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Petra is indeed a wonder of the world

The entrance to Petra has been well documented on film.

PETRA, JORDAN - The fact the archeological masterpiece known as Petra was recently named one of the seven “new” wonders of the world comes as no surprise to anyone who has witnessed this, the greatest collaboration between nature and mankind. However, one is left to wonder: Why did it not make the “first” Seven Wonders of the World list?

Nestled in Jordan’s breathtaking Wadi Musa (Moses Valley), Petra’s rose-colored rock canyons began to take shape hundreds of millions of years ago thanks to fluvial and wind weathering. The final touches, in the form of 49 remarkable façades carved into Petra’s soft limestone facing, were added by a nomadic tribe called the Nabataeans about two thousand years ago.

The end result was the world’s first movie set, which has actually been employed many times by Hollywood as a backdrop for such box office biggies as Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade. And just like Indiana (a.k.a. Harrison Ford) did in the movie, I’m riding to the entrance of the “Pink City” on a horse.

“Everyone must ride a horse into Petra,” Nimo, my Jordanian guide, tells me after paying the equivalent of $10 to a man holding the reins of what was to be my trusted steed.

“Just tell him (the horse handler) not to let go of the reins,” I whispered to Nimo, who waved goodbye and left me in the capable hands of Fadi, a gruff-looking man who turned my Arabian mount in the direction of The Dam, the main entrance to Petra.

A few strides down the well-worn path – this UNESCO World Heritage Site is the most visited tourist attraction in Jordan – the first of Petra’s many wonders, the Djinn Blocks, came into view. The sandstone blocks look like giant hunks of pink birthday cake sliced off the Sharah Mountains, the dramatic range that rings this archeological wonderland. The blocks were actually made to represent an early form of Nabataean tomb and are located directly across from the Obelisk Tomb, the Nabataean funerary symbol carved into a massive rock outcropping.

Located beside the funerary is the Bab Al-Siq, a banquet hall constructed later as a dining room for funerary commemorations.

I was now sitting tall in the saddle; feeling confident enough to take my eyes off Fadi to absorb the magnificent lunar landscape surrounding Petra. The honeycomb mountains provide an impressive backdrop for the gigantic site, located in the Wadi Musa – it’s part of the much larger Arabia Valley, which runs from the Dead Sea north of Petra to the Gulf of Aqaba in the south; over 200 kilometres in length. This is an area where the once mighty River Jordan – now reduced to a trickle – flowed into the Red Sea and en route helped carve Petra’s canyons.

“I can only take you to the Dam on horseback – after that we must walk down into the canyons by foot,” said Fadi as he directed my horse to a platform where I dismounted in un-Indy-like style.

The Dam was designed by the Nabataeans to divert the waters of the Wadi Musa during flooding periods and also served as a fort to protect the Nabataeans from forces of the Greek Emperor Antigonus, who ruled around 312 BC.

The Nabataeans were as inventive as the Romans and developed other ancient hydraulic devices like water channels, pipes (many can still be seen today), and underground cisterns that helped create this artificial oasis.

Looking down into the mouth of Petra’s Siq – that’s what the narrow gorge is called - one cannot help but be impressed. The narrow fluvial gorge is between three and four metres wide and runs over one kilometer in length. The walls stretch up to 182 metres in height and some of its dramatic outcroppings are shaped like animals, the most impressive of which is an almost-perfectly shaped fish located halfway down the Siq.

Camels are at the ready to take visitors around site.

As you walk deeper into the belly of this stone monster, the water channels mentioned earlier came clearly into view. Running along both rock sides, they brought clean drinking water into the canyon. Also visible are the remains of a monumental arch that collapsed in 1896 following an earthquake, and a paved road, originally constructed by the Nebataeans and later repaved by the Romans during their brief stay here. You also see a number of votive niches, which suggest the Siq was considered sacred by the Nabataeans.

Next we came upon a rock carving called the Caravan, a high relief sculpture depicting two merchants, each leading their camels.

For the first time during our tour, the less than enthusiastic Fadi – he no doubt has walked this route many times - appeared excited.

