Petra, Jordan

The entrance to the old city of Petra is through a 1 Km long gorge, the Siq, surrounded by 80 meters high cliffs.

In order to enter the old city you need to pay for an entrance fee. There are one-, two- and three-day tickets. If you have the time, stay in Petra two or three days. The archeological site is huge. You will enjoy the site much more if you visit it in several days.

You can get to Petra from Amman by car, by public bus, by taxi or on an organized tour. The ride from the capital of Jordan takes about three hours. If you plan to travel around Jordan, I recommend renting a car.

From Wadi Rum by road it takes about one and a half hours. There are daily public buses from the two destinations.

From Aqaba, you can take a public bus or a taxi. It takes about three hours.  It is also possible to get to Petra from Eliat, Israel, and Sharm el-Sheik, Egypt.

If walking in the Siq is already a thrilling experience, wait till you get to its end, from where you have the first glimpse of the Treasury. Remember Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade? The real thing is even more impressing.

In the picture you can see part of the facade of the Treasury through the cliffs of the Siq.

————————————————————–

The Treasury, Known in Arabic as Al-Khazneh, is the top tourist attraction in Petra.

It was constructed as the tomb of a Nabatean King in the 1st century. Nabateans were a nomad tribe that settled down in this region around the second century BC, and made of Petra the capital of their empire. Their rule lasted till the Romans conquered this land at the beginning of the 2nd century AC.

The Treasury, as most of the tombs in Petra, is carved out of the rock. Its facade is more than 40 meters high and 30 meters wide, and is decorated with Nabetaen mythological deities.

Its Arabic name, Al-Khaznhe (the Pharaoh’s Treasury), makes reference to the myth that a treasure was hidden in the urn at the top of the building.

Petra is a huge site. If you have only one day, I recommend you get there as soon as the park opens its doors (6h00 or 6h30 AM), in order to have time to see everything.

If you want to enjoy the Treasury and some other landmarks in Petra without the tourists hordes, it is also a good idea to get there as soon as possible.

————————————————————

Following the path from the Treasury you will get to the Street of Facades, a cliff with many tombs.

Some of the tombs have only the facade, and a few others have the facade and a small room.

After the Siq, and before you reach the Visitors Center, on your right hand side, you will find the Obelisk Tomb.

It was built at the second half of the first century in order to bury the corpse of Abdomanchos, son of Achaios, and his family.

These smaller tombs belong to the less rich Nabateans citizens.

After the arrival of the Romans, Petra continued its expansion. It became the trading and commercial capital of the region. An earthquake at the end of the 7th century AD destroyed the city’s water system, and Petra soon came into decline. Petra was abandoned in the 12th century AD, with the conquest by Saladin of the Middle East.

One of them is the Aneisho Tomb, from the first century AD, probably built to bury the corpse of a minister of Queen Shaqilath II (AD 70-76).

Next to it, the Urn Tomb. It is thought to be the tomb of the king Malchus II. It dates from the first half of the first century AD.

The Silk Tomb, in the picture, is a smaller tomb. It has a beautiful facade where visitors can see the different colors of the layers of the mountain’s rock.

The Corinthian Tombs, although badly damaged, is one of the most beautiful facades in this area. Experts think it was built during the times of Malichus II (AD 40-70).

In this picture you can see another of the tombs, as the others carved out of the rock.

Most of the tombs’ halls are rather austere, but some of them have some decoration. In this tomb you can see the pillars of the room carved out of the rock.

————————————————————–

After the Street of the Facades you will get to the Theater, entirely carved out of the rock. Originally built by the Nabateans, it was further expanded by the Romans.

In front of the theater are the Royal Tombs, but we will follow the main street and continue onto the City Center.

————————————————————-

The City Center is an area full of ruins from the Nabateans and the Roman times.

Some of the buildings are: the Nymphaeum, not much remains of this public fountain; the Colonnaded Street, a Roman paved road flanked by columns; the Temple of the Winged Lions, dedicated to the main Nabatean Goddess Al-Uzza; the Arched Gate, built by the Romans; and the biggest building in town, the Qasr Al-Bint temple, dedicated to Dushuara, god of the Nabateans.

—————————————————————-

The Monastery is the biggest construction in Petra’s archeological site. Its facade is more than 40 meters wide, and its main gate 8 meters high.

In front of the Monastery is a big esplanade, where historians say big crowds met in order to follow the religious ceremonies.

A big chamber was carved out of the rock, but it is rather sober compared to the richly decorated facade.

This is a detailed view of the facade of the Monastery. As everything else here, it as carved out of the mountain rock.

Around the Monastery there are many view points from where you can see the surrounding mountains and gorges.

