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.
By Jill - Jack and Jill Travel The World February 4, 2011 - 11:09 am
Our foster kitty was just adopted yesterday — thanks for the kitty fix 🙂
By Michaela Potter February 4, 2011 - 11:48 am
Love the Petra cat nap.
By Akila February 4, 2011 - 11:53 am
Lovely photos, Sherry! It seems appropriate that the cats would rule over Petra, for some reason.
By Rubin February 4, 2011 - 11:53 am
wow, that’s intense. Surprisingly diverse population of cats it seems like too.
By Dalene February 4, 2011 - 6:12 pm
I want ALL of these kitties!!! What an awesome set of pictures! That cat nap picture is my fave.
By Christy @ Technosyncratic February 5, 2011 - 5:29 pm
I’m always “that person” who likes to pet and play with stray animals when we travel. When petting a kitty in the Colosseum it almost bit me (whoops), but I remain undeterred. 😛
The second to the last photo is just cuteness overload!
By Amy February 7, 2011 - 12:13 pm
Love your kitty shots! It brings back sad memories of cats at Petra for me, though. We were walking past a shop and I kept hearing a cat meow. It sounded distressed, which made me distressed. I realized the cat was trapped in a bag. The shopowner saw my distress and told me he was relocating the cat because it kept eating the chips in his shop and that I should worry, it would be fine. I still regret not going to free the poor kitty.
By Rebecca February 17, 2011 - 12:19 pm
Petra is one of the most magnificent places in this world.so unique. like the pics although don’t do justice to this great place!
By Melvin November 11, 2011 - 10:54 am
Nice one! I’ve noticed the one or other cat, but haven’t thought of taking pics of it like you have! Great idea & great shots!
By Deb November 20, 2011 - 11:52 am
Great idea for a photo story Sherry! So cute!
By Sherry November 20, 2011 - 11:11 pm
Thanks guys – I decided to do it after I realized I had an inordinate amount of laundry photos from the years of traveling!