Petra by night

December 31, 2008. Petra, Jordan.

(notes from my journal)

At 8 PM, Qasam, the manager of the guesthouse, dropped us off at the Petra visitors center. We were going to do the Petra By Night tour. There were quite a few people. The tour started promptly at 8:30 PM. The tickets need to be pre-arranged but our guest house had them arranged for us. The cost for the tour is 12 JD, not including tips.

We were requested to be as quiet as possible when we walk down the siq and enjoy the feeling. They had lit 1500 candles along the path and we walked in the glow of these candles. It was fairly quiet and we felt as if we were travelers from an ancient land walking towards the ancient city of Petra. At the end of the siq is the treasury! No matter how many pictures you see or how many times you watch Indiana Jones, being there beats it all.

We sat down on the carpet and there were three performances:

• A Bedouin song
• A Bedouin song accompanied by music on the rebab
• A Bedouin song played on the guitar

After the performance was done, we heard music from a flute coming from inside the treasury. Imagine the Nabaateans who must have lived here and played similar music by their camp fires under the starry skies … The performer came out and walked among us playing his flute. The feeling of sitting there listening to the lovely music with a warm cup of chay in hand was purely magical.

After the performances, our guide told us about the culture of the Bedouin tribes and then we were allowed to hang out and take pictures.

We walked back along the siq and took a cab back to the hotel.

Heena decided to call it a day and I sat in the lobby talking to Qasam about his life and his thoughts on living in Jordan. His ancestors were Bedouins and he said he was a “settled-Bedouin”. The desert was his home and that’s where his heart truly lies. We chatted about Jordanian politics for about an hour, before I decided to call it a night myself.

Classic view of the Treasury

View of the siq

Tomorrow, we explore the Nabaatean city of Petra!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

This post is a part of the Israel and Jordan 2008-2009 itinerary