ENTERING PETRA - FIRST IMPRESSIONS & OUR HOTEL
ENTERING THE SIQ
WALKING THROUGH THE SIQ TO PETRA CITY
THE TREASURY
22nd January - THE LOST CITY OF PETRA - JORDAN
Petra - I will definitely be doing a lecture on Petra because I find it so interesting and fascinating. If you find that I am writing AMAZING - MAGNIFICENT all the time, then you should read my notes on Petra at the end and you will understand the history and reasons for these expressions better.
Petra is a very special place and it sneaks its way into ones heart and stays there.
For Peter and I, Petra was love at first sight. We visited Petra in 2016 and decided we wanted to return. It is absolutely MAGNIFICENT. The whole atmosphere that Petra portraits gets under your skin. You want to see more and learn more.
Last year we only had one day in Petra and managed to walk down through the Sie to the Treasury down through the city to the museum. Unfortunately we did not have time to get to the well know monastery nor to climb any of the steep hills and look inside the tombs. This time things were to be much different.
6.0. a.m. wake up call. 6.30 breakfast. A great breakfast buffet and ready to go. By the time we had organized our tickets (1 day 50JD two days 55 JD) we entered the gates at around 7.30 were on our way downhill towards the famous Siq. It takes approx. 30 minutes to walk from the entrance through the Siq to the Treasury, of course when you are not with Linda and her camera equipment. Peter and I decided to take our time and examine to rocks, the engravements and fortunately there were not many tourists.
I forgot to mention that we had had a climate change from 30 degrees down to only 7 degrees at night. Two days before we arrived temperatures had gone down to zero and there had been snowfalls. It was now around 10 degrees and we were wearing several layers of cloths.
It is possible to get a horse ride down to the Siq but when you walk down you get a completely different impression of the place. Save the horse ride for on the way back up if you are too tired to walk.
You can see the Treasury shining through the gap in the rocks from the Siq and then you tread out of the Siq into another world. Camels, Bedouins, donkeys, hustle and bustle and amidst it all "The Treasury" - the main attraction of Petra for most tourists. For me the attraction is the complete area, all the entrances, the caves, the history, the people. Yes, I have Petra under my skin and am fascinated.
When you arrive at The Treasury you will be confronted with lots of Bedouins offering to show you around Petra. If you have not already organized a tour guide or are part of a tour it is probably better to buy a guide book and make your own way around.
We wanted to walk and walk and walk! To soak in the details of the place. Just before arriving at the theatre Peter suggested climbing up some rocks. We did and we did not stop climbing. We climbed and climbed and walked for approx. 3 hours taking in the marvelous views. During this time we visited the place of sacrifice which if the highest point in Petra. By the time we got back down it was now 15.30 and time to start walking back tot he Siq adn up to our hotel. We arrived back at our hotel around 17.00 and had time to get into the hot bath tub, have something to eat and get ready for "Petra by Night".
Petra by Night is a special event which is held about 3 times per week. Tickets cost 17 JD approx. 20 Euro per person and are available from 19.00 hrs at the Visitors Centre.
The tour starts at 20.20 hrs from the Visitors Centre. You walk down to The Treasury in the dark and the way is lit by candles in small sacks on the side. The way through the Siq can be tricky and it is better to have a torch in your pocket.
On arrival at The Treasury several hundred candles await you and mats on the floor to sit on. Everyone takes their place seated on the mats and music is played, tea is served and you enjoy the atmosphere. A lot of people including Peter and myself have a problem sitting cross legged for over 45 minutes and me with my tripod between my legs trying to take some night exposures.
It was an experience as such but does not compare with Petra by day. We spent approx. 1 hour at The Treasury in the dark lit by candles which of course was interesting but uncomfortable on the floor with crossed legs and then walked back in the dark, through the Siq to our hotel. You do not really see anything of Petra itself or the Siq except for The Treasury. Back at the hotel, we checked for emails and jumped into bed. Early start next morning to "Little Petra". My back hurt from carrying my heavy camera all day and we had been walking and climbing steps and rocks from 7.30 am till 23.00 hrs. It had been a fantastic day but my back was now telling me "enough is enough" for today.
Notes on Petra:
The main site of the city lies in Wadi Musi (Valley of Moses), a large open plain ringed by silent peaks and pink sandstone which kept explorers guessing for centuries.
Petra is far more than a rock carving or two - it is an entire ghost town occupying a site of many hectares. It is famous for its tombs and temples with wonderful facade carvings. The other thing it is famous for is its colour. Iron Oxide, carried by water, has stained the sandstone in shades of red, pink, brown, deep chocolate, maroon and yellow. Fascinating!
The city has been occupied since the earliest of time going back to at least 7000 years B.C. Excavation work has shown that the area was inhabited in the Bronze Age.
