24 » OpenRoad Driver
Leaving cosmopolitan Amman , a deluxe coach takes us south to Petra and Wadi Rum . Along the Desert Highway , newly planted grain fields dot the rolling countryside . Olive , plum and fig orchards flourish in fertile valleys .
Steadily winding into high desert , our onboard guide Rania introduces Petra , “ Semi-nomadic tribes settled here in the Sharah Mountains about 300 BCE . Establishing an important caravan stop , the Nabataeans long prospered in trading Asian , African and Arabian goods such as incense , silks , spices , gold and ivory .”
We reach Petra within three hours , where a Visitor Centre ’ s giant wall map illustrates the vast archaeological site . Round trips on the Main Trail alone can take most walkers at least four hours . Through the ticket gate , a sandy path takes us alongside stables . Beyond , Rania points out Obelisk Tomb ’ s spectacular pyramid-shaped pillars that soar above block structures . Obscure sculpted figures represent family members that were interred 2,000 years ago .
A simple wooden signpost soon indicates the Siq , a 1 1 / 2-kilometre serpentine passageway into Petra . The towering canyon walls are tinted with yellows , tawny browns , purples and reds . Pausing at restored dams , we learn how they prevented flash flood destruction . Grooved channels were carved along the walls to carry fresh water to the giant cisterns that supplied Petra ’ s 30,000-plus inhabitants .
Marble slabs still pave sections of this ancient roadway . Traces of Nabataean culture include three boxy gods jutting from the sandstone walls , as we pass by a large sculpted shrine that stands amid this path . Further on , the faded bas-reliefs of traders and camels likely welcomed caravans of up to a thousand camels .
As the Siq bends and narrows , a gap dramatically exposes Al- Khazneh , glorious in the afternoon sun . Rania quips , “ Featured in 1989 ’ s Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade , its magnificence first exposed Petra ’ s grandeur to worldwide audiences !”
At an open-air café opposite the iconic façade , she clarifies , “ Al- Khazneh actually means Treasury . According to legend , a pharaoh cached valuables in one of the three chambers . However , the topmost funerary urn confirms it ’ s a King ’ s mausoleum .”
“ Just imagine 1st century BCE craftsmen building the Treasury . Starting atop that cliff , they worked downward . Using primitive iron tools , they sculpted the 40-metre masterpiece from the sheer rock face ,” Rania explains . “ Its embellishments reflect Petra ’ s multiculture : Hellenic Corinthian columns , Ptolemaic friezes of eagles poised to carry away souls , and Amazon dancers wielding double axes . The sculpted Greco-Roman divinities , Castor and Pollox , flank the entrance .”
Exiting the busy courtyard , our group disperses to explore independently . Camels draped in multicoloured blankets haughtily await photo ops . On the Street of Facades , a trio of massive pink-and-red sandstone tombs demonstrate this archaic capital ’ s nickname : Red Rose City .
Ahead , we see a one-of-a-kind , solid-rock amphitheatre carved into
ROYAL TOMBS : Of six hundred tombs surrounding Petra , the Royal Tombs are the most impressive . From left to right stand The Palace , Corinthian , Silk and Urn Tombs .
the mountainside . It was originally two tiers with rosy stone seating that accommodated over 4,000 spectators . Behind tethered burros , a narrow stone staircase leads to the High Place of Sacrifice . Once used for animal offerings to supreme god Dushara , this heavenly sanctuary now delivers superb overviews of Petra .
As the canyon opens into Petra Valley , majestic Royal Tombs dominate the northern slopes . Steep sidetrails zigzag upward to reveal decorated facades and abandoned caves that are scattered across the slopes .
We pass by the remnants of a colonnade , a long-vanished marketplace and a public fountain that skirts huge palace foundations . The marble walkway leads us through a Roman arch . The Main Trail ends at the lofty Qasr al-Bint ruins where four timeworn walls surround this temple dedicated to Dushara . Just