Last week a Fulbright colleague called and asked if we
wanted to go to Petra. We have a project we wanted to do there anyway so…no
brainer. The following day we headed south. He had made arrangements for us to
stay at a Bedouin camp for the night.
These can be kitschy, but we had the entire camp to ourselves. It is off
season, after all. After arriving, we wandered through Little Petra just
outside the village of Bayda. We also took a little walk to a supposed
Neolithic site. While not as grand as their neighbor, they were still
interesting. One cave still had 2,000+ year-old partial frescoes in it!
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Entrance to Little Petra. The small wadi (canyon)
contains a small cluster of Nabataean tombs.
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Just before sunset, we drove up to a viewpoint. The view over Wadi Araba as Earth was finishing its rotational period was gorgeous. As the sun crept lower in the sky I realized the Green Flash would probably be visible. It was. Except it wasn’t just a “spark” like I’ve seen in Grenada. It was a full-on flash. For at least two seconds. I’ve never seen a Green Flash that large or last that long. But then, deserts are magical.
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Sunset over the Wadi Araba. Click on the image for full-size and notice the green-tinted sun near the photograph's middle. That's the Green Flash!
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We made our way back to the Bedouin camp and had a lovely traditional
dinner before turning in for the night. It’s off season for a reason: it’s cold.
But the stars at night…wow! Brightest I have seen. Ever.
The next morning, we woke up and hiked into Petra via the “backtrail”.
This route begins at Little Petra and winds through the desert, up and down
hills, above wadis, across cliff faces, and down colluvium-covered slopes. Harrowing? Perhaps. But fewer steps than coming up to the Monastery through the Valley proper. And the backtrail views? Spectacular:
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| Yes. That is part of the backtrail into Petra. |
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View from backtrail: Wadi Araba, a graben, in the background.
But geonerds will notice the geologic contact between the
volcanic basement rock and the Umm Ishrin sandstone. Crazy! |
And then, in the distance, over a rock outcrop, I see the “urn” that caps Petra’s Monastery. This is the top of Petra, around 800 stairs (read: vertical feet-ish) up from the Valley proper.
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Notice the little pointy rock in the upper center. That's the Monastery's top!
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As we walked around that outcrop, the Monastery and several side-tombs came into view. Just a beautiful site. And we had it all to ourselves except for a Tourist Police guy and a shop owner. We never saw another tourist until we were on our way down to the Valley proper. I have
entered Petra through the Siq—the traditional way—and it is pretty neat. But
entering via the backtrail and seeing the Monastery first? Incredible.
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The Khasneh as viewed when entering the traditional way: from the Siq. The traditional view, and quite the sight...
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But, after rounding the last outcrop on the backtrail, this is what you see. Notice the unexcavated tombs to the left of the Monastery. You should probably click on this image for a closer view. Jaw-dropping.
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We spent some time collecting data at the Monastery and then
made our way down the precipitous “stairway” to Petra’s main valley. After
collecting more data at a few of the valley sites, we decided to hike to one of
Petra’s several “High Places”, via the Khubtha trail, where there is a nice
little tea shop overlooking the Khasneh (Treasury). Although, since it’s
the off-season, no one was there, and we just relaxed on the Bedouin mats and
pillows as ravens called from around the canyon. A grand view. The trail also
has some psychedelic sedimentary strata.
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The Khasneh from Jebel Khubtha.
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Part of the sandstone staircase up to Khubtha.
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After a relaxing snack of bananas, Mr. Chips, and
water, we headed back down to the Valley proper, stopping to have shai bdou
(Bedouin tea) with Teyfla, our newest Bedouin friend. We will be stopping by to
chat more with her on subsequent visits.
After wandering through the Valley and
Outer Siq gathering more data, we finally made it to the Khasneh and
headed back to the “regular” entrance. Even though I had walked this 20 years
ago—in a flash flood with water shin-deep—nothing looked familiar. Interesting.
As we wandered further, we got stopped by a couple Bedouin gals who wanted to
trade. We pinky-promised “next time”, and took a picture with them to be sure
we would remember them. Kaelin was also asked by some local folks to take a
picture with their toddlers. Because, laysh lah (why not?).
Still amazed that I didn’t remember anything I had seen so
far except the Khasneh, we finally wandered out to where the Djinn
blocks and Obelisk Temple were bathed in the evening’s golden glow. Just amazing.
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Djinn blocks. So named because some legends say they contain spirits of evil Djinn (genies). They're also called Sahrij (container), and that may be the origin of the Djinn legend.
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The Obelisk Temple. One of only a handful of obelisks in Petra. Obelisks are generally associated with Egypt, so the fact that several are found in Petra demonstrates cross-cultural exchange for some researchers.
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What a pretty phenomenal overnight. Yes. All that in one
night and a day. We were back in Amman by bedtime. Sadly, we saw maybe a dozen tourists total. I mean, having the place to yourself is great and all, but I feel for the tourism industry. In the past, over a million tourists a year flock to Petra. Yet for the past couple years, visitor numbers have declined significantly (down 80% this last year!)
Locals cite the Syrian crisis (and terrorism), saying it frightens people from visiting Petra (and Jordan). But it is safe here, and people are grateful to see you. Especially if you buy something. It is their livelihood, you know.
We will return for sure. Since we still have several more data points to collect, we need at least a few more trips to Petra. Hopefully in the coming months, those can be with
family and friends. Inshallah.