For over 600 years the city was occupied only by local Bedouin families and lost to the outside world until 1812 when Ludwig Burkhardt, disguised as a Muslim traveller heard of the area and obtained entry.
It definitely deserves to be one of the NEW WORLD WONDERS!!
We bow our heads in fascination to this World Heritage Site and consider ourselves more than fortunate to have been able to visit it again for the second time and this time have more than just one day to experience Petra and the surroundings area of Wadi Musi and Little Petra. Both Peter and I have Petra under our skin. Once seen - you want for more.....
Definitely a top HIGHLIGHT of our trip 2016 and again in 2018. I look forward to giving a lecture and showing photos of PETRA.
INSIDE THE LOST CITY OF PETRA
CLIMBING & WALKING UP TO THE HIGHEST POINT IN PETRA - THE SACRIFICE POINT
PETRA BY NIGHT
PETER - 22.01.2018 DIE VERLORENE STADT PETRA
6.00 Uhr nach dem Weckruf gings ans Frühstücksbüffet, es fehlte nichts, von Eiervariationen, Speck, frischem Obst Jogurt, mehrere Sorten Backwaren, Käse, Wurst und kleine Kuchen, alles schmeckte hervorragend.
Um 8.00 Uhr starteten wir unsere Tour in die vergessene Stadt, da wir diesmal alleine unterwegs waren konnten wir vieles noch einmal sehr viel intensiver untersuchen.
Nach dem Gang durch die Schlucht den sogenannten SIG und dem "Treasury"
(Das „Schatzhaus“)sind wir vor dem Theater links hoch zum Opferplateau, der höchste Punkt in Petra. Der Weg dorthin war schon anstrengend, unterwegs wurden wir von einer Beduinenfrau die dort oben ein kleines typisches Klapptisch-Geschäft betreibt zum Tee eingeladen. Oben angekommen wurden wir mit Atemraubende Blicke auf die gesamten Bergmassive belohnt.
Einmal im Jahr wurde eine heilige Figur dort hoch getragen, in dem Blut der getöteten Tiere tauchten die gläubigen Menschen ihre Hände, umrundeten die Statue bis zu 6 mal und verbrachten die restliche Zeit in tiefer Andacht.
Wir versuchten anschließend den Pfad zu finden von deren Ende man das Treasury Monument von oben hätte fotografieren können. Ohne einheimischen Führer war das aber unmöglich. Nach ca. 3 Stunden machten wir uns an den Abstieg.
Unten trafen wir einen jungen Beduinnen mit seinen Esel wieder, am Vormittag hatte
er uns bereits seine Dienste angeboten, Linda spürte nach dem Abstieg Ihre Bein-
muskeln und nahm jetzt die Dienste der beiden an. Die Königsgrabstätten, die auf einer Anhöhe stehen sahen wir uns noch an bevor wir langsam zurück gingen.
Linda hatte mit dem jungen Esel das große Los gezogen, er trug sie gemächlich bis zum
Treasury , weiter zu gehen war es den Eseln nicht gestattet den von da bis zum
Ein- und Ausgang war es ausschließlich Kutschengespannen vorbehalten die Besucher zum Ausgang zu bringen. Ca 800 Meter vor dem Ausgang nahm Linda dann doch noch die Dienste eines Pferdes in Anspruch, es war im Eintrittspreis enthalten,
Der Führer war am Ende mit einem Trinkgeld zu frieden.
Im Hotel angekommen ließ Linda für uns sogleich ein heißes Entspannungsbad ein, inzwischen tat jeder Muskel weh, und die Tatsache das wir lediglich
90 Minuten zum entspannen hatten kam das Bad gerade recht.
Um 20.20 Uhr war Treffpunkt vor dem Ticketcenter für die Tour "Petra bei Nacht".
Der Fußmarsch führt 30 Minuten den gesamten mit Kerzen in Pergamenttüten gehüllten Schluchtweg "Sig" bis zum Treasury entlang, der Platz vor dem
Monument war mit unzähligen Kerzen bestückt und wir, die Gäste nahmen Platz auf eigens dafür ausgerollten Matten. Die Zeremonie begann mit einer kurzen Ansprache,
jeder Besucher bekam einen Becher Tee, danach folgten 2 auf Landestypische
Instrumente gespielte Musikstücke, mit einer kurzen Zeitgeschichtlichen Erklärung endete das Spektakel und alle machten sich auf den Weg zurück zum Ausgang.
Wenn wir ganz ehrlich sind, hatten wir uns etwas mehr unter dieser Veranstaltung
vorgestellt. Das Thermometer war am Abend auf 6 Grad gefallen, wir hatten zwar
fast alles angezogen was wir dabei hatten, trotzdem waren wir froh um 22.30 Uhr
wieder in unserem angewärmten Zimmer zu sein.
Schnell krochen wir unter unsere warmen Bettdecken und schliefen sofort ein.