“When we turn the corner, you will see what makes Petra so wonderful,” said the guide, who, as he stepped aside, added:

“Welcome to Petra.”

Up ahead, through a jagged opening in the canyon, I could see giant pink columns saturated in sunlight. A few more steps revealed the stunning façade of the Al Khazneh, the Pharaoh’s Treasury, Petra’s most famous structure which has also become Jordan’s unofficial national icon.

It truly is a remarkable welcome to Petra.

A monument originally meant to be a royal tomb, the Treasury was carved directly out of a massive sandstone cliff between 100 BC and 200 AD. No one knows why it’s called the Treasury but skeletons recently excavated below the site confirm it was indeed a tomb.

The Treasury is the best-preserved of Petra’s remarkable façades and Fadi told us the two-storey structure is decorated with “12 columns, seven wine goblets … everything adds up to the days, weeks and months of the year,” he said.

The Treasury stands 40 meters high and 12 meters wide and features classical roof lines and many sculptures, most of which have been defaced by time. Perched atop the massive façade is an eagle, a Nabataean male deity symbol, Fadi informed us.

A weathered figure on the upper level is believed to be the fertility goddess Al-Uzza and the portal is flanked by figures of Castor and Pollux. A colossal doorway dominates the outer court of the Treasury and leads to an inner chamber with a sanctuary featuring an ablution basin. The Treasury courtyard is filled with souvenir sellers, men offering camel rides and lots of people posing.

“This is where I leave you,” said Fadi to our astonishment. “If you want me to continue, you must pay extra.”

The deep canyons which Petra were cut from are truly remarkable.

With the aide of the site map handed us when we purchased our $30 ticket, we decided to press on alone. Bidding Fadi farewell, we watched him disappear through the crack back into the Siq and we ventured down the Street of Façades, the outer area of the Siq which features four rows, one above the other, of Assyrian-type monuments. Their purpose is not quite clear but they are stunning.

Next we came upon the Theatre, built in the 1st century to accommodate over 3,000 people. It was built facing north and east to protect spectators from the glaring sun that seeps into the canyon.

There are over 500 tombs scattered about Petra and several are believed to contain the remains of Nabataean kings. As you might expect, the Royal Tombs are the most impressive but the small Silk Tomb, with its swirls of different colored rock, was the most beautiful.

The path snaked past Colonnaded Street, an open marketplace in ancient times; the Great Temple, a four-column structure dedicated to the goddess Al-Uzza; and Qsar Al-Bint, a 23-metre high free-standing structure built of massive yellow sandstone blocks and believed to be devoted to Dushara, the Nabataeans’ principal god.

Our journey came to an abrupt halt when we reached the entrance to the monastery and were told by an attendant we would have to climb “850 steps” to reach the top.

Knowing we had to retrace our journey through the Siq – the return trip offers its own visual delights – we decided to turn back. A visit to Petra requires a certain level of physical endurance and that is why many people end their journey at the Treasury. While mounted horses are not allowed in the Siq, small horse-drawn carts are available and many elderly visitors take full advantage of them.

The walk back to the entrance took about an hour from the monastery and as we made our way up the final incline, we saw Nimo waiting with bottles of water.

“Most people think this is all there is to Petra, but I will now show you Little Petra and we will take tea with a Bedouin family nearby,” said Nimo, who piled us in his van and sped away in the direction of Amorarin, a Bedouin camp located about 10 minutes from the main Petra site.

As we passed through the small, but modern-looking village of Al Bdool, Nimo told us the town was built by the Jordanian government for the Bedouin families who were still living inside Petra up until a few years ago.

“The government wants Petra just for the tourists now,” said Nimo, who turned off the main road and onto a dusty trail that led us to more impressive façades and outcroppings and some tents where Bedouin elders greeted us with tea and gently pushed their handmade carpets and masks under our noses.

The younger members of the nomadic tribe offered to show us “Little Petra” – a series of miniature tombs that are no less impressive than the main Petra site.

The tea was flavorful and the welcome warming – a perfect ending to our visit to Petra, the “old” kid on the “new” Wonders of the World block.