petra's fabled Treasury"
Photo by Christopher Rajashekar

Over the next two hours we were mostly free to wander the site and explore on our own. I very quickly was overwhelmed by the sheer size and scope of this settlement. The city stretches over an area over 26 square kilometers - meaning it would be impossible to see it all in such a short amount of time. At its peak, Petra must have been a magnificent capital. It was also one of the most unique - in that almost all the homes, shops, and temples were carved directly into the cliff sides. Unbelievable!

"Me looking out over the expansive Petra site"
Photo by Christopher Rajashekar

Before heading back to the border, our tour group stopped for a bite to eat in the adjacent, modern city of Wadi Musa. Having spent the past ten weeks in Israel it was interesting to compare the similarities and differences in culture - especially given that from a geographic perspective - this town wasn't that far from Israel. All in all, I think their is more in common than either side would admit, but there is definitely many stark differences, too.

"A view of Wadi Musa on the bus back to Aqaba"
Photo by Christopher Rajashekar

The ride back to the border was uneventful. Once we were back near Eilat, the tour guide took us on a ride through the center of Aqaba. Though there is definitely a lot of construction - Aqaba is still a lot quieter than its next door neighbor, Eilat. The number of resort hotels is still significantly lower, and the supporting businesses just aren't there yet. Give it a few years (and enough investment) though and I'm sure Aqaba will catch up.

"Crossing back into Israel from Jordan"
Photo by Christopher Rajashekar

The time to cross the border back into Israel went by fairly quickly - though the Israel custom control definitely asked a lot more questions than their Jordanian counterparts had earlier in the morning. Back at the hotel Chris and I joined the group for dinner. It was a great side trip and we both agree was well worth the time, cost, and effort!