Petra

 Where do I even begin...

 

You can see the water conduits
near the bottom

Petra was known to its inhabitants, the Nabeteans, as Raqmu or Raqēmō. The Nabeteans were a nomadic people and they inhabited the area from about 7000 BC. As this area was smack dab in the middle of an important incense trade route, the Nabeteans thought this would be a good place to trade and make some money. Turns out this was a brilliant idea and from the 4th century BC to the 1st century AD Raqmu thrived and the Nabeteans became wealthy. 

Then the Romans came and messed it all up. Well, the Romans re-named the place Petra and annexed the Nabeteans and their city. That was the beginning of the end. Sea trade became more prominent, earthquakes happened and then slowly the city was abandoned and "disappeared" back into the desert until 1812.

To get to the city we hiked through the Siq, a narrow 1km-long gorge flanked by soaring 80m-high  sandstone walls. The colours and patterns of the rock are astounding, and there's also evidence of the Nabetean's ingenious water conduits that allowed them to control the scarce water into dams and cisterns making Petra an oasis in the desert. The gorge abruptly ends and you find yourself in front of Al-Khazneh, the famed treasury of Petra. Gob-smacked.

The Treasury’s façade (24.9 meters wide x 38.77 meters high) embodies the Hellenistic style of decoration which reflects the far flung influences of it's trading partners. It's believed to have been the mausoleum of the Nabatean King Aretas IV. As with all the mausoleums, (yes, the treasury isn't the only one!) the carving started at the top. First, the stonemasons created a slim ledge along the width, then, stage by stage, chiseled the structure, decorations, and interiors out of the wall, following the masters’ preliminary drawings. All components needed to be fully completed before they moved down. The staff could possibly be lowered from the highest fringe of the rock on a seat on a rope for touching up the completed construction, which was then stuccoed (that's gone now). Two vertical rows of slots on both sides of the façade served as climbing notches and as helps for scaffolding to work the outside of the construction. 

There's nothing inside, it's just a rectangular room with incense burn marks on the walls. The corners though, are astounding, so precise it's mind boggling - all carved by hand with simple tools.

 

Well, Petra is not just the treasury. As I said this was a thriving and wealthy trading hub and later a roman city. We spent the day wandering this amazing place, visiting other mausoleums, a roman theatre, the triumphal arch and the monastery...there was even an incense trader there! 

We hiked over 25km today. It was magnificent.