TheWanderingCamel's ancestor and other Petra, Jordan Things to Do Tips

Climb up to the Byzantine basilica (under the rather ugly roof structure) and look for this snapshot of our great(x50) grandpapa in the beautiful mosaic pavement..

This is a particularly lovely mosaic pavement as evidenced by the very real artistic merit in this vignette of the camel.

leyle

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First and foremost when planning your visit to Petra is to ensure that you get there as early in the morning as you possibly can. That way you stand a chance of experiencing the magical and awe-inspiring sensation of being on your own in the Siq. It's worth whatever it takes to get you up and out there first thing.

leyle

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When we asked people who live in Amman about the climb to the Monastery they had 3 words of advice - "Take the donkey."
So that's what we did - donkey up, walk down.
It was an experience, terrifying at first as the path was so narrow in places that our legs seemed to dangle in space over the ravine, but once we trusted the sure-footedness of the animal, it was quite fun - and our legs were grateful to have escaped the first 850 steps of the long climb up. There was no escaping the last part of the path, much shorter but steeper, but the spectacle of the huge facade of the Monastery was ahead of us, it was still very early in the morning and we knew there was no-one ahead of us so we would have the place absolutely to ourselves - magic.

Allow yourself plenty of time to get up to the Monastery, whether by donkey or under your own steam. It is a long way, but the path is good, a mix of steps and flat stretches. You'll encounter some very persuasive saleswomen on the way - if they can't get you going up (if you're on a donkey) be sure they'll get you coming down.

leyle

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Address: Wadi ad-Deir
Directions: The path to the Monastery leads off on the right after the Restaurant and the museum. The donkey costs 5JD

These are the first sign that you are approaching something special. They are huge blocks of stone, lightly carved, on the right hand side as you go down the road to Petra. They are also called "god blocks"

Their exact purpose is unknown, they seem to be associated with water, there are a number of them scattered around the outskirts of Petra, usually close to a water course.

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Directions: On the way down, perhaps a couple of hundred yards/meters from the entrance. You will see them just before you come to the Obelisk Tomb on the right hand side of the road going down.

Posted by Lulu

The principal God of the Nabateans was called Dushara. A "statue"of him has been found in Petra, and you can buy pendants and rings copied from it.

It is believed possible that the "God blocks" or "Djinn blocks" were imitations of their God.

Posted by Lulu

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This is a little bit further down, and is a foretaste of what is to come. It is not sheltered from the wind and rain in any way and is badly eroded.

The top half is a tomb, supposedly for four people, although no remains of any kind have been found. The lower half is a triclinium, or "dining room" for the family making a formal visit to the tomb. There are stone benches inside.

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Directions: On the way down the path : honestly you can't miss it!

Posted by Lulu

The Nabateans were masters of water engineering and they completely understood that it was just as bad to have too much water as not to have enough!

Petra is right at the bottom of a huge bowl in the hills; when you look up from the gate towards Wadi Mousa you can see that there are hills all around you.

Whenever it rains all the water runs down all the little valleys, and ends up down in the site of Petra. This was one reason for the siting of the city, but the water has to be controlled.

Posted by Lulu

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Following the disastrous flood in 1963 in Petra, the authorities built a dam to deflect the water that used to flow freely down the Siq. They were surprised to find that the Nabateans had already done the same thing and had built a tunnel to control the water that comes down when it rains.

The dam is just at the entrance to the Siq where the horses stop, and it is crossed by a bridge. A part of the dam is on the left of the photo. You can see the tunnel to the right; it is deceptive and further away than it looks and so it is much bigger. In fact from the floor to the roof it is about 8 meters high. The tunnel directs the water through a number of small valleys before it comes out in Petra not far from the Royal Tombs. Even with its height, it can still be blocked by fallen trees when there are floods.

The tunnel directs the water through a number of small valleys before it comes out in Petra in front of the Urn Tomb.

Posted by Lulu

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If you are feeling adventurous, have good walking shoes (and plenty of water) and are in reasonable physical condition, why not go down to Petra through the tunnel?

You turn right just before entering the Siq, go through the tunnel and through a narrow ravine. Turn left at the end, squeeze through a very narrow bit and scramble (carefully) down a rocky slope - and there you are in Wadi Mataha, not far from the Royal Tombs! This ravine is called Wadi Muthlim. The walk will probably take you two or three hours.
Two warnings : do NOT do this alone unless somebody is expecting you at the other end, and get out of the ravine fast if it even looks like rain! These watercourses are all dangerous when it rains. There doesn't have to be a lot of rain where you are, it might be raining harder on the mountains.

This path is only used two or three times a week, perhaps not as much, so if you get into trouble alone you might be there for several days before you are found.

And don't do it the first time you go down, or you will miss the magic of the Siq.

Posted by Lulu

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The Siq wasn't the normal way into Petra, but was the ceremonial entrance to the religious part of the town.

It is lined with votive niches all the way; some of them have worn away.

At the entrance there are "watch points" on both the left and the right hand sides; it is quite easy to climb up, especially the left hand one. In several places steps were cut to help.

At the top there is a seat carefully placed in a hollowed out niche where there is always a breeze. You can often see the local men sitting there to cool down. It is even possible to be COLD up there, when it is sweltering on the ground.

Posted by Lulu

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