Travel back in time to the first century BC
By Eileen Ogintz
PETRA, Jordan — The outdoor mall was busy with well-heeled locals. They were shopping for silks from China; cotton from Egypt; spices from India; coffee beans from Yemen; Saffron from Persia; fresh tomatoes, oranges cucumbers, beans, pomegranates, wine and more. This was circa 100 BC.
Their villas with beautiful gardens were scattered up in the hills above the center of town. There was a play in the huge outdoor amphitheater that seated 3,500. Perhaps 13 people were conducting a funeral in one of the many tombs dug into the cliffs along the sides of the canyon. Water was flowing through the sophisticated pipe system. Kids were playing in the large swimming pool and pavilion.
Of course. this takes a lot of imagination to see. Welcome to Petra, one of the new seven wonders of the world, a world heritage site, and the reason many come to Jordan.
The market center is mostly rubble and has been for many centuries, as are the three temples where remnants of the marble steps remain.
The famous Treasury—so called because it was thought gold was buried with the royals here—is pockmarked with bullet holes from treasure hunters, though some of the buried spectacular carvings in the façade remain. The carvings are representative of the Library of Ephesus in Turkey as well as other cities. “They wanted to show that they traveled far,” explained our Abercrombie and Kent Guide, Zakaria Salameh.
Petra was settled by the Nabataeans, a nomadic Arab people, as early as the 4th Century BC and reached its height of prosperity between 80 BC and 50 BC. Some of the inscriptions that remain are Ancient Greek, a universal language at the time and showing that the populace was well educated.
This was once a huge place that was home to some 35,000 people and had the monopoly on selling water to traders as well as those traveling with their goods from far-flung places. They disguised the city and serviced the caravans in Little Petra some miles away.
We stayed at the Movenpick Resort Petra right at the entrance in the town of Wadi Musa where the natural stone, handcrafted wood and Middle Eastern fabrics can’t help but impress. There even is a “chocolate hour” with a chocolate fountain, a pool, and spa. We enjoyed local lamb and lobster (from the Red Sea, we were told) at Al Iwan dining room with a spectacular painted ceiling.
We are on an Abercrombie & Kent tour designed to give us an introduction to Jordan followed by 10 days in Egypt.
Typically, there could be 350,000 visitors to Petra a year, Salameh told us. Since the Israel-Hamas War in Gaza started, there is only a fraction of that number. Perhaps that’s why the locals who are selling everything within the ancient city — from books to jewelry, magnets to Frankincense and myrrh (used in ancient times to ward off evil spirits), tee shirts, camel, horse, and donkey rides — are so aggressive.
It’s true that these endeavors support the locals and there is no unemployment assistance here to support them, so it is difficult to resist. “Women helping women,” one seller said.
“At least people still buy drinks,” said another man hawking fresh orange juice.
“Are you sure you don’t want a donkey ride,” said a third, offering a ride that visitors can take to avoid the 900 steps up to the Monastery. We skipped the monastery and the donkey and camel rides, though walking through the ancient city is a workout.
While in Ancient times, Petra likely was approached differently, we walked from the east through the dark, narrow gorge called the Siq just a dozen feet wide in some spots.
The red hued sandstone is reminiscent of Moab, Utah, and nearby national parks. It’s hard to choose between the beauty of the escavated ruins and the natural beauty of the canyons, hills, and desert. Until the 1970s, Bedouins lived in the hollowed-out caves. Jordan Queen Noor, who was the American-born fourth wife of the late King Hussein, spearheaded an effort for them to be relocated so there could be more archeological work. The compromise was their ability to work at the site selling locally made wares, camel rides, etc.
But the archeological work virtually stopped after the Arab Spring uprisings in nearby countries in 2011 years ago, and 97 percent of the ancient city remains under the rubble, Salameh told us. Some 25,000 people are believed to have been buried in the tombs that today are marked by hollowed out areas.
The Romans conquered Petra in 106 AD—we walked over the remains of the Roman roads built to accommodate their chariots. Petra declined under Roman rule as trade routes were shifted. Then an earthquake in 363 AD destroyed many buildings and the water management system. Incredibly, the city was lost until the 19th Century when a Swiss explorer and artist, Johan Ludwig Burckhardt, who spoke Arabic and dressed as a local, was seeking the tomb of Aaron, Moses’ brother.
After a day of exploring, he believed he had found the long-lost city of Petra and returned home with sketches to prove his find. Eleven years later, the Scottish painter David Roberts visited and returned to Britain with sketches and stories. Copies of his sketches are hawked around the ancient site.
There is so much to be learned here about the ancient lives of the people who were able to create such an amazing desert oasis by controlling and diverting rain and spring water.
Parts of famous movies, including Lawrence of Arabia, The Martian, and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, were filmed in and around Petra.
Let’s hope the archeologists are able to return—the tourists too.