Petra Things to Do Tips by nepalgoods

End of the Gorge The Treasury Review

When the gorge gets really narrow and the walls seem to close over your head, than the end is reached. It is like walking through a door and your eyes suddenly focus on the Treasury. After the darkness in the gorge, the view of the treasury in full sunlight is very impressive.

El Deir

Another steep and narrow gorge leads up to El deir. This Nabataean Tomb is as beautiful as the treasury. Opposite of this spectacular building is a small coffee-house, were you can sit and enjoy the view.

Byzantine Petra

The remains of a Byzantine church from the 6th or 8th century are proof, that Petra was still inhabitated until this times. The church has been discovered about 10 years ago. That it is still possible to discover such an important and beautiful building in Petra makes me think about the maybe many buildings, which are still hidden in the mountains and still wait to be discovered.

Tombs

The mountains around Petra are covered with ancient tombs. This you can see on the way to the ancient city center of Petra. They are mainly Nabataean tombs. In more recent times some of them were the home of the local beduin people.

Roman Petra

After the spectacular Treasury you go to the right and pass the remains of Roman Petra, like the theatre, beautifully carved into the red stonewall. After a while you reach the big restored gate.

Waterchannels

The Nabataeans had a elaborate system of channels bringing the precious water to the city. You can still see the remains of them in the walls of the gorge. Please pay attention to the deep red of the stony walls.

The Gorge

Petra’s prominence also derives from its proximity to ancient caravan routes, its easily defended location, stable water resources and proximity to rich agricultural and grazing lands. The Nabataean capital was strategically situated only twenty kilometers from the crossroads of two vital trade routes; one linking the Persian Gulf (and thereby the silks and spices of India and China) with the Mediterranean Sea (and the empires of the Greeks and Romans), the other connecting Syria with the Red Sea.

Entrance Area

When I first visited Petra in 1982 there was no official entrance. You could hire a horse and go straight through the gorge on horseback. Today the area is under official controll. It is no longer allowed to ride a horse through the gorge. It is said, that the horses caused accidents and also a lot of smelly dirt. With the entrance fee in any case you pay a bit for the beduins, who still wait with their horses. You can ride it to beginning of the gorge.

Petra

The first historical mention of the Nabataeans is in a list of the enemies of the King of Assyria in 647 BC. There are several reasons, religious and economic, suggested for the Nabataeans selection of Petra as their capital. The city of Petra is situated at the beginning of Wadi Musa, meaning the Valley of Moses, and this site had long been venerated as one of the traditional sites where Moses struck the ground and the water gushed forth. The region was also revered by the Nabataeans as the sacred precinct of their god Dushara.

Before you enter the famous gorge leading to Petra you pass a small museum and of course a few souvenir shops.

The Treasury

The socalled "treasury" is the tomb of a mighty person of the Nabatean City of Petry, maybe even of a king. The rocky mountains around Petra are full of tombs, but this one is the most beautiful and the first one, that you see, when you reach the end of the gorge.