A regal pose in front of the Treasury in Petra

Walking down the Siq to see the first view of the Treasury will give you goosebumps. I spent 2 days in Petra with my camera exploring this hiking wonderland. With a sight this popular, it’s hard to find a different photographic perspective on it at times. However, sometimes all you need is a little push. Another photographer on twitter, Peter West Carey, challenged me to try to get a different take on the often seen photos of Petra … game on!

I walked around Petra for two days trying to think of a different take on the heavily touristed site.  But it wasn’t until I looked down, and into the shadows that I noticed them, the cats in Petra were lurking all over the area, but you don’t tend to really see them until you focus on them.

Cats in Petra

Petra’s modern day inhabitants are cats.  They lurk around every monument as if they own the place.  In many places they seem to blend in to their surroundings with their orange fur; the same color as the buildings.  They are pros at ‘working the crowd’; prancing around purring to get tourists attention and hopefully some food.  Most of the time it works.  I watch tourists pull out bread and cheese from their bags and the cats would do figure eights around their feet purring as loud as they can to get attention.    It’s as if they take turns in the heavily touristed areas around the Treasury and Siq, and then when their shift is over, they  slink off to their secret quiet spots for a at nap.

I followed a few of them back to their quiet spots and they led me to a whole part of Petra that I didn’t know existed.  No tourists, just beautiful soft light and shadows, and cats.  I knew right then that my different view of Petra was going to be of the cats. Something that everyone sees in Petra, but no one really thinks about.

These cats know exactly what they are doing and they are a large part of Petra; therefore I felt it was important to capture them.  Enjoy this photo documentary on the cats of Petra…meow….

Click on any of the images to purchase any of these feline prints.

High Place of Sacrifice

Inside th Tombs

In the Siq

The Treasury

Petra Cat Nap

Who are you lookin’ at?