Jordan, Part 4: Petra

Petra is incredibly vast, in some of the most spectacular and isolated desert terrain, and ultimately it leaves you in awe of these ancient civilisations and all that they built.  Known as the Red Rose City owing to the colour of the stone from which it is carved, Petra was established as the capital of the Nabatean Kingdom in the 4th Century BC. 

The town of Petra sprung up to serve the tourist trade after the ancient city of Petra was re-discovered and declared a UNESCO World Heritage site.

We arrived in Petra as the sun was all but set. This ended up being quite fortuitous. As we checked into our hotel, the desk clerk asked if we would be interested in joining the Petra by Night tour that evening, we had little more than 30 minutes to get ourselves into our rooms and back down to the entry to Petra, but I was determined not to miss the chance. I had seen photographs online of the Treasury building illuminated by hundreds of torches, and I hadn't even considered that we might be arriving on an evening where this was happening, but I am so glad we did.

To reach the Treasury it is a 30 minute walk through the siq- a narrow gorge created by a geological fault. Of course, at night you get little sense of the amazing natural formation around you, let alone the carvings and elaborate ruins. After walking through the gorge, with little light to guide you, you suddenly come upon Petra's most elaborate ruin, the Treasury building, faintly illuminated by soft candle light. I can only imagine what a breathtaking vision it would have been over 2000 years ago for hot, dusty, exhausted travellers as they went by donkey or camel along these epic desert trade routes.

By daylight, the sheer size and impressive intricacies of this desert kingdom becomes crystal clear.

The Siq

Some of the small early signs of what is to come.

Then all of a sudden...

This!

Not all storeys of the Treasury building are visible or have been excavated. The risk is that trying to properly dig out the now underground storeys would cause the upper floors to collapse.

You can pay to ride camels and donkeys through parts of Petra, but we chose to walk. And an epic walk it was. Luckily for us it was only around 30 degrees that day, but if you are going to commit to walk in as far as the Monastery, don't underestimate how far and tough the climb is even on a 'cool' day. From the Treasury it is around a 3 or 4 hour walk and climb to the Monastery. There is so much to see inside Petra, you couldn't possibly cover it all in one day, so make sure you purchase the entry pass that best suits your visit- one day or multi entry.

There is much to stop and discover along the route we took. I had little understanding of what Petra actually contained until I was there. I think most people are very familiar with images of the Treasury and not much else. Turns out that the Treasury is merely the beginning...

Monuments featuring stepping decoration like this one above means they were tombs.

Natural caves beneath a monument. Going inside monuments was the only way to get a short respite from the beating desert sun.

At the decline of Petra, following its annexation by the Romans and later the 363 earthquake, the caves and monuments around Petra became home to the Bedouin tribes. Petra was all but forgotten about, the Bedouin lived there undisturbed for hundreds of years before Petra was rediscovered in 1812. When it was declared a UNESCO World Heritage site in the mid eighties, many of the Bedouin were relocated to a nearby settlement, a very small handful stood their ground against UNESCO and remain living in the ruins to this day.

Here, people in front of the Royal Tombs, gives a small indication of the size of some of the monuments.

Inside, the tombs provide incredible acoustics. We listened to a group of four women sing Hallelujah and it was so beautiful and special to hear.

After a morning walking, climbing up to tombs, and being in the blazing sun, we stopped outside a very modest looking cafe to ask whether they were serving food and refreshments yet. It was then that we met Bdoul Mofleh, one of those last remaining Bedouin men living inside Petra. The most genuinely friendly man imaginable, he said the cafe was not yet open and invited us up to his cave for tea. Of course, these moments are what makes travel special. So we followed him up the rocky steps behind the cafe, along narrow cliffs to his home in an old tomb. We drank tea, chatted about his life in Petra, the changes he has seen since tourism really took hold, and his refusal to submit to UNESCO and leave. He also showed us many foreign language magazines and travel guides in which he is featured. Bdoul (meaning Bedouin)  Mofleh is something of a travel guide icon, featured in Lonely Planet and written about by the likes of National Geographic. It was such an intriguing and beautiful experience. We sampled some bread he'd made and he pointed us in the direction of monuments and back routes he said we should follow, and he even invited us to stay with him next time we came to Jordan. Honestly, hospitality is second nature in Jordan. When people extend this hospitality to you in places such as Jordan, where poverty is extensive, usually you would give a few dinar to say thank you. I was incredibly moved by Mr Mofleh's generosity inviting us into his home, and I tried to give him ten dinar. Which he point blank refused. I include this only because it makes what happened next even more touching. As we were putting our hats and backpacks back on to climb back down and continue on our way, he disappeared inside for a moment and returned with a little foil parcel. He unwrapped it to show us a small collection of ancient Roman coins, then he gifted us each one. I'll never forget that. 

