We shared a car and driver to Petra with Helen, and we made a stop at Shobak Castle. The driver let us off at the foot of the castle, and suggested we climbed down this chute...
and he would meet us at the castle! Andy was excited about this, and Helen a little bit leery, as we had to go through what once was a secret tunnel leading up, up, up to the castle. This secret tunnel was dug to find water, and the spring was the first thing we saw after getting to the bottom of the shute. It was a bit steep in a couple of places, but we made it. This time we didn't only look at history, we actually experienced it!
Foto of the tunnel curtesy of Watchsmart/Flickr
Shobak Castle was the first castle to be built by the Crusaders in 1115. There is not much left of the castle, and it is under reconstruction.
We stayed at Valentine Inn downtown Wadi Musa (there are no hotels in Petra), and had a great view towards the Petra Gate and the mountains.
PETRA
Petra astounds. Tucked away in a remote valley basin and sheltered from the outside world behind an impenetrable barrier of rock, this ancient city remains wreathed in mystery.
Petra grew wealthy through the Nabateans caravan trading skills, and even challenged the might of Rome. Two millennia of wind and rain have blurred the edges of the ornate facades, but it is still an impressive place.
In order to beat the heat and the tour groups, we took the 7:00am bus from the hotel to the gate, and bought a 2-day ticket. It is a 3 km walk from the Petra Gate to Petra 'city centre', the gentle gradient of 5% concealing the fact that the drop in altitude is equivalent to a forty-story skyscraper, barely noticeable on the way down, but quite an ordeal going back up with tired legs! Part of the walk is the 1.2 km through the Siq (gorge); a 1.2 km path which twists and turns between high, bizarrely eroded sandstone cliffs 150 meters high in some places. The water canal running along one side of the Siq once supplied Petra with water.
The cliff looks like an elephant!
As we finally stepped out into daylight, this breathtaking vision greeted us welcome to Petra!
The Treasury was designed to impress, and it certainly does 2000 years on. The facade is 43 meters high and 30 meters wide. The function of the Treasury is unknown, and it got its name from the Bedouins as they thought there was a treasure deposited in the urn at the top, as it was carved in the 1st century as a tomb of a king. Inside is just a big empty room.
We then walk all the way through the city centre till the other end of 'Main Street', past tombs, and along the Colonnaded Street,
and ascended the 800 flight of stairs cut into the rock
up to the Ad-Deir (Monastery). It was hot to climb the 220 metres even this early in the morning.
The facade is 50 square meters, the doorway alone is taller than a house, and it is very well preserved. This building was either a tomb, temple or both; it used to be an important pilgrimage site.
Well, down again we had a snack in the shade where the Petra markets used to be, and there was also time for some fun among the ruins.....
As if we hadn't climbed enough in the heat, we set out on the one hour trail which runs behind the Palace Tomb, and winds it way up more stairs to a plateau with a wonderful view of the Treasury from above.
There was also a great view of Petra from there.
We had lunch in a cave on the trail - nice with some food and shade.
A sign showed us the way back
We then visited the Palace Tomb, the Corinthian Tomb, the Silk Tomb, and the impressive Urn Tomb, which is the largest of the four Royal Tombs (carved to house the tombs of Nabatean dignitaries) with a main chamber measuring 17 x 18 meters. It is believed to have been carved in 70 A.D. and served as a church during Byzantine times.
We were hot and tired, and had seen and done enough for one day, and we still had to hike the 1.2km Siq out of there..... slightly uphill all the way! Luck was with us as there was a Moevenpick hotel right next to the Petra Gate, and they sold Swiss ice cream - what a treat!
Then we went to the Cave Bar for a beer just because it is located in a 2000 year old Nabatean tomb - rather cheesy!
Well back at the hotel, we had a very nice buffet dinner at the hotel, and an early night!
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