Petra, Jordan: The Eighth Wonder of the World

If the idea of traveling back in time and exploring ancient ruins sounds appealing, a visit to Petra, Jordan is my suggestion. This city, which covers 100 miles, is the grandest surviving example of architecture from the Roman, Nabataean, and Byzantine eras. Along with Egypt’s pyramids and Macho Picchu’s Citadel in Peru, they are the most spectacular architectural sites still in existence. But history alone is not the only reason to visit this UNESCO World Heritage site that dates from 300 BC.

The Rose City

Petra, known as The Rose City due to the color of the stone from which it was carved, is dazzlingly beautiful. It is an ancient wonder, and experiencing it is like discovering a secret rose-hued oasis in the desert; it takes your breath away. If you spend several days, you’ll see Petra at different times – dusk, dawn and high noon.  The city, carved into the red rock of the mountains, changes colors from rose gold to blood red. The romantic evening excursions by horse-drawn carriage are entirely illuminated by candlelight which adds more than a touch of mystery. If you don’t have three days, you can see Petra’s highlights in four hours if you’re willing to zip along and forgo hiking up and around the royal palaces.

“Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade”

You’ll recognize Petra form the movies as it’s cinematic good looks have not gone unnoticed by Hollywood; at least 30 film and television productions have been shot on location there. Perhaps most famously it served as the setting for the final scene in “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade” (1989), in which Harrison Ford searches for his father (Sean Connery) who has gone missing.

“Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen”

Brendan Fraser and Rachel Weisz battled the reawakened mummy Imhotep and other evil forces surrounded by Petra’s glowing pink stone in 2001’s “The Mummy Returns”.  Shia LaBeouf and the beautiful Megan Fox rooted out aliens, auto bots and a rogue military cadre that were all hiding out in Petra in 2009’s “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen”.

From Israel

Once upon time you couldn’t travel directly from Israel to Jordan but thankfully those days are gone. If you’re already in Tel Aviv, Petra is a mere 45- minute flight to Eilat, the Israeli beach town, then a 15-minute cab ride to the Jordanian border. All was peaceful and it was easy to navigate through the fortified border, which is surrounded by high walls. Jordan has been welcoming tourists to Petra for the last 68 years and they are happy to see you and your US dollars.

Visa, On the Spot

You can buy a visa at the border for about $100. There’s a bit of bureaucracy that takes you to several windows to get all the stamps in your passport, but it’s relatively fast. Tip: if you’re going in this way, bring luggage with wheels, as you need to walk about a block to get to the Jordan taxi stand. I suggest having your hotel send a driver to pick you up for the two-hour ride from the border to Petra. The scenery changes dramatically along the way as you are literally on the fringes of the desert, and the land and the mountains glisten with various colors as the sun sets. My driver Abdoula was friendly, informative and on time.

Petra’s long history, briefly

The city prospered from the first century BC as the Nabataean Empire’s center of trade. It was conquered by the Romans in the first century AD, then damaged by a devastating earthquake in 363 AD. (We’re talking ancient here!) Trade routes changed, and by the 7^th century, Petra was largely abandoned, known only to local Bedouins until 1812 when a Swiss explorer “rediscovered” it. Miraculously, it had survived centuries of wind-blown abandonment intact and is Jordan’s most popular attraction today, visited by people from around the world.

Petra at night – and in the morning

If you’re only overnighting in Petra be sure to check the schedule to see which nights they have the candlelit show. This evening ceremony features live music with native instruments and hundreds of lit candles cast a magical glow over the square in front of the Treasury. The crowd, seated on carpets, falls silent as a Bedouin musician begins to play haunting tunes. The moon illuminates the magnificent façade, and along with the candles and the music, this magical and unforgettable experience is as much visual as it is aural.

You’ll want to awake early as the monuments open at 6 am and, as beautiful as Petra is at night, it is equally stunning in the morning – sunrise is spectacular if you’re an early bird. And indeed, the rose stone changes color all day long as the sun moves in its arc – there is no bad time of day to view this wonder.

Highlights

While there is a lot to see in Petra – the site is four times the size of Manhattan – I opted to keep it to 24 hours, and it was enough. I set out at 8am and was finished with the main sites by noon. However, you could easily stay here for three days if you like to hike and want to climb the hills to the ancient ruins, which (miraculously) they still do let you do.  Although the hiking is fabulous and highly recommended, you can save time by using horse-drawn carriages and donkeys to navigate the sometimes-steep terrain. I used a donkey to climb up and down the 800 steps to The Monastery; the bumpy ride is a death-defying adventure in itself.

