It has been a truly fantastical seventy two hours here at Petra. For starters the hotel I chose has the most direct of vistas across to the first mountainous rock formations surrounding old Petra. It has been peaceful and restorative taking time to rest here, and the staff here have been so friendly. I've chatted with various people when I've felt like socializing including a couple who I know indirectly and have met before in Leeds at a ceilidh.
As to Petra, well, despite having seen various selections of photographs, paintings and guide book commentaries, nothing could have prepared me for walking through the two kilometre gorge into the ancient city. The first view of a Nabatean King's tomb from just over two thousand years ago, carved from the rock, standing over forty metres high and in first class condition was just the beginning of what has been a magical adventure.
The climb that same day, Wednesday, up to the Temple above the old centre was even more impressive than the first site. In between were hundreds of dwellings. A smattering of Roman style remains and all in the most remarkable and rugged of settings. The drama for the day was that I sensed very heavy rain from a high viewpoint I walked to, and so left early aware of the risk in the city of flash flooding -- 120 people had to be retrieved about 90 minutes after I had gone. That night I had 15 hours sleep.
Thursday I decided to visit another high place which was where some sacrificial system had been established, the climb up there and the views across Petra were superb. This second visit was even more amazing because I could feel more of the substance of the place. I was particuarly conscious on this first day of the Epiphany of the place's centrality on the camel train routes, and it also having been the primary centre for trade in frankincense and myrrh. I also started to regard the landscape around the place, and continued to be amazed by the vast spread of Nabatean remains, and became intrigued by the ancient hill-top dwelling of the Edomites and the far distant peak known as Aaron's mountain, and the place of his tomb.
So that's where I went today, I hired a Bedouin guide called Atala who I have been speaking with over the last few days. The climb there took about three hours, it was about 8-10 kms from the hotel. An English couple were meandering, uncertain of the way, so I invited them to join us. The exhilaration of the steep and very rugged mountain ascent was more than equalled by the tranquility and serenity of the most simple dwellings which has been in Jewish, Nabatean, Christian and Muslim hands over the last three millenia. Views down to the Red Sea, up to the Dead Sea and across to Palestine and Israel were all the more special for appearing so suddenly as we reached the top.
This site, sacred to and visited by all the monotheistic faiths was guarded by one soldier, at a distance of 400 metres, nothing like the business in Al Quds / Jerusalem. Inside the Mosque / tomb site the directions of Mecca and Jersualem were directly opposite each other as this place sits on a line between the two. According to Muslim tradition a Christian priest living here was the first person to prophesy over the Prophet Mohammed, who was 10 years of age at the time and had come with his father to visit the place. My mind whirled with all this data, with the view, with the solitude and with the place's simple peacefulness.
On the way back we arrived at Umm Al Biyara the precipitious, 300 metre high, flat-topped peak that served as a home to the Edomites around the 7th century BCE, the climb was steps up all the way, and some of the drops away at the sides were quite terrifying. The views in the late afternoon light from the top are some of the most remarkable I have seen in my life, watching the mountains turn through various shades of pinks and reds. Colours which continued to change as we returned to the Bedouin village close by Old Petra: we drank tea with Atala and his family. I hope to see him again.
I have freshened up here at the hotel, had a wonderful evening meal and am utterly content with the last 21 days of discovery, and am also glad it is all over. My taxi comes in about 45 minutes to run me to the airport. I now know what makes Petra worthy of nothing less than a three day visit, and what makes the view at the end of the first gorge, or 'Siq' the most unforgettable of places I have ever visited.
I am coming home happy and at ease.
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