Another time, another world

Have you ever been in a place with a landscape so foreign, so unlike anything you’ve ever seen that you’d swear you were in another world?

My two-day trip to Petra was just that. The mountain landscape around the town of Wadi Musa in the south of Jordan was more reminiscent of an alien planet found in Star Wars or the prehistoric city I’d imagine the Flintstones living in, than anything belonging to our own earth.

The rolling sandstone, uniquely carved mountain peaks and of course, the Nabataean city itself, were majestic. See all the photos here.

And the highlight of my trip, the Treasury or Al-Khazneh, did not disappoint!

I tried my best, as we made our way from the entrance point to the Siq, to pretend the other tourists weren’t there. As we passed each beautifully-carved structure and each mysterious tomb and passed through the winding Siq, I tried to imagine what it would have been like for the Nabataeans (who settled in the area around the 6^th century BC) and then the Romans (who took over in AD 106) to have lived here.

I tried to picture this rock city receiving caravans from all points of Arabia, bringing frankincense, myrrh and spices through the narrow valleys to rest and to trade for new animals and exchange currency with the Nabataeans before moving west across the Sinai to the ports of Gaza and Alexandria, to be shipped to Greece and Rome.

I tried, with difficulty, to imagine 30,000 people living here during Petra’s glory days under King Aretas IV (8 BC-AD 40).

It was much easier to visualize the city’s lost days, where for almost 500 years Petra was a forgotten outpost, known only to local Bedouin. What must it have been like for that lone Swiss explorer to ride through that valley, disguised as a Muslim holy man, and discover the isolated, mythical city?

I succeeded in some efforts to pretend I wasn’t walking through the place with the thousands of other tourists as if in an amusement park or a zoo. But with everyone following one another’s path, cameras continually clicking away and groups of people huddling around their tour guides, pointing out one feature or another, it wasn’t an easy task.

No matter. I thoroughly enjoyed my adventure. Here are some of the highlights, with help from my trusty Lonely Planet:

The Djinn Blocks - Built in the 1st century AD, these three giant "Spirit" blocks found on the path to the Siq are thought to have been tombs or a dedication to the Nabataean god Dushara. The Arabic word djinn is the source of the English word "genie".

The Obelisk Tomb - Featuring a mix of Greek, Egyptian and Nabataean architectural design, this tomb housed five bodies in the upper level and has a three-banked dining room in the lower level where annual feasts were held to commemorate the dead.

The Siq - The entrance to this 1.2 km pathway was once topped by a Nabataean monumental arch (as seen in David Roberts' lithograph of the 1840s) that crumbled apart at the end of the 19th century. The Siq was not carved out by water, as most canyons are, but instead it was once a single block that cracked apart as a result of earthquakes and tectonic movements. The walls of the Siq feature relief carvings and waterways that allowed the Nabataeans to channel water into the city from the Wadi Musa river. Sections of the Siq floor still show the Roman pavings and huge cobblestone road. Not the most practical stuff to have to trek over!

The monumental arch at the entrance of the Siq, as seen in David Roberts' lithograph in the 1840s, and how it looks today.

The Treasury - The star structure of Petra's rose red city, the Treasury was actually created to serve as a tomb for the Nabataean king Aretas III. It gets its name from a story that an Egyptian pharaoh hid his treasure here while pursuing the Israelites. Some locals believed his treasure was hidden in the giant urn on the second level and tried in vain to break it open by shooting at it with their rifles. Of course, it's solid rock, so they didn't get very far.

On either side of the structure, regularly-spaced niches show that the builders used a form of scaffolding to carve out the facade.

*For Indiana Jones' fans: I have to report that my investigations of the interior of the Treasury did not turn up any immortal Knights of the Crusades nor did it turn up the Holy Grail. In fact, the interior was quite disappointing after seeing the film's booby-trapped path to the Grail and the leap o' faith chasm. All that was inside was one musty, dark room.

The Tombs - Everywhere you looked in the mountains, dark tiny doorways mark the hundreds of tombs carved for the civilizations' dead. Now empty, most are filled with sand and litter and one I happened to stick my head into reeked like there still were dead bodies there. Some are at risk of being buried forever in the rising valley floor - as annual floods bring in more debris and sand.

Colonnaded Street - This was Petra's city centre, built in 106 AD by the Romans over an existing Nabataean thoroughfare. Some of the original marble columns lining the street still exist, although they were re-erected after the city's discovery. This place was once full of markets and represented the commercial hub of the city.

Qasr al-Bint - Meaning "Castle of the daughter" this free-standing temple (the only one in Petra) was built as a dedication to the Nabataean god Dushara and was probably the main place of worship in the city.

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I've heard from several sources, including Petra National Trust - the private organization dedicated to the site's management and preservation - that the attention the ancient city receives every year from tourists is actually harming the precious sandstone structures.

Studies have been done showing extreme erosion over the years on some surfaces from the thousands of footprints every day, as well as decay from the increased humidity levels from the human presence.

The problem is, the city relies on tourists coming in to help pay for the site's upkeep. And yet, it's the tourists that are doing the most harm.

It's no wonder the Bedouin kept Petra a secret for so long.

But then a white man snuck his way in and before they knew it, the world was at their doorstep - kicking them out of their homes and stomping all over their ancient city.

Is it so selfish of us to want to see a place of such beauty? I feel guilty for being one of those tourists, but I have to hope the money raised by our visits will do some good in the end.

Before it's too late, preferrably.

* * *

Other photos of note:

Hoping to milk the Indiana reference for all it's worth, this shop owner had the right idea. Too bad nothing sold inside had anything to do with the movie at all. Strangely enough, a few shops down there was one place called "Titanic Gift Shop" with a big image of the ill-fated ship on the sign. I was left puzzled at the link to Petra...

This camel decided he needed a break from hauling the tourists around and took a drink from a water bottle.

These poor donkeys seemed to be treated pretty badly by their owners. I caught one kid throwing stones at his donkey to get it to move and I shouted at him and was tempted to chuck a rock at him and see how much he liked it.

This guide took an unwanted apple and fed it to his camel with his mouth. The camel doesn't even look like a camel with its neck stretched out like that -- looks more like some sort of alien desert creature.