A local guiding the camels
Famous for being the lost city as well as its beautiful structures and incredible canyons, Petra is not only the most visited tourist attraction in Jordan, but one off the Seven Wonders of the World. If you haven’t heard of it, you will understand why once you see pictures of the “Rose City.” The red rocks that the city was carved into are remarkable, making it one of the most unique structures in the world. The most fascinating part about Petra though, the part that brings this city to the top of everyone’s bucket list, is its history.
Joseph Walking through Petra.
Our knowledge of Petra goes back to the Pre-Pottery Neolithic Era in 7,000 BC and gives us some of the earliest recorded farmers in the world. The city itself wasn’t settled until the 4thcentury BC, when it became the capital of a group of nomadic Arabs called Nabataeans. Petra’s location was perfect for the Nabateans to trade very successfully, resulting in the creation of the famous Al-Khazneh structure which is believed to be the mausoleum of Nabatean king Aretas IV, back in the first century AD. Their success as a city of trade, agriculture, and, of course, stone carving, allowed Petra to remain a client state of the Roman Empire for much longer than many of their neighbors. At one point in the first century AD, it was documented that over 20,000 residents lived in Petra, a remarkable statement for the time. It wasn’t until 106 AD that they lost their independence and became a part of the Roman Empire. Under Roman rule and with the emergence of sea routes, Petra’s importance and significance declined, which was only worsened by a severe earthquake in 363 which destroyed many structures in the city. Petra was soon after abandoned entirely and, except for the occasional nomad, was empty and deserted for nearly one thousand years.
The beautiful structures around Petra.
That is until 1812 when the city was rediscovered by Johann Ludwig Burckhardt. It, of course, hadn’t been entirely untouched in the millennium before its rediscovery, but other than Crusaders and Mamluks attempting to use Petra strategically before giving up and abandoning the city once again, no one had lived in Petra since the 7th century. Burckhardt was a Swiss born traveler who was well known throughout Arabia. He had been determined to find the lost city of Petra ever since he heard the mysterious rumors of the ruins of a grand city during his travels to Cairo. After his remarkable discovery, many orientalists and scholars then dedicated their careers and lives to learning as much about Petra as possible, allowing us to understand the history of this beautiful city. It was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1985 and has been declared “one of the most precious cultural properties of man’s cultural heritage.” We can absolutely agree that it is unlike anything we have ever witnessed and is awe-inspiring to experience.
Photoshoot in Petra.
We also visited Petra twice one to embrace this beautiful place the second time was for a Photoshoot both times we was up early 5am to get there at opening time and I’m glad we did because when we went to return back to the start point there was so many people. As you walk through the maze of rock formations there are tiny little stores with souvenirs, there’s also a little cafe for a drink stop and for transportation if you don’t want to walk so far there’s horse carriages, camels and donkeys the donkeys are mostly for the hike up to the treasury which is about 900 steps uphill. We wasn’t keen on this as we felt it was to much for the animals but in saying that they use these animals to cart there stuff uphill everyday to the little shack stores up the top as well.
Walking up the top for a photo.
I feel like I need to say this there are a lot of walks that can be done around Petra some I’m gonna say full mobility is needed and heaps of water. I’ll be honest I had to take a few breaks to rest the knees and legs but it also was worth every effort to see the views, the treasury so don’t let your fitness level stop you just take your time. Below are some cost for entrance into Petra these are purchased at the entrance or you can do it online.
The Petra Entry Fees at the time where
1-day entry to Petra – 50 JOD ·
2-day entry to Petra – 55 JOD ·
3-day entry to Petra – 60 JOD
You can also get a Jordan pass like we did which gives you entry into a lot of places across Jordan.
There are many paths you can take to see Petra.