Alex's Mum was a little nervous of the height and sheer drops from the cliffs.

Back on the main trail, we pushed on up the mountain to get to the Monastery, and honestly there were moments when I doubted we'd ever make it. The climb is gruelling. I never seriously considered paying for a donkey, I felt too sorry for them, but I can see why people do hop on them. The route is worn smooth, and in places is a sheer drop down a gully or off a cliff-side. 

We paused often to rest. At this point in the climb I could see back to where we had been earlier in the day at the Royal Tombs. It is such unforgiving terrain it is hard to believe they carved a city out of stone here.

And then, just when you think you cannot take another step, you come upon...

...The Monastery. I can't even remember if this is the furthest on this particular route that you can walk, but frankly we wouldn't have been able to make it any further. It was worth it though, for me anyway. Alex's Mum might say otherwise. 

Again, the scale is mind-boggling. That's me standing there to give it some perspective. Petra undoubtedly deserves its place on the list of Ancient Wonders of the World, and is so worthy of UNESCO World Heritage status and protection.

I'd go back in a heart beat.

Though, at that particular moment, outside the Monastery, facing the climb back down and kilometres of walking in the heat ahead of me, I'm not sure I'd have sounded so enthusiastic about a return visit.

We walked through the gate to Petra at 8.30am, and walked back out at around 4pm having taken over 23,000 steps and climbed the equivalent of 76 flights of stairs. Like I said, don't underestimate the stamina you will require to see this incredible place. If you can go, GO!

Needless to say, I consumed my fair share of bread, hommus and fattoush that night.

I learnt from my friends whilst we were there that Saudi Arabia is getting ready to open up a similar ancient site to tourism. Of course, when you think about these ancient routes across the world it makes perfect sense that Saudi Arabia would be connected and boast sites of similar stature and importance. Traditionally though the borders to Saudi Arabia have been so tightly controlled that very few people have seen it yet. 

Kate  x

To read more about Bdoul Mofleh, click HERE.

Jordan, Part 3: The Dead Sea

 The Dead Sea, and in the distance Israel, 

as seen from The Dead Sea Museum.

At the midway point of our trip through Jordan, and on the hottest day (39 degrees C) of the holiday, we arrived at the luxurious Movenpick Dead Sea Resort. It was incredibly timely; I was in desperate need of a plush bed with crisp white cotton sheets and a long refreshing swim. Alex and I joke about how I am a 6 star traveller, and this resort was a solid 6 stars for me. 

It was a glorious late afternoon swim. The sea was glassy smooth and the light was golden. The actual temperature of the water was perfect, warm but refreshing. 

As we walked towards the beach area, I watched people bobbing effortlessly in the water, and I was overcome with excitement about getting to experience swimming in the Dead Sea for myself. I have long had a fascination with the idea of being unable to sink in this particular body of water. As we approached the rocky shore I said to Alex's Mum, "My brain can't quite comprehend what is about to happen."

Alex's Mum

We both wore our saltwater sandals into the sea. The shore is very rocky and they were very handy to be able to wear in and out of the water. I gave mine a really good rinse in the shower afterwards given how salty the water is, and they are fine.

The best way I can describe what it feels like is to imagine having pool noodles for limbs. No matter what, if you launch yourself into the sea, you will float to the top. I hooked my arms under my bent legs and sat in the water, floating around watching the sun dip lower and lower over the hills in Israel. Bizarre, and breathtaking. I can confirm, it is impossible to sink.

It's salty! That goes without saying. Don't get the water anywhere near your eyes or mouth. And don't shave in the day or two leading up to swimming, it will sting. But afterwards (even with my sensitive skin turning a very angry but temporary shade of red), once all the salt had been washed off in the shower, it made my skin feel lovely. I spent a small fortune on bringing home Dead Sea beauty products- mud, salts, gels- to try to recreate the restorative spa like feeling I got when we were there. Incidentally, the Dead Sea was one of the very first health resorts, favoured by Herod the Great. The density of minerals in the mud and water must be good for you... maybe.

