Petra was the main topic in John William Burgon’s Poem Petra. Referring to it as the inaccessible city which he had heard described but had never seen. The Poem was awarded the Newdigate Prize in 1845 :
“ It seems no work of Man’s creative hand,
by labour wrought as wavering fancy planned;
But from the rock as if by magic grown,
eternal, silent, beautiful, alone!
Not virgin-white like that old Doric shrine,
where erst Athena held her rites divine;
Not saintly-grey, like many a minster fane,
that crowns the hill and consecrates the plain;
But rose-red as if the blush of dawn,
that first beheld them were not yet withdrawn;
The hues of youth upon a brow of woe,
which Man deemed old two thousand years ago,
match me such marvel save in Eastern clime,
a rose-red city half as old as time. ”
I went into Petra blind, no real research, no real idea of what to expect; I prefer to keep things a mystery so I feel like I’m discovering them myself. However, I will provide you a little background in order to kick off my week of blogging about Petra.
The city of Petra achieved its greatest importance under the Nabateans, an ancient people whose original homeland was in northeastern Arabia. They migrated westward in the 6th century BC and eventually settled at Petra. The Nabateans were master merchants. They achieved this title due to their monopoly on the caravan spice trade that involved China, Egypt, Greece, and India and passed from the Arabian interior to the coast. By the 1st century BC the Nabataean kingdom extended from Damascus in the north to the Red Sea in the south, and Petra was home to as many as 30,000 people. It was during this period that the most impressive structures of Petra were built, including the Treasury, the Great Temple and the Qasr el-Bint el-Faroun. If you are an ancient history buff and want to know more, then I suggest checking out Wikipedia.
Thanks to Indiana Jones, Petra became known in the modern world to masses. It is a Unesco World Heritage site and was recently named one of the ‘New’ 7 Wonders of the World
The long downward entrance to Petra through the Siq is memorable – especially when there aren’t any tourists around. I forced myself to get up early in order to experience the entrance without the onslaught of tourists groups. The Siq is a mile-long narrow gorge leading into the city of Petra, emerging dramatically in front of the Treasury along the way. Here’s your first view of the ancient entrance…completely solitary…you can imagine what it was like to be there thousands of years ago. However, nothing will bolt you back into the present day like a 4X4!
By Jaime January 31, 2011 - 3:29 am
Oh wow that was awesome. Thanks for sharing that. Visiting Petra is on my itinerary for my RTW trip. I can not wait to go.
By Jeff January 31, 2011 - 8:25 am
Love the contrast of the old and modern. Could not have planned that I’m sure. Nice cut.
By Jill - Jack and Jill Travel The World January 31, 2011 - 11:01 am
Petra sounds very cool. I don’t want to watch the video though because I want to see it for myself for the first time there 🙂
By Anil January 31, 2011 - 12:07 pm
Surprisingly it doesn’t look that crowded.
By Barbara at Hole in the Donut Travels January 31, 2011 - 3:13 pm
You must have gotten up VERY early to be so alone there. I really want to see this in person some day; it’s probably #2 after the northern lights on my list of “must see before I die.” Thanks for the great video!
By Sherry February 3, 2011 - 11:05 am
Actually I was up and there around 7AM – so it wasn’t too crazy early. But it was def. worth it!!
By Lisa Bergren January 31, 2011 - 3:18 pm
Love it. Definitely on my Someday List.
By kevin winter January 31, 2011 - 4:03 pm
Nice video. Thanks.
I don’t think I understand… was that an entrance to Petra, between the rocks?
Kevin
trabbatical.com
By Sherry January 31, 2011 - 4:39 pm
Yes Kevin – this is the main entrance to Petra – the Sik (narrow canyonway) empties out onto the big Treasure building. However the 4×4 truck was an accident…:)
By Connie February 3, 2011 - 4:03 am
You know, I didn’t realize this at the time when I was at Petra in 2009, but it wasn’t crowded when I was there either! I think it’s because the actual size of Petra is MASSIVE and most people don’t know that. For sure, there are crowded areas, but on the whole, I think part of Petra’s magic and charm is that you can explore most areas pretty much on your own. I’d love to go back after watching your video of the Siq!
By Sherry February 3, 2011 - 11:00 am
I completely agree – it’s huge and therefore you can easily get away from the crowds if you just start to get off the beaten path. However – if you want tourist-free shots of the Siq or Treasury- you have to get our of bed eeeaarrly!
By Jayne duVall February 3, 2011 - 6:10 pm
Lovely! It tis pink….
By Tetra Tree Hotel July 24, 2016 - 6:22 pm
Thanks for sharing knowledge about our treasure Petra