Madaba and Petra, Jordan

The iconic image of Petra known to most visitors is the Al Khazneh ("The Treasury"), made famous as the temple housing the Holy Grail in the film "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade". However, for us the iconic site was the Ad Deir ("The Monastery") - pictured on the left; as the level of difficulty required to reach the site - 800 steps by donkey made it more satisfying once we got to the top. The remote location also kept away the bulk of the crowds.
The visit to Petra capped off two days travelling through southern Jordan from Madaba to the Crusader castle fortress of Kerak.

Stop 1 - Madaba
Madaba is located in central Jordan and has many small businesses that were eager to display their produce to our inquisitive tourist group. Free biscuits sucked in our attention and soon we were buying freshly squeezed pomegranate juice to wash down the crumbs.

Buying fresh pomegranate juice

Madaba is known as the 'City of Mosaics' with the most famous piece of artwork being the 'Madaba Mosaic Map' preserved in the floor of the Greek Orthodox Basilica of Saint George.

A replica of the Mosaic Map outside the Basilica

The Mosaic Map was discovered in 1896 and is famous for containing a representation of Jerusalem's landmarks as they were in the 6th century.

The mosaic map with the Holy City of Jerusalem in the center

The Church also contains a number of other mosaic artworks and we spent around an hour walking though the building and visitor's center before we headed to our second destination.

Mosaics decorating the walls of the Basilica

Stop 2 - Mount Nebo

Mount Nebo rises 817m above sea level and is mentioned in the Bible as the location where Moses viewed the Promised Land before his death and burial on the site. The clear skies on the day we visited allowed us to view the landmarks in the Jordan River valley in the same way that pilgrims have done so over the centuries. A white sign points out the key sites and their relative distances to visitors.

Sign pointing out the towns visible in the distance

View over the mountains in Jordan

A marble memorial has been placed at the entrance of the visitor's center to commemorate the association with the biblical event. The building contains a number of archaeological artifacts and mosaics associated with the site and photos of important visitors including Pope John Paul II on his visit in 2000.

Mosaic floor of a Byzantine Church from the 4th century

Stop 3 - Wadi Mujib
After a short stopover at a mosaic factory - where we learnt how the artworks are created by hand and pasted onto boards and vases; we headed through Jordan's version of the Grand Canyon - Wadi Mujib.

The beautiful art of mosaic

The river is a tributary to the Dead Sea and was known as the Arnon during biblical times, as the border separating the Moabites from the Amorites. The scenery was stunning and the roads both winding and narrow for our mini-bus, passing young children of primary school age making the long walk up the valley from the school at the bottom to their homes near the top.

Stop 4 - Kerak Castle
Our fourth stop was at the famous Crusader castle of  Kerak. Constructed from 1142 AD, it was used to control Bedouin trade routes between Damascus to Egypt and Mecca. The castle was under siege by Saladin's forces for over a year, surrendering in 1188 AD. From then it was used by local rulers and now as a ruin, it is still a popular tourist site.

Information board for the castle

View from the castle's fortifications

The thick walls made siege the only method of attack

Stop 5 - Kerak town for lunch
After the tour of the castle, we were given free-time for lunch. Initially we considered just buying supplies from the local supermarket; however a small boy from the nearby Al-Fida restaurant was trying to get our attention to eat at his family's business. Easily persuaded, we all decided to eat there and were entertained by him and his younger sibling. The local children were in school during the mornings and around lunchtime they return home to help out with the family businesses.

Al Fida restaurant in Kerak

As we were leaving the town, our minibus was caught in heavy traffic down a side street and next to a local bakery. Inside, the baker had one young boy assisting with the cooking; whilst another (most likely a family member) was in charge of sales of a honey coated fritter. Interested, we asked our guide for the going price - 0.1 dinar per piece. He called out to the boy who eagerly delivered the tasty snacks to our minibus windows. 

Selling fried snacks by the roadside

Stop 6 - Wadi Musa
By mid afternoon we arrived in Wadi Musa, the modern township closest to the UNESCO listed site of Petra. We checked into the Petra Palace Hotel, ate dinner at the local restaurant and found the bar next door - our first taste of alcohol since arriving in Jordan.

Wadi Musa has a long main street that leads to the Petra Visitor's center. The Movenpick Hotel was a stop over for ice-cream before we met up for the night tour.

Sugar before the night tour

Stop 7 - Petra By Night
The 'Petra By Night' experience was culturally interesting, however as the group size was so large it was difficult to keep up with the guides to hear any commentary. The tour commenced from the main courtyard of the visitor's center.

Main courtyard at night

A 2km walk was then required to reach the famous 'Treasury' building through the narrow Siq passageway. Part of Petra's appeal is to see the red colored rocks - impossible at night-time although the route is lit up by paper lanterns. However, the lanterns are not bright enough to illuminate the way to avoid piles of horse and camel manure. Tip: Bring a torch.

