By amberherrle
Wow! I am so lucky to have visited Petra this past week. I cannot begin to describe just how beautiful the red sandstone is, and how immaculate the entire landscape is. Petra is one of the new wonders of the world – and it’s NO WONDER why. Despite being over two thousand years old, the site has features that look like they were crafted yesterday.
Driving towards Petra, you are struck by the archaic landscape. Large boulder mounds break the landscape into pieces and the dark red sand looks endless. I would equate the experience with driving into the Flinstones.
After walking through mounds of rock, you eventually come upon al Siq. This 1200-meter-long gorge winds its way through the colorful sandstone. The walls form mosaics, straight lines and images with their colorful displays. You can even see ancient art carved into the stone when you walk through the gorge. One of the more impressive pieces is the life-size carving of a camel and its keeper along the gorge wall. One of my initial remarks was that the gorge looked different every time I walked through it. I was happy every opportunity I had to look back and admire al Siq from a different angle.
When you eventually make your way out of al Siq, you see the treasury. This is the monument that is commonly associated with Petra and Jordan. This large sandstone building stands tall in all of its glory. I was most impressed by the details that can be seen on the treasury. After two thousand years, the treasury has truly withstood the test of time.
Moving farther into the red city, the landscape opens up to unveil the beautiful canyons that have been created by the mounds that you saw earlier, driving in. Throughout the city, you can see the steps that have been climbed by millions of people over the course of Petra’s history. We took a walk up a set of these stairs to soak in the amazing views of this treasure.
One of the most amazing things about Petra is number of caves. From any lookout, you will see black dots spotting the mountains, these are cave entrances and doors to homes. Many people don’t realize that Petra is still home to many. If you go far enough into Petra you can find doors that open up to homes and make-shift hangout spots for local teenagers. Imagine playing cards in a cave that has likely been around longer than man.
There is so much to see and do in Petra. The site feels like the best combination of human development and the natural world imaginable. I feel lucky to have been and I encourage everyone to take time to visit this wonder. A little tip though: be careful of the “free” donkey, camel and horse rides. Is anything ever actually free?