I'll cut to the chase - ancient
Petra is BIG, so you can't really see it all in one day... hence this post being 'Part II'!
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| You can see that the very bottom of the Monastery building has eroded away, but it's still impressive! |
There is another big carved building on site - as big and arguably as magnificent as the very well-photographed Treasury building. It's a hike to get there though - along ancient Petra's famous merchant staircase/road.
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| We took the shortcut road in from Uum Sayhoun - a 1.5km downhill stroll down a paved road |
The valley in which ancient Petra was built is actually quite deep - the road in from Uum Sayhoun covers a good vertical drop. Parker and I went off-roading in the scree and cliffs, which was fun - we met herds of goats and their keepers and tackled some fun terrain.
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| Parker off-roading |
Once down in the valley, cave dwellings start to pepper the landscape.
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| Again, all caves are accessible by foot without restriction - this one was home to a camel |
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| Camels, donkeys and cave-houses, oh my! |
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| Taking a load off... |
Waiting in the valley is a Nabataean structure that was later Romanized - the
Qasr Al-Bint place of worship, complete with an altar for sacrifices and a staircase formerly of bright white marble steps. Little of the marble remains today (see right side of staircase), but it's not hard to imagine how imposing and stark this building would have appeared against the surrounding backdrop. Amazingly, some of it stands still today, despite earthquakes and its towering height.
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Considering it was first built in the 1st century, it's in pretty good shape! |
A new tourist facility was placed in the valley, offering coffee and snacks and shopping... which is too bad... but overall, the site has been well-preserved. Then is climb-time... up the ancient merchant road.
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| Signage like this is rare but informative at Petra |
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| This donkey is hanging out in the apparent Compton of Petra |
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| Cave dwelling density goes up near the merchant road - ancient high-rises?! |
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| On the staircase road |
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| Gaining altitude... |
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| Scarves and rocks and trinkets... Chelsea went a little Pashmina scarf-crazy |
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| Not exactly adapted for the disabled... |
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| A solid climb! |
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| Rest stops |
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| Some ledges hide sheer drops of a few hundred feet |
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| Again, if there is a mild slope, you can bet that an ancient Nabataean or Bedouin carved a staircase into it to make a home... here, Parker and I are scaling a milder slope to access a remote cave dwelling to break up the climb |
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| Donkeys on daring slopes |
After a long climb, you get treated to this view...
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| The monastery - no tourists - WOW! |
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| Snacks at the hilltop bistro (and shop... there's always a shop) |
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| A rare photograph of the wild Cherylius Nimblius in its natural habitat :) |
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| So many perspectives... and lots of time to enjoy them |
Back down in the valley (I'll save you the descent), is an ancient Roman road and building ruins... they are in amazing shape - worth the walk!
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| Intact Roman ruins |
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| So cool |
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| Scramble, climb, jump - when in Rome (or as close as COVID let us get to Rome)… |
Wait... not done yet... there's another merchant road... and more ruins... but they're up on a really high escarpment... you have to climb a lot of crazy staircases to get there... ancient not-so-sturdy ones.
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| Um, safety rail - NAH! Um, building code? - NOPE! |
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| More climbing - YES! |
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| Weather - these stairs are in pretty good shape! |
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| Daring goats - up about 500ft on a cliffside - truly brave! |
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| Cliff-top vendor |
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| A cliff-top tomb-with-a-view! |
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| So much eye-candy! |
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| The tomb building |
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| Cliff-top tomb from the outside |
I could go on forever - the paths, staircases, dwellings, plateaus and ruins are nearly endless. At its height,
Raqmu counted +20,000 inhabitants. If you can keep an eye on your kids and you're fit, exploring ancient Petra is a great way to burn a few days. It's rare, IMHO, that a place so steeped in interesting history is also so fun to explore and enjoy.
We recommend Petra, hands-down, to any family looking to truly interact with ancient history. Nothing beats hands-on learning… and Petra is the perfect place to let that happen!
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