The lanterns along the Siq

On reaching The Treasury, we were all instructed to sit down on mats and were offered tea. An announcement was made describing the history of the site and musical entertainment. Then the lights were turned on to light up the facade - a beautiful sight just as the full moon emerged from the clouds.

Stop 8 - Petra by Day
The next morning we met our guide at the Visitor's center for a guided tour of the site. Petra was the capital city of the Nabataeans from the 6th century BC, before earthquakes destroyed buildings and political change in the area led to it being 'forgotten' by the outside world until 'rediscovered' by a Swiss explorer in 1812. It is Jordan's most famous tourist attraction and in 2007 was named one of the New Seven Wonders of the World.

The first 500m into the site passes by buildings with a triangular facade and tombs enclosed within large boulders. These sites were completely hidden the night before in the darkness.

Tomb cut into the boulder

An early form of tomb architecture

The ticket entry price includes a horse ride between the visitor's center and the Siq. Additional costs can be paid to be transferred directly to The Treasury.

The walking route next to the horse route

Horse drawn carriage taking visitors

The Siq

Part of Petra's mystery arises from the narrow passageway known as The Siq (between 3-4 metres wide at times) that guards the entrance to the city.

Entrance to The Siq

The narrow passageway of vertical cliffs

The Siq was a defensive feature of the city, as intruders could be viewed from above. The passageway was also prone to flooding. The walls are marked with the mud-level that has been excavated in modern times to create the current route. The walls contain engravings and water channels from ancient times.

Pictures of The Siq

Actors dressed up in period costume

The Treasury

There was a level of excitement in seeing The Treasury during the day, although up-close it is possible to see the damage done to the carvings by gun fire (hidden treasure was thought to be held inside) before it was protected as an archaeological site. The building is actually a tomb and although it is no longer possible to go inside, we visited other buildings that had identical internal structures.

Many tourists visit Petra to see The Treasury and then turn back, missing out on the other amazing buildings on the site. A short distance from the Treasury is a small collection of shops and basic cafes.

The shops in the middle of Petra

The shops are operated by local Bedouin people who used to live on the site in caves, but were relocated in 1985 to a nearby settlement of Umm Sayhoon.

Caves once used by the Bedouin people

View from inside the caves

The multi-coloured rocks

At one of the jewellery stalls, we met Marguerite van Geldermalsen, the author of 'Married to a Bedouin', an autobiographical account of how she - a New Zealand tourist, visited Petra and fell in love with a local Bedouin: Mohammad Abdallah, marrying him and becoming part of the tribe, including living in a cave.

The book

We continued our walk to the areas still under excavation by archaeologists from around the world including Brown University. Olie and Genevieve bought a local head scarf and the shop keeper taught them how to expertly tie it up.

The Roman Road

The Hadrian Gate

Overlooking the Great Temple

The Monastery
A suggestion was made to ride a donkey up to The Monastery and when our guide negotiated a pretty good price it seemed like a great idea at the time. However, Mei got lumped with a baby donkey who didn't know the way and was more than happy to bump her into the rock wall rather than heading up the stairs. Coupled with a loose saddle and the donkey's curiosity to walk along the edge of the cliff - Mei did not enjoy herself. The final insult was being thrown off the donkey right at the top of the 800 stairs.

Happy people with well behaved donkeys

Mei on the donkey just before she got thrown off it

The Monastery building was amazing due to its size and the location on top of the mountain. We also managed to photograph it without any crowds - spot Olie in the photo sitting in the doorstep all by himself.

At the top, we found a rest spot for lunch, although the incoming rain clouds made sure we didn't hang around too long.

At the lookout point

Taking a rest

The views from the lookout point were stunning - we recommend spending at least a full day (or more) at Petra to be able to do some of the hikes.

Stone piles that are left by travelers

As we walked back down (no desire to get back onto a donkey), we passed a number of Bedouin men that had the thick black kohl around their eyes and a live chicken strapped to their donkey.

Hanging out with their donkey

Showing off their chicken for dinner

Royal Tombs

Last stop was the Royal Tombs - multi-level buildings cut into the side of the cliff, where it was possible to go inside to see a similar room to the interior of The Treasury.

Royal Tombs from a distance

Exploring the tombs

Stop 9 - Little Petra
The next morning, we headed for the cave area known as Al Beidha or 'Little Petra'. A group of school children were having lessons near a temple and were excited to see us pass by.

School children at Little Petra

The Little Petra site had rock-cut buildings that were used as places to rest when caravans of camels would bring trade to the area. The areas below the buildings were used to store water and the interiors of the buildings were black due to fire soot, although one had a pretty floral decoration inside.

Building with water storage areas underneath

Stairs to the cave with the floral decorations

View from the top of the cave

Floral decorations from inside the cave

A local man playing a traditional instrument

Next blog post:

Wadi Rum and the Dead Sea

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