A short 1 hour flight from Tel Aviv to Eilat started our Middle Eastern adventure, followed by a short cab ride to the Jordanian border and seaside town of Aqaba. Our driver John and tour guide Rasha picked us up for the 2 hour drive to the desert landscape of Wadi Rum,
one of the most awe-inspiring sights in the entire Middle East.
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| Guides at the entrance to Wadi Rum - a world heritage site |
Wadi Rum is marked with huge ochre-coloured rock
pinnacles, weathered into bulbous, outlandish
shapes, which rise up 600 m (2,000 ft) from the flat
valley floors, like islands in a sea of red sand.
This area was once on a major trade route, and evidence of settlement here includes ruins of a temple built by the Nabataeans and carvings and inscriptions left by the later Thamud people.
Wadi Rum was the film site for the Hollywood classic "Lawrence of Arabia".
There are essentially two main ways to explore the desert of Wadi Rum: through a combination of jeep and hiking, or by camel trekking. Lazy as we are, we opted for Jeep!
Ancient hieroglyphics over 2000 years old
Lawrence’s Spring is a tranquil
spring that was once described by TE Lawrence as “a
paradise just 5 feet square”. A Nabataeanbuilt
water channel can be seen nearby.
The entrance to the spring, also marked by the different colored rocks.
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| Rasha our tour guide giving us an explanation of the ancient writing. She was an incredible guide, one of only 2 to 3 female guides in all of Jordan. |
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Nick resting in the goat's hair tent with other tourists and a Bedouin who's tribe still inhabits the region. Note the Jordanian flag in the background.  Of course we needed to add at least one photo of food. Here is our BBQ chicken, fries and traditional lunch we had in the middle of the desert prepared by our very accommodating Bedouin hosts. |
Next, we drove to the amazing and magical place of Petra.
We splurged and stayed in the 5-star Movenpick hotel, a gorgeous hotel that is at the foot of Petra's entrance, that had local artwork and a wonderful spa.
A little background on Petra: it is one of the world’s most impressive and atmospheric archaeological sites. Its marvellously preserved rock-hewn tombs and temples once encircled a thriving metropolis.
A definite on Nick & Clare's bucket list!!
We had the opportunity to tour Petra at night, a tour that was only started a few months ago. We were blessed with a near full moon!
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| The crowd waiting for the Petra at night tour to open. |
The night tour was spectacular - the entire trail down to Petra's treasury was lined with candles and at the end, Petra's Treasury lit up with candles. Here the crowds gathered at the Treasury to see its glory by candle light.
The next day we awoke early to hike Petra in the day light - quite a contrast! But the amazing colors make it look different every hour of the day. To enter Petra, we had to first walk about half a mile along a wide valley known as the Bab el-Siq.
The spectacular city of Petra was constructed between the 3rd century BC and the 1st century AD and quickly became the center of a vast trading empire.
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Obelisk Tomb and Bab el-Siq Triclinium
with its Egyptian and Nabataean classical style inspiration
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Here the entrance to the Siq which is marked
by the remains of a monumental arch
Rasha explaining about the rock formations of sandstone and rich mineral deposits.
As the Siq descends,
almost imperceptibly,
it becomes deeper and narrower.
At its narrowest point,
the walls are only one meter apart.
More of the Siq but here you can see the sophisticated Nabataean water channel designed for conservation and flood prevention.
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Here the first breathtaking glimpse of the pink-hued, finely chiseled Treasury facade thru the dark, narrow walls of the Siq. |
Set deep in the rock and protected by the valley walls, the magnificent 1st-century BC Treasury
In AD 106 Petra was annexed by
Rome. Here you can see the Roman influence in the columns.
The Outer Siq
Clare and Rasha walking to the theater.
Streets of Façades
Carved on four levels, these
tightly packed tombs may
include some of Petra’s oldest
facades. Most are crowned
with multiple crowsteps.
Christianity arrived in the 4th century, the Muslims in the 7th and the Crusaders briefly in the 12th. Thereafter Petra lay forgotten until 1812 when rediscovered by JL Burckhardt. Hard to believe he found most of the ancient city in perfect condition (including the Treasury).
The Royal Tombs which were built for Petran wealthy or important people, possibly kings or queens.
The Temenos Gate which dates back to the Roman annexation and has both Nabataean and classical design.
The grand Roman-style Cardo would have been Petra’s main artery, fringed with markets and leading to the city’s most sacred temple, the Qasr el-Bint. This building, like all the important buildings around the Cardo, would have been lavishly decorated. Traces of ornate plasterwork and marble veneer can still be seen on its walls and steps.
Next a hike up 800 rock-cut steps through the wadi up to the Monastery. It was a trek in the mid-day heat but WELL worth the hike.
Not as ornate as the Treasury, the Monastery is Petra's most colossal temple. It was dedicated to the deified king Obadas, who died in 86 BC. They estimate it was constructed in 1st century AD and is seen by many as the quintessential Nabataean Classical design.
Some final shots of Petra as we left...
and one little video to give you a sense of the hustle and bustle of incoming horse and buggies that were always present.
And on the drive out...
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| Clare & Nick with their new Jordanian friend Rasha |
One last impromptu photo of Clare at Temple Mount in Jerusalem (on our last day in the Middle East before flying back).
Lastly, on our last evening we ate a very local Palestinian restaurant which included impromptu dancing and singing.
We send our gratitude and respect to the Middle East to be able to experience its history and beauty. Its no wonder to us that Petra was voted one of the seven Wonders of the World!