The Dead Sea is quite narrow, you can see how close Israel is, and the border between the two countries goes straight up the middle. The surface of the water is 420 meters below regular sea level, and the Dead Sea is actually landlocked. It is the deepest hypersaline lake in the world and is 9.6 times more salty than the ocean. The level of salinity makes life for animals and plants near-impossible, hence its name, the dead sea.

Watching the sun set behind Israel was magical. The lights flickered on across the water, and we dried off with smiles on our faces. It was quite an experience. I am not typically a resort holidayer, and we never usually seek out sun and surf, but I would happily spend a few days back at Movenpick on the Dead Sea sleeping late, relaxing in the water and in the spa, and enjoying long buffet dinners as the sun sets.

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Earlier that day we had visited Bethany beyond the Jordan to see the baptismal site of Jesus. This was an interesting place, it felt hugely remote and almost desolate. The sun was absolutely beating down on the desert, and we had to walk a fair way into the site in near-forty-degree heat. There are numerous churches of various faiths built on the hills around this stretch of the River Jordan, signalling its importance as a religious site for Christians. 

The baptismal site

Israel, taken from the Jordanian side of the river

Interestingly there seemed to be very little military presence at this part of the border. I couldn't see any Israeli soldiers, and on the Jordanian side there was a single soldier. The ropes stretched out on the water were the only physical barrier separating worshippers in Israel from those in Jordan.

Kate  x

Jordan, Part 1: Machaerus and Umm Al Rasas

I arrived at the hotel in Madaba by taxi at around 1.30am. I was awoken by the "dawn" call to prayer at 4.30am. This set the tone for my week in Jordan- very little sleep, running on equal parts pure adrenalin and a thirst to just see and do everything because I couldn't quite believe I was there and what I was seeing.

Before I begin though, i'll just explain how I came to be on holiday in Jordan. A few months ago my "mother in law" (Alex's Mum) called to say she was planning on going on a trip to Jordan with some friends (they all currently live and work in neighbouring Saudi Arabia), and asked if we would like to go along on the trip too. Alex was busy with work, but encouraged me to go. So, before he'd really even given me a moment to think about it, he was booking my flights. I had always wanted to see Petra and swim in the Dead Sea to experience the closest thing to weightlessness you can get on Earth... and it was easy to say yes knowing that I would be traveling with a group of people very familiar with the Middle East. I could not have been in better hands or had a more positive experience. The friends who had orchestrated the trip have travelled extensively in Jordan several times, and they went above and beyond to show us everything- the well documented tourist sites, and the sites that are so often overlooked. They were enthusiastic from start to finish and looked after us as though we were paying them to be our private travel guides, but they were doing it out of friendship and a deep love for Jordan and a desire to share it with us. I honestly can't thank them enough.

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After that first very early morning wake up call, the rest of the party arrived at the hotel by mid-morning, we fuelled up on one-dinar chicken shawarmas and hit the road (in the largest Chevrolet that Amman airport could provide us). The first site we visited was Machaerus, or Herod's Castle, the ruins of a fortified palace built on top of a high mountain overlooking the Dead Sea. 

Needless to say the climb up was hot and dusty. Machaerus is remote and exposed, there is no shade and very little obvious human activity in the surrounding countryside, a few lone shepherds on the roadsides and a sprinkling of homes, but no real sizeable towns or villages nearby. 

Photographs will never properly communicate the vastness or the stark beauty of Jordan. These valleys are immense and provide breathtaking views. To convey a little of the scale, that is a house on the hilltop on the right most hill. Below is the Dead Sea and in the hazy distance is Israel.

Again, in an attempt to show scale, that tiny black spec on the middle hilltop is a group of people. I am pretty sure my camera lens was zoomed in as far as it could go too. 

At around 1,100m above Dead Sea level, it was an impressive and strategic fortress. Built in approximately 90 BC by Alexander Jannaeus, the fortress provided a clear view of invading armies from the East and from its high position could easily signal other citadels of impending danger. It was destroyed in 57 BC by one of Pompey the Great's generals, and rebuilt by Herod the Great in 30 BC as a military base. The Romano-Jewish scholar, Flavius Josephus, cites Machaerus as the imprisonment and execution place of John the Baptist. Today, all that remains are the foundation stones and two pillars, though under the current ground level the unexcavated remains are extensive.