—————————————————————-

On the way to the Monastery from the City Center, or on the way back, you will find the Lion Triclinium, a small temple dedicated to the Nabataean goddess of Al-Uzza.

—————————————————————-

From downtown Petra you have a nice view of the Royal Tombs. They were built during the Nabatean period to bury their leaders.

One of the tombs one can see on the way is the Renaissance Tomb, in the picture, carved around 129 AD.

Another of the tombs one can find on this area of Petra is the Roman Soldier’s Tomb. It is still not known when this tomb was created. Either during the Nabateans times, or after the 106 AD annexation of Petra by the Romans.

—————————————————————

It is still not clear what the function of the Garden Temple Complex was. Whatever it was, it had to do with the Nabataean water system that favored the developed of Petra.

—————————————————————–

The High Place of Sacrifice sits on the summit of Jabal Madhbah. Here is where the sacrifice of animals took place in honor of the main Nabatean gods, Dushara and al-‘Uzza.

Source:  http://www.virtourist.com/asia/jordan/petra/index.html

Amazing Ruins of the World

1.Bagan, Myanmar

Bagan Myanmar

The days were hot that we explored the Temples of Bagan. We hired a horse cart for one day and a bicycle for the next. One thing we remember the most was that our horse cart driver was expecting a child any day now. It was a happy time.

2.Petra, Jordan

Monastery in Petra, Jordan

Having the chance to visit Petra was a dream come true. We had heard about this ancient city but never thought that we’d get there. To have a guide from the Jordan Tourism Board and a Petra official long for our walk through the ruins allowed for us to experience a Petra that many others don’t get to see.

3.Hampi, India

The Ruins of Hampi

We didn’t even know Hampi existed before going to India. But we were told about it while studying Yoga in Goa. We hopped on a train to see this city among the  boulders where people still live among the ruins, sell their wares in the bizarre and worship at the temples.

4.Giza, Egypt

Pyramids of Giza, Egypt

It’s the most famous of all ruins of the world. The Pyramids of Giza don’t disappoint. We saw them by camel and were thoroughly ripped off by the sly guides. We didn’t care a bit as we had just witnessed the mysterious temples that we have seen on movies and television all through our childhood.

5.Machu Picchu, Peru

Machu Picchu, Peru

The fog was heavy when we first arrived at Machu Picchu and we worried that we would never fully see this ancient city high in the Andes. But soon the sun burnt off the clouds and the complex was revealed. We were mesmerized by the sheer scope of how a people could build this structure on the slope of a mountain.

6.Tikal, Guatemala

Tikal, Guatamala

It was by far our favourite place to visit. Mounds of earth bursted out of the ground in conical shapes and we knew that there was yet another temple waiting to be discovered. Howler monkeys could be heard in the distance and spider monkeys and toucans dropped berries pits upon our heads. It was the leaf cutter ants that caught our attention though. We watched them work hustling back and forth along the distinct trail that their path had left behind. It was mesmerizing.

7.Angkor Wat, Cambodia

Angkor Wat, Cambodia

The mother of all ruins, Angkor Wat was brought to the masses in Lora Crofts Tomb Raider. This ancient Khmer Temple is being overrun with tourists these days, but when we were there one could still outrun the tour buses by taking a tuk tuk to remote corners of the complex. Whenever we saw a bus coming, we hopped in our ride and told our driver to high tail it out of there and on to the next temple.

8.Chizen Itza, Mexico

chitzenitza-mexico-ruins

The first archeological site we ever visited. We took a tour from our resort in the Mayan Riviera and enjoyed every minute of our day. We learned about the ancient Mayans, climbed to the top of the main temple and listened to the acoustics of the ball court.

9. Jerash, Jordan

The Ruins of Jerash

One of the most well preserved Roman Ruins in the world can be found in the Middle East. The hand of Rome reached far and nothing shows that more than the impressive Jerash Ruins.

10. Tonina, Mexico

Tonina Ruins in Chiapas, Mexico

Deep in the south of Mexico you will find the quiet ruins of Tonina in Chiapas. The complex itself is 2 square km but only a small portion of it has been excavated. Why did we love this so much? There was nobody around to stop us from exploring it to the fullest. The most exciting moment was walking through the 50 metre passageway. It’s pitch black and claustrophopic. You need to run your hand along the walk to find your way, but watch out for spiders!

11. Great Wall of China

 The Great Wall of China

We didn’t expect to be impressed by the Great Wall, we even went to the site expecting to be disappointed. I’m glad that we allowed ourselves to change our minds. The Great Wall was one of the best ruins we have ever visited. The   Mu Tian Yu section is practically deserted and you can walk along the 2.5 km section enjoying the countryside and imagining the great battles that took place between the Chinese Empire and the Mighty Mongols.

Source:  http://www.theplanetd.com