Petra: Higher places

January 2, 2009, Wadi Musa/Petra, Jordan

(notes from my journal)

I woke up 4 hours later at 7:30 AM. The antibiotics were finally working and my throat did not ache as much. Heena was absolutely fine – which means she had enough energy to make up for the time we spent sick. We ate a longish breakfast and at 10 AM were at the gates of Petra.

This time we walked very slowly along the siq, taking in beauty of each turn (12 in all), admiring the shrines to the Nabaatean god Dushara, marveling at the grandeur of the place and thinking about how many caravans must have passed through this route and what exotic merchandise they must have brought with them.

We reached the treasury at 11 AM. Right across from the treasury are some tea/snack stalls that sell cups of  chay for 1JD. It was really cold and the hot chay was absolutely worth it! We got some of it and sat on the benches admiring the beauty of this grand structure.

After about half an hour we walked past the treasury and headed up the path that took us to the “High Place of Sacrifice”. It is the highest point in Petra. The Naabateans believed that performing sacrifices at a height would ensure that the sacrifice reached the gods quicker.

View of Petra down below: To the far right are the Royal tombs

The climb is much more arduous compared to the climb to the monastery. It took us a good 45 minutes to get to the top. It is tad confusing because at one point the path forks into three different paths; just choose the right most path and you won’t go wrong! At the top, we had a birds eye view of Petra. We had a little picnic on the edge of the cliff as we sat and admired the view. It took us 20 minutes to get back down. On the way down, we saw a open tomb and decided to check it out. It was disgusting. Its more of a toilet than a tomb/monument. If there was a body buried there, I’m so sure it must have run away!

By this time, it was almost 1:30 PM. We were getting tired and we still had 1.5 kms to walk back to the main entrance. Also, since this was our last day in Petra, we wanted to pick up some souvenirs. After a long walk back, we were at the main gate. We got lunch at a local restaurant – the only vegetarian item on the menu – Pizza. Overpriced, but not that bad – we were avoiding the felafels because of our throats and did not want the oil to mess it up further.

After “shopping” on the main drag for a bit, we hailed a taxi to take us back to our hotel. He asked us if it was OK for him to pick up another passenger and drop her off to her hotel, which was on the way. Fine by us – we get to drive around Wadi Musa a bit and he makes more money – win-win! The other passenger that he picked up was a French girl and dropped her off at the Taybet Zaman. Its built in a very different style and each room is unique – with an absolutely gorgeous view.

This was our last day in Petra. The siq is awe-inspiring and the whole place feels so ancient. It was the crossroads of the east and west. Caravans came from all over to Petra to trade, rest and restock goods. Imagine all the people and merchandise that must have passed through the same paths we walked on. It felt as if we were transported back in time.The decline of Petra made me realize how great civilizations are built and how they fall. Petra, in its prime was well known all over. It was at the crossroads of the east and west and such an important trading center. However, as the water supply to Petra dried up, this city became obscure to a point where it was entirely forgotten almost forever.

Tomorrow we head to Wadi Rum (remember Lawrence of Arabia?) and then on to Israel.