The Wonders Of Petra

For a long time, I have admired the Treasury of Petra on calendars and inspirational traveling photos. Despite seeing so many times, I didn’t really look for information about the site. In fact, I thought that Petra was this magnificent door carved in the mountain and just that. In February 2022, I had finished my contract and I was looking for some time off to get some rest before finding my next professional adventure. I hadn’t done any big trip since Covid and I wasn’t too reassured about traveling by myself. So I found an organized trip. And I got the opportunity to travel to Jordan!

The Treasury

First thing first, Petra is not just a door. In fact, what you see in ads and on calendars is the Treasury and it’s not a door or a temple, it’s a giant tomb! People used to order their tomb in advance, to show how rich and important they were. But sometimes, they would die before it was finished or not have the money to pay for the whole thing.

Builders would start carving from the top, climbing stairs they would have made beforehand in the mountain, on both sides of the future tomb. Then they would do the lower floors.

This is why, in Petra’s National Park, there are several tombs, of different sizes and some unfinished ones. Since the tombs are carved in mountains, they suffer from bad weather and erosion. The good thing about the Treasury is that it’s hidden between two mountains and so it is well protected from elements. Of course, some erosion happened, but the tomb is still wonderful and very detailed. And that’s why it is often representing Petra. This is the most impressive site.

Plus, there are two ways to get there and one of them is through a narrow gorge called Siq. This is a magical path with warm colours and the blue skies above you. It makes you feel like Indiana Jones. And for good reasons: the Treasury has appeared in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (this is the place where the Holy Grail is).

Fun fact: there is a hidden floor. The lowest floor of the Treasury is under the ground, still protected by the sand. You can see part of it through grids.

So, What Is Petra?

“Petra” means “rock” in Greek, and when you see the place, the name makes complete sense.

Petra currently designates a big archaeological park (about 264 square kilometers).

Before, Petra was a city. As a matter of fact, the area has been inhabited since prehistoric times. If you travel to Petra, you will inevitably hear about the Nabateans, who were a nomadic Bedouin tribe. Petra became their capital (until the second century AD) and they used it as a strategic point to exchange goods. It was a stopping point, with food and water, for the merchants.

Like Romans, Natabateans were very ingenious and created a clever water management system. While we walked in the Siq gorge, we could see two “paths” for the water carved in the mountain. One was high up, and the other one, at our height. People and animals could easily drink from there.

The Nabatean civilization was forgotten for a while. It’s Johann Ludwig Burckhardt, a Swiss traveller, geographer and orientalist, who “rediscovered” it. And that’s why it only became a tourist attraction in the 19th century. Today, tourism plays an important role in Jordan’s economy. In the last few years, Covid has impacted the country’s economy, but the government remains hopeful and predicts a new increase in tourism revenues. And I can believe it, because many people I know traveled to Jordan this year. Why? Because it’s dreamy, it was accessible and not too expensive. After the pandemic, it has become more difficult to travel and some countries still apply very strict policies.

In 1985, the Petra Archaeological Park became part of the World Heritage Collection. Later, in 2007, it was classified as one of the seven new wonders of the world.

How To Experience Petra?

I really liked what we did with the group. We hiked for a whole day from Little Petra to the main site of Petra. It’s not too easy, but it’s not too hard either. Plus, if you get tired, you can hire a donkey to carry you. Honestly, I prefer walking at my own pace and taking pictures (I’m also not very comfortable with donkeys and horses), so I would recommend walking. But it depends if your are in a good shape and what you did on the previous days.

On the second day, we walked through the gorge and saw the Treasury. We had some free time to see the other tombs, the theater and museum. We only had the morning to do all that. In the end, I did not have the time to visit the museum. So, I would say that two days are the optimal time to visit Petra. However, it depends, some people do hardcore hikes and visit it quickly in one day. Some others might like to see more of the park and hike there for a few days.

There are a lot of shops where you can buy souvenirs and there are a few places to eat on the main site. It remains a tourist attraction. We forgot a bit about that when we were in the desert, and I loved that. This was an important part of the experience for me, to look around, see faces in the shapes of the mountains, drink tea at the top of a hill, jump at Bedouins hidden in their tent saying “Hi!” (it came out of nowhere!), hear the roosters and goats… Moments of stillness and calm before heading to the crowds of tourists.

Word Of Advice: Bring Good Shoes!

One word of advice: take good shoes that are not slippery. My hiking shoes were good for the forest and for the stones, but not at all for the marble steps going down to the Treasury. I was very unsteady: the material of the steps and the sand were slippery, and there were often donkeys coming really fast behind me, so I was a bit scared. All of that made me terribly slow. Had I been on my own, it would have been fine, but I was with a group and everybody else seemed to have the right shoes…

When Should You Go To Petra?

The end of February seems like a good idea to visit Jordan. It wasn’t too cold or too hot and there were less tourists. However, the group that came before us got snow in Wadi Rum Desert. And when we went to Aqaba, the water was quite chilly to swim in.

It depends if you only visit Petra or if you go elsewhere. For me, February was good, but maybe, March would be better for you. That’s where booking a trip from an agency comes handy. Ask them or ask a tourist information point beforehand to prepare your trip and have the best experience!

To see more photos of Jordan, you can visit the gallery Jordan.