Petra

Petra is an archaeological site of an ancient Nabatean city cut into the sandstone rock. The remains of the city consist of Royal Tombs, obelisks, houses, streets, temples, sacrifical places, a Theatre, a Monastery and the Treasury.

The exact age of Petra is not known: it was carved and extended over several centuries. The site moved into obscurity to all but locals from the 7th century on.

On its inscription as a World Heritage Site it was described as "one of the most precious cultural properties of man's heritage".

Year	Decision	Comments
1985	Inscribed	Reasons for inscription

Reviews

Don Hall ():
I was in Petra at the end of December and agree it is a place worthy of the designation of a World Heritage Site.
What a shame that it is being degraded by the camels, donkeys, touts, bazaars at all levels of the site (with nails even driven into the walls of the ruins), and kids allowed to climb all over the top of the monastery.
Come on UNESCO - get on top of the situation and get the Jordanians to take some pride in their site.

Date posted: January 2010

Stephen Brooker (UK):
Any atempt to hype up this site would be futile, so huge, stupendous and icconoic is it. So I won't try I'll just say this one is an absolute must see.

When you are lucky enough to go two tips:

Firstly the large tented buffet serves the best felafel I've ever had!

And second if you get the chance do the night time Petra by candle light walk - what is breathtaking by day becomes a romantic dream when illuminated by hundreds of flickering flames........

Date posted: April 2008

Christer Sundberg (Sweden):

Petra, is in my opinion one of the most high-ranking of all World Heritage Sites and if you are planning a visit, make sure you take your time. The ancient Nabataean, and later Roman, town is spread out over a large area and the alternative to walking is to use horse, camel or donkey so you’d better be a true friend of animals…

Traditionally, you enter Petra through the 1,2 km winding old canyon called The Siq, where the water once carved its way through the red sand stone over thousands of years. The many colors of the Siq has named Petra “Rose city” and the swirls and shades in the stone are just as fantastic as the ancient monuments.

After having slowly made your way through the Siq, you catch your first glimpse of The Treasury, a classical view of the most classical of all Petra temples. The amphitheatre and the many other enormous grave monuments are all carved out of the stone and after some further walking you reach the lower town and what was once the Roman area. Here you can relax at the restaurant before you decide whether you head back (4 km) or continue even further…!

My recommendation is to allow at least two days to visit Petra. And don’t go there in the summer when the temperature could rise above +40. But once you are there, don’t forget to also include an excursion to the most beautiful desert sceneries you’ve probably ever going to see in your life – Wadi Rum, 2 hours south towards Aqaba – where David Lean once filmed his masterpiece Lawrence of Arabia.

Date posted: June 2006

Chris Smith (USA):
I lived in Wadi Musa, the town at the entrance to Petra, in the late 1970s. I worked on a conservation project in the surrounding hills for 2 years. The Bedouins still lived in the caves in Petra, and there were very few tourists. There was only one hotel (I lived in a small flat under the town's minaret...I woke early each day!). I had the good fortune of befriending a Bedouin family in one of the caves (Mohamed had married a New Zelander), and hiking around the exotic sights. I enjoyed the historical, cultural, and local culinary delights very much (mensaf was my favorite, the camel burger was unique but not so appetizing). I look forward to returning after 25 years to see if I can find my old friends, and see how Petra has been preserved.

Jonny Salen (Sweden):
The most famous site in Jordan, this spectacular ancient trading city can be reached through a 90 metre deep canyon in the mountain. The first thing you see after marching through the canyon is the infamous treasury; "el Khazneh" with its mighty colonnades carved right out of the colourful limestone rockface. All around are astonishing temples, burial chambers, stairs, bathhouses, canals and market areas and even a roman amphitheatre with a capacity of thousands of spectators, many of these also carved out of the rockface. In the distance, one can also see Um al-Biyara where spectacular views of the surrounding area can be enjoyed. This being a summer visit, however, the heat got the best of me and I ended my tour at the amphitheatre and sought shelter in the shade of the canyon.

Laura Lee Intscher (Canada):
Petra was the most unexpected delight and one of my all time favorite places. It was more spectacular than I was expected. A local guide took me thru the gate - before offical opening time (he knew some gaurds - and perhaps some money changed hands). We hiked in the dark to the place of high sacrafice - to see the sunrise over the whole site. After going back down into the city in the valley below I explored the entire site - for hours on my own. I loved the color of the rocks, the remoteness and size of the place - and the general lack of hordes of tourists. Well worth a visit.

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