Photo. A caravan
place near Petra. © Travel Explorations.
This site was just perfect for staying overnight and
resting in several caves. With it high rock it also gives good shelter from strong sandy winds and the
hot sun. Once it was a part of the old caravan road where exotic eastern
goods were transported to the Egyptian, Greek and Roman Empires.
Petra is a stunning place. So it`s the area around. It`s
reach beyound your wildest fantasy. Petra was established by
the pre-Roman Nabateans, who were formally a nomadic people. A remarkable
feature of the site is that many of the elaborate structures were cut into the
solid, richly-coloured rock.
When I was there in July this year (2005), I took my time to look around
outside Petra too. There were plenty of ancient sites that were well worth to
take a closer look at. It`s so much history carved into these rocks around.
Known from the history the city's Latin name, Petra, literally mean, "Rock".
This is really a name that charachterize the place best. Petra probably replaced
the biblical name Sela at the time of the Roman conquest some 1,900 years ago.
Today, in Arabic, the ancient site is still called Batraa, though the valley
in which it is situated is known as Wadi Musa. "The Valley of Moses"--being one
of the places where, according to semitic tradition, the Prophet Moses struck a
rock and water gushed forth. Truly Petra is steeped in history.
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Photo. One of the entrance to a caravan place
near Petra.
©
Travel Explorations.
The easiest and shortest access to Petra goes from Wadi Mosa. It goes
through a narrow gorge called the Siq that leads first to El Khazneh - the
Treasury, which is probably the Nabatean's most amazing monument.
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For they who want to experience more about the huge desert area, there are
some secret trails to the ancient city. The ancient sites around Petra is real
amazing. Would more excavations and explorations reveal the life in the
past here?
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Photo. An ancient site outside Petra
surounded by high cliffs.
© Travel Explorations.
Travelling back in history it`s always exciting. I really wonder what
these people did here for 10,000 years ago. |
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On these trails you could really experience many things you had not expected,
but don`t let the sun burn you. As I experienced in July it was as hot like
walking around in a Finnish Sauna - Soumi. Fornutately it didn`t prevent me from
exploring the area outside Petra.....
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Photo. Me walking the secret trail to Petra.
© Travel Explorations.
The trail was steep and bumpy, but anyway it was real rewarding.
Finally after a long hot day I could observe the tower the Monestary
building. |
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Photo. The Monestary in Petra, an acopalypse
rises up from a cliff.
© Travel Explorations.
Here I found the shadow for cooling down. I nearly
become boiled in the hot sun. |
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The city fell to the Romans in
106 AD. Although Petra continued to thrive for a time, its importance
later declined along with the caravan routes on which it depended. Petra was abandoned and
fell into centuries of obscurity.
Fairytale could not be more real than in Petra. To
get a broader perspective of it, I recommend travellers spend their time
exploring the area around before they get into Petra. Then your dreams will be
true about a unique adventure.
Stein Morten Lund, 15 November
2005
Additional information
Read more about Jordan,
ancient wonders and the Bedouins on our website: www.TravelExplorations.com.
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