The Most Beautiful Half-Natural, Half-Man-Made Architecture I Have Ever Seen: PETRA
Today I travel back to Petra, located in Jordan, kissing the intersection of Africa, Asia and Europe, surrounded by steep valleys.
It is also known as the “Rose City” due to the impressive colors of its rocks, which vary from red to ocher to orange, mixing with refined lines of cream and back to red.
Our friendly tour guide approaches me to explain that this was the resting area for merchants, itinerant traders and Roman soldiers. Jordanians are extremely proud of these man-made constructions that blend perfectly with the stunning landscape, which seem to be shaped like clay by God’s hands, keeping beautiful waves all around.
Ramis, our friendly guide, telling me stories about the merchant guests of Petra.
I close my eyes and can imagine Marco Polo, the Venetian merchant, who travelled in the thirteenth century at 17 years old with his father and uncle across Asia, gazing at stars in clear nights.
The constructions in Petra are breathtaking: Stunning buildings are half-carved into the red massive stone riddled with passages and gorges. The most famous construction is The Al-Khazneh temple, which in Arabic means “The Treasury”. This building is better known as the Holy Grail Temple or the Temple of the Sun. It was built in the first century AD, most likely by the Nabataean king Aretas IV, according to the design patterns.
The stunning Holy Grail Temple. I am very proud of this photo I took.
The water engineering management system allowed the Nabitaeans, Romans and Bizantines to settle and become prosperous. There is an area called Wadi Musa, which translated from Arabic to English means the “The Valley of Moses” and it is related a riverbed which is born in the source of water Ain Musa (Spring of Moses) that gushed forth when Moses hit a rock in Biblical Times in order to satisfy the thirstiness of his followers. This is definitely one of the world’s richest archaeological sites and almost 800 times bigger than Disneyland in California!
In 1985, it was named a World Heritage site. UNESCO explained: “The outstanding universal value of Petra resides in the vast extent of elaborate tomb and temple architecture; religious high places; the remnant channels, tunnels and diversion dams that combined with a vast network of cisterns and reservoirs which controlled and conserved seasonal rains, and the extensive archaeological remains, including temples, churches and other public buildings.”
Another magnificent attraction, one and a half hours from Petra, is Wadi Rum, famous for its moon-like, desert landscape. You can enjoy beautiful vistas of sandstone mountains, canyons, dunes and valleys. 'Lawrence of Arabia' was filmed in this area as well as many other movies.
Moon-like vista, gorgeous Wadi Rum.
Take your time and don’t rush! There are so many things to see and delicious, unique foods to taste. Most locals speak English and are friendly. Put on sunblock, take two bottles of water, hair protection and sport shoes as best views and experience are more enjoyable while walking.
If you want to make the most of your money, use the exchange service of your hotel to the local, Jordanian Dinar. Otherwise, American Dollars and Euros are well accepted.
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Written by Joy Kelly-
November 6th, 2019
Please find below my favorite links for more information prior to your visit:
Video of Petra by National Geographic