Although you will enjoy Petra at any level of fitness, you’ll appreciate it more if you have an active lifestyle.

Hire a guide

Hire an official guide at the Visitors Center, as he’ll know all the right paths, the history, and will keep you on schedule if you have a plane to catch. Be sure and keep your ticket as it saves you $80 on your way out of the country. If you stay two nights, there is no exit tax. Petra loves tourists and they have begun coming back in increasing numbers over the last few years. Most visitors come from Asia, but Americans are catching on now that the region has quieted down. I felt no negative energy in Jordan whatsoever.

The Siq

Entering the ancient city of Petra is magical, as you walk through the Siq, a gorge or canyon, with a narrow pathway surrounded by dramatic vertical walls. This ¾-mile natural formation twists and turns, varying between looming cliffs and sunlit plazas, heightening the sense of wonder as you finally come to the end and behold the magnificent hidden city. It is one of Petra’s main attractions, and traversing it feels like a holy experience.

The Treasury

This tomb carved high into the canyon wall is probably Petra’s most popular attraction, a must-see on your visit. The intricate craftsmanship of the façade is astonishing – more so considering it’s from the first century B.C. Experts say it was originally built as a tomb for the Nabataean King Aretas III, but earned the name “Treasury” from a story that an Egyptian pharaoh hid his treasure in an urn high up on the façade. No treasure was ever found, but apparently the rumor stuck as the facade is pockmarked with rifle shots.

The Monastery

The Monastery, one of Petra’s legendary sites, sits high in the hills, accessible only by climbing an epically long, winding trail of steps – pegged at nearly a 1,000, as noted above – so yes, unless you’re a fitness buff, hire a donkey! Less ornate but much larger than the Treasury, the Monastery dates from the third century B.C. and was also presumed to have been built as a tomb. It was later used as a Christian chapel, and crosses were carved into the walls, hence the “Monastery” moniker.

Artifacts as Souvenirs

If you are a collector of ancient artifacts, ask your guide to take you to a shop that specializes in them. Like Egypt, Lebanon and Syria there are so many ancient treasures the locals sell some at reasonable prices. Tiny clay oil lamps, coins, urns, small sculptures of horses and eating utensils are among the easiest to find and safest to buy.

There is a famous old man named Omar who wields a tiny trowel that he’s happy to show you and has a blanket laid out behind a little shop in the center of the site. He lives in Petra and has spent his life combing this architectural site that historians say has much more to give. Omar is happy to show you what’s real and what’s fake.

The commercial shops have plenty of copies of coins, urns and miniature horses if you prefer your souvenirs shiny and new. Generally speaking, it’s more expensive to copy these small items than to sell you an original. Be brave and take a chance, you can usually take home a small souvenir for around 150 to 300, in the official stores these items can run from 500 to 3,000. Interestingly, archeologists say they have just scratched the surface of Petra and that there are other cities under the one you currently see.

Side Trip:  Eilat, Israel’s Red Sea Resort

If you fly out of Eilat, Israel to get to Petra, the resort on the Red Sea is worth a visit in its own right. Eilat ranked high on the New York Times’s 2019 list of 52 Places to Visit, coming in at #6, and it is the first-ever destination in Israel to make the annual list. One reason is that the newly opened Ramon Airport is capable of handling millions of passengers, with direct flights from Tel Aviv and European cities for the first time. Another is an influx of luxury hotels, like the Six Senses Shaharut, that have opened to meet the demand.

 

Coral reefs, and diving

Eilat’s many charms include diving in the pristine waters with its magnificent coral reef to parasailing, water skiing and windsurfing to just lounging on one of the many beaches along the city’s six miles of coastline. You can even swim with dolphins at Dolphin Reef, or just observe them up close along with other tropical fish, from the floating piers.

Dolphin Reef

Dolphin Reef is remarkable in that the animals, a school of bottle-nosed dolphins, are treated in a respectful and sensitive way. They live in their natural habitat, are not kept captive, and have free access to the open sea should they choose to leave. You can observe them as they actually live; this is not a circus act.

And there is plenty to do in addition to the beaches, including hiking in the Eilat Mountains, or in the 15,000-acre Timna Park, north of the city in the Negev Desert. The desert setting is strikingly beautiful, with magnificent geological formations and a lake – an oasis! – all surrounded by dramatically steep cliffs. There’s also tax-free shopping in Eilat, and plenty of restaurants, bars and nightlife.

Tourismisrael.com