Jordan - Day 2

On Sunday morning we woke up early to meet our guide for the day. We drove about two hours through beautiful Jordan countryside, up great hills and down the hills until we reached a place known as Petra. For those of you who have seen Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, the last part of the movie, during which they are searching for the Holy Grail, was filmed in Petra. We took a horseback ride down the trail to where the mountain opens up into a siq (cavernous opening or gorge). Kennedy’s horseback riding came in very handy. This was the first time we’d been able to see her ride and she was quite good. Dano’s guide tried to unnerve him a little by speeding up his horse’s gait. Dano dared him to go as fast as he liked, telling him he’d grown up riding horses and couldn’t be scared. I think it surprised the guide to have someone Dano’s size actually be a very good rider. Dano caught up with Kennedy and the two raced, galloping to the end of the trail. Ethan and Erin rode their own horses and Abby rode with me, the more cautious one, calling out ‘hellos’ to everyone and repeating, “I ride horse. Abby ride horse.” She loved it!

On a side note, as we were waiting for our entrance tickets we saw someone wearing a BYU shirt. Ethan had his BYU shirt on that day also. He approached the young man and said, “Go Cougars!” He was there with a group of young single adults from the middle east area. There were also three or four senior couples, one of which is good friends with our friends the Simons back in Ohio. We had been told they were in Jordan and were so happy our paths crossed. Mormons are everywhere!

The siq was absolutely beautiful to walk through. Petra had been built by the Nabataean civilization in the fifth or sixth century BC. It is the larger version of Mada’in Salah and the northern capital of the Nabataeans. It was aptly situated on the incense trail at a crossroads for all major trading routes. The Nabataeans were industrious and clever. The siq we walked through was created mostly by flashfloods, although earthquakes had also contributed to its formation. The Nabataeans created dams, built cisterns, and carved canals into the siq, all of which collected water from the rains. This high commodity sold to incense trail travelers, along with general trading, kept the Nabataean empire thriving in Petra. The siq has incredible colors in the rock, reds, yellows, blues, purples all throughout. I was wishing we had a geologist with us to identify the rock. The yellow we were informed was sulfur oxide (good guess, Kennedy). After walking down the siq for about three quarters of a mile, enjoying the colors, the rock carvings, the petroglyphs, and the scattered vegetation that was surprisingly flourishing, the siq opened up to reveal the great Treasury.
Petra contains over 5,000 tombs, of which we only saw perhaps a thousand, the Treasury being the most iconic, most ornate one of all. It was breathtaking how suddenly it appeared. In 2007 Petra was named one of the new seven wonders of the world and has been touted as one of the places to see before you die. We now knew why. The workmanship was incredible, not only for our time, but for theirs. From the delicate carving of the columns to the footholes cut into the rock as a climbing tool, these builders were amazing. It has only been within the past five years or so that archaeologists have unearthed a third level of the Treasury. It is below the surface, having been buried by earthquakes hundreds of years ago. It is still undergoing excavation so it was covered with construction mesh, but we could still look down to see what people have only discovered in the past few years. So amazing. We walked another mile past the Treasury, viewing many more tombs, an amphitheater, and a temple. Some of the buildings had been refurbished and others added by the Romans years later.
We enjoyed lunch at a restaurant at the end of the immediate trail. At that point we had been walking for over two hours in the heat and with the idea of trekking out of Petra on our minds, our little family was too pooped to hike any further. There is a great monastery beyond the trail. Next time. We took camels back to the Treasury. That was a treat. Much better than walking. However, at the end of our thirty minute ride, Erin and I decided we could empathize with those of old who rode camels all day. Ouch. We walked the remaining mile out of the siq and back up to where we began, wishing we were again riding the horses. We devoured some much-appreciated ice cream (bless you, Erin) and looked for a hose for Abby before getting in our van.
What an amazing opportunity we had today. I’m only hoping our children remember what they have seen and heard here. Such astounding craftsmanship. Such tedious work. Such impressive results. I’m so glad we were able to witness this incredible artistry from centuries ago.