Evidence has shown that people have been living in the area for the past 7000 years. By 312 BCE it had become Petra, a major city on the caravan trade route, and the capital city for the Nabataeans. In 106 AD it became absorbed into the Roman empire, becoming the capital for Syria and the Arabian area. Around this time the roads, including the siq, were all paved. However, in 363 AD there was a massive earthquake, damaging much of the city and the integral water systems. The city continued to fall into decline with the Romans moving to sea-trade routes, and in 663 AD another earthquake left the city in complete disrepair. By 700 AD the city was abandoned by all but the Bedouins in the area.
Some brief mentions of the city appear here and there, the last being in the 13th century. However, the city was then forgotten about and lost for the next 600 years. It wasn't until 1812 when a Swiss explorer went looking for the city was it found once again.
Seen below, this is the view from far above in the mountians down to the canyon.
Directly after the Treasury, you walk into the Street of Facades, which is a series of large tombs that line either side of the roadway here. Again as in the siq or area around the Treasury, the ground level has raised considerably over time and now you can just see the tops of the doorways to some of these tombs.
Others, however, were built high up into the rocks.
Further down into the city, you can see what remains of a huge theatre. This pre-dates Roman theatres and was built by the Nabataeans.
Everywhere you look though, there are more and more tombs to be found.
Across from the large theatre you can see the grand Royal Tombs.
Though tombs can be found everywhere you look....
From this area, I climbed up to the High Place, which was once a sacrificial place on the top of one of the hills in the area. The vantage point as you climb is really amazing.
From the top of the High Place you can really get a spectacular view of the royal tombs as well.
Climbing down from this vantage point, there were even more caves and tombs to be found.
Some, like the Soldier's Tomb below, still have statues visible on them.
While others just have amazing colors in the stone.
While walking around Petra today (We were given a "free day" to do what we liked, so no group) I somehow picked up a Bedouin. I wasn't thrilled at first to be followed around by a guy for the day, but, well... I couldn't seem to shake him (In fact, I had "met" him the night before going into the siq for the candlelight walk. He had told me that I should come back to the Bedouin camp that night afterwards for dinner with them. I declined.). Figuring that I should just go with it because at the least it would be an interesting day, I relented to letting him lead me around and/or follow me for the day.
After coming partway down from the High Place, we diverted off the main road and went back up into another series of hills to some caves. Although the Bedouins were asked to leave and given a plot of land and housing nearby by the King of Jordan when Petra was declared a World Heritage site, there are still some Bedouins who live in the caves. This Bedouin and his friends are just such people, and he took me back to see his cave. (Yes. That's what I said. He asked me back to his cave.)
I wasn't sure what to expect, but when we got inside, this is the beautiful little area that I saw. We sat down on the floor and he made tea. (I honestly had so much tea that I could have floated away. Each new Bedouin we met, we had tea. Every stand, every hut, every cave....it was a lot of tea.) As we sat on the floor talking, it was truly a lesson in living simply. As he put it, "You die with nothing. Everybody dies with nothing. Why do I need more? I am free."
I was also given my Bedouin name. *I have absoluely no idea how to spell this, so I will try phonetically* He said my name was "Gamaar" which means "Moon" (Because "you are white and beautiful.") However, when we later ran into several of his friends and sat around- with another cup of tea- they said that that was too generic and amended it. It was then generally agreed that my name would be "Gamaar Jeydadth." There's no real translation in English for "Jeydadth," but it was explained to me as "the sky just before the sun rises." So, my name means "The moon just before the sun rises."
I can live with that.
As we climbed down the hills from the caves, we came across the Colonnade Street. This roadway once had hundreds of columns lining either side.
Looking across this small valley you can see what was dubbed as "The Great Temple." However, historians are now wondering if this was in fact the seat of the Nabataean government.
From the hilltop where I was though, you can see the Mosaic Church. This structure still houses an incredible mosaic floor. The fact that any of this has survived through time is really impressive, as is the detail of the floor itself.
Moving further along on the side of the valley from this church, you can get a much better view of the Great Temple. You can see it was a multi-level structure.
Just to the other side of the Great Temple you can see the largest building with the largest facade in Petra, the Temple of Dushares. The wooden beams that were in the walls to help originally erect and maintain the height of this structure are what have saved it from destruction by the earthquakes over the years.
Before going on and up the 800 staris to the Monastery, my little Bedouin friend took us on another detour to show me the natural springs they have. We went well off the regular paths, and past more caves- larger this time- where people were clearly living. This one seemed to house a whole family, along with chickens, a goat, some donkeys, and laundry hanging out to dry.
Walking further down this new canyon area, things began to get greener and greener.
I even got to see where the Bedouins are terrace farming things like olives, lemons, and apples- though it got harder and harder to take pictures as there wasn't much clearing as we went further in. The springs are actually very large and very deep pools. I was told I could go swimming in them if I wanted, but somehow I figured taking off my clothes would be a very bad idea....
Walking back towards the main path to the Monastery, my friend started to become a bit handsy, venturing to put his arm around me and trying to get me to stop and "look at him." After an attempt at holding up my ring (I always travel with a wedding ring on. It usually works to just say "married!" to men and they walk off. Plus, it really is just a layer of security if people think that there's a high probability that you'll be missed.), but this guy wasn't having that at all. So, with a faster pace and a thanks-for-the-tour, I told him I was going to venture the rest of the day on my own.
And up to the Monastery I climbed.
I really didn't know what to expect once I got up to the top... and it really is over 800 steps. You're high up into the mountains around you once you reach the clearing at the top, but your climb is rewarded with a really impressive sight!
You can climb up a bit further as well, and really get a spectacular 360 degree view of the whole area.
Climbing back down again, I made my way back towards the Royal Tombs, to go and explore some more there. From the left, you can see the Palace Tomb, the Corinthian Tomb, and then the Silk Tomb is nestled back in further down.
The Palace Tomb is clearly the largest, and possibly would have been the most ornate.
The Corinthian Tomb resembles the Treasury fascade quite a bit. Some historians believe that this was the "test run" for the design of the Treasury.
Looking out from these tombs:
The Silk Tomb, which was named for the beautiful array of colors sweeping across its face.
And here from inside the Urn Tomb you can see even more beautiful colors and patterns across the ceiling. This tomb was converted into a church later in its life, with an inscription in the back saying it was consecrated in 447 AD.
This is the outside view of the Urn Tomb.
And again, walking back out and back towards the siq, I was struck by the miriad of colors across and through this beautiful and timeless city.
Beyond my wildest expectations, Petra holds a special place in my heart. What an incredibly wonderous world we live in.
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