One of the most fascinating things about this area was spotting the many caves in the hillsides that are home to the Bedouin. I couldn't imagine a more inhospitable landscape, and yet the valleys were full of cave systems with neat door shaped stonework at the mouth of the caves.

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One of the absolute standout historical sites for me was Umm Al Rasas, a series of ancient church ruins containing remains from the Roman, Byzantine and early-Muslim periods. Largely unexcavated, the area began as a 5th Century Roman military camp. What is special about Al Rasas though, is the high concentration of churches- 19 churches according to our guide- in a very small area. The detailed mosaic floors of these churches are breathtaking. 

We enlisted an archeology student working in the tourist office at the entrance to be our guide, and this was one of our best decisions, his knowledge and enthusiasm for the site was wonderful. Though he stated it was up to us whether we should tip him or not, we were more than happy to do so, he really enriched our visit. 

[At many tourist sites in Jordan you will encounter people eager to play "guide"- this can be a good or a slightly annoying thing depending on their motivations and actual knowledge (or lack there of). In some places we were happy to be shown around, in others we just wanted to wander and absorb at our own pace. Don't be afraid to state clearly that you do not want a guide if you find them to be overly pestering, and have a handful of dinars on you to tip at the end if you do choose to be shown around. At the larger sites where the guide might stay with you for a couple of hours (such as Jerash and Petra) make sure you agree to a price at the start before you set off. Beware of anyone thrusting a "gift" into your hands. They will ask for money by the time they are done showering you with presents. That lesson cost me three dinar, and some slight annoyance at having to carry around things that I never wanted and tried to refuse in the first place. Likewise, if you visit a remote site that isn't overseen in any real official capacity, and is manned by a neighbouring farmer or shepherd, or a kindly local, do tip them. Five or so dinar was our general rule.]

These are the remains of the earlier Roman settlement. It is quite extraordinary that many of the arches and walls are still standing, some 2500 years after they were constructed, having also withstood two major earthquakes that rocked much of the Arabian region. The remains extend below ground, perhaps by another 2 storeys, but in order to excavate the site properly, the top storey would be ruined, and so it is preserved as best it can be as it currently stands. 

The most important and protected of the mosaics is the floor of Saint Stevens Church, dated from 785 AD, and the floor of the Church of Bishop Sergius from 587 AD. These mosaics are incredibly detailed and feature many of the important cities of ancient Arabia, as well as intricate hunting and fishing scenes. The lettering is Ancient Greek.

Constructed of tiny and precise, hand-cut, naturally coloured stones, these mosaics are utterly mind blowing. Very kindly, our guide took us to a covered over mosaic (many of the church floors are covered up with sheets weighed down by sand to protect them from the elements and animals), to demonstrate the true beauty of these works of art.

He swept back the sand to reveal the floor of the Church of the Lions, named quite simply due to the two mosaic lions, and poured water over their faces.

We all exclaimed in awe!

And then a shepherd came through the site with his flock of sheep and goats, 

so very Jordan.

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As I go back through my photographs and collate them, I realise that my Jordan trip may need to be recorded over several posts. So, i'll conclude this initial post by sharing a few helpful hints. 

The Jordan Pass that acts as your visa when you visit Jordan is invaluable. I purchased the Jordan Wanderer for 70 Jordanian dinar and added the Baptismal site for an extra 8 dinar or so. This pass gets you in almost everywhere, and will save you lots of money if you plan on visiting Petra and Jerash. Buy it before flying into Amman to save on time and visa fees at the border. 

You will need to buy lots of water. I took a refillable metal water bottle, but couldn't use it as the tap water is not safe to drink. Most places sell water, but be aware of what you are buying. Make sure the bottles are new, fresh and safely sealed. I am pretty sure I bought a dodgy (old and refilled) bottle inside of Petra, and I was quite unwell afterwards. 

Lastly, Jordan is an incredibly welcoming country. It is very poor and many things about it can be a little confronting (the litter, the tent homes on remote roadsides, and the condition that some of the animals are kept in), but the Jordanian people are some of the most hospitable people on earth. They won't hesitate to invite you into their homes for tea, or assist you when your vehicle gets stuck down a particularly acute drop off the side of the road. 

Typical remote tent(s) of shepherding family.

Kate

I will cover the likes of Jerash, Petra, and the Dead Sea in further posts.