Petra Plus

View of the Monastery after a further 20 minute

scramble up a steep climb.

En route to the Monastery, Petra

View from the top of the 800+ steps

up to the Monastery plateau.

“The hues of youth upon a brow of woe,

which Man deemed old two thousand years ago,

Match me such marvel save in Eastern time,

a rose-red city half as old as time.”

Petra by John William Burgon

This poem won Oxford University’s prestigious Newdigate Prize for Poetry in 1845. The last couplet has become among the most famous in poetry. Interestingly, Burgon had never seen Petra.

 [Many thanks to Bernard Fuller for this reference]

Above is a simple map of the long walk through the Petra site showing various points of interest. Allegedly it takes about two hours to walk from the Visitors' Centre to the foot of the Monastery climb though this probably applies to the younger, fitter traveller. Then there is the estimated one hour climb to the top, or realistically, two hours for the elderly intrepid.

Water storage tank, one of many in

Petra and Little Petra.

Water channel carved in the rock face above,
and parallel with, the Siq walkway.

I haven't mentioned one incredibly impressive aspect of Petra; its highly sophisticated irrigation system which involved a widespread catchment, channelling and storage of any rainwater which fell. Overall this region has always been short of water; in addition to the near-drought conditions in much of the year, Petra is subject to flash floods during sudden, occasional high intensity rainfall. And the Nabataeans devised a wondrous system to harvest this occasional bounty. Innumerable water tanks/cisterns were cut out of the mountain sides with channels carved alongside pathways to carry the precious liquid to its designated storage areas. There is also an 88 metre tunnel cut through the rock leading to a dam as part of this sophisticated irrigation system.

The tomb facades draw upon a rich array of Hellenistic and Near Eastern architecture reflecting the diverse and different cultures with which the Nabataeans traded and interacted. Many of the tombs contain niches or small chambers for burials cut into the stone walls. No human remains have ever been found in any of the tombs and the exact funerary practices of the Nabataeans remain unknown. It is quite possible that not all of these structures were tombs; some may have been temples or banqueting palaces for celebration.

Obelisk Tomb with the Triclinium below.

A Triclinium was a banqueting hall.

Part of the Street of Facades

a row of monumental Nabatean tombs carved in the Southern

cliff face beyond the Treasury.

And finally, a tribute to the lovely, handsome Bedouin who have lived and worked in Petra since time immemorial. They are such an honourable people with a highly organised social structure centred on very strong family ties which demonstrate a huge respect for the elderly and a treasuring of children. Beyond the family comes the all-important tribe which commands total loyalty. Their constant open and generous welcome to all visitors accompanied by endless offers of glasses of sugary tea and seats in the shade for the weary, embellish the whole Petran experience enormously for the traveller.

Another distinctive aspect of Nabatean life was
the ceremonial way in which the dead were treated. Tombs were cut into the rock, often high above ground level and niches were cut presumably for statuary. There is a large number of these tombs but no artefacts or human remains have ever been found within them. The tombs' facades draw upon a rich heritage of Greek and Near Eastern architecture perhaps echoing the various diverse and distinctive cultures with which the Nabateans came into contact in their widespread trading activities.

Street of Facades:

a series of monumental Nabatean tombs