Stunning! Unbelievable! It's like standing in a fantasy world that could only be created in someone's imagination, not real. The truth is, though, it was built by Arabs before the time of Christ! You know how sometimes you get to a place and feel a little disappointed because your expectations were so high? Well, it didn't happen here! Just the opposite. I was totally wowed by what I saw! This surpassed anything I expected. It's the most amazing thing I have seen yet!

PETRA
I'm in the Jordan desert in an ancient city, not made OUT of rocks, but an entire city cut INTO the rocks! There are theaters, tombs, homes, and temples! There were some buildings built of stones inside the city, but the majority of the city is cut into the rock cliffs!
 
This is Petra, meaning "rock" . It's one of the Seven Wonders of the Modern World! Petra is in a valley near Wadi Musa. It was “re-discovered” a little over 200 years ago, is often referred to as City of the Tombs.

I spent two days hiking up and down the mountains in Petra. It was so breathtaking. I could not decide whether to look up, to the side, ahead, or backwards as I walked through the rock city! I just couldn't get enough of what I was seeing!

Walking in Petra is like walking through the pages of a book you can't put down. The further you go along in the book, the more amazing it becomes! You just can't wait to see what is on the next page!
 
There is so much to see and so many photos, I want to write this entry in several posts. There is the Sig, The Treasury, and the ancient city, with side trips into the hills! Each deserves it's own post!

I stayed in the nearby town of Wadi Musa and walked to Petra each day . It was a 30 minute walk each way. Steep downhill from the Petra Gate Hotel to Petra, steep uphill on the return to Wadi Musi. Amazing views, though!
 
BIBLICAL IMPORTANCE
The desert in this part of the MIddle East is where the Israelites, led by Moses, wandered for 40 years. A rock, believed to be the rock Moses struck to get water for the wandering Hebrews in their Exodus from Egypt is also here.
 
Petra was in Biblical Edom. In Biblical times Petra was a city of the Edomites, whose ancestor, Esau, settled there after he was tricked out of his rightful inheritance by his twin brother Jacob. Israel and Edom were constantly at odds. In the Bible Petra is called by its Hebrew name, Sela, Isaiah 16:1 and 2 Kings 14:7.
 
Many scholars believe Bible prophecy points to Petra as the place the Israelites will flee to during  "The Great Tribulation".
  
Petra once had a thriving Christian community with several significant churches. Often, tombs were converted into Churches and marked with a chiseled cross in the rock.
 
An early account tells of Christians in Petra being martyred during the persecution of emperor Diocletian at the beginning of the 4th century, for refusing to offer sacrifice to Roman gods ..

BAB as-SIQ
In this entry I want to talk about the Bab as-Siq (route from the gate to the Siq), then through the Siq to the Treasury.

To enter the heart of Petra, you have to go through the "Siq". To reach the Siq, you have a 1/2 mile walk down a gravel road along what is called the Bab as-Siq (Gateway to the Siq).

The Wadi Musa spring bed runs along the Bab as-Siq. But, it is dry this time of the year. The road is divided with one side for pedestrians, the other side for horses. If it's too far, you can ride a horse from here to the Treasury.

On the walk down the Bab as-Siq, there is a lot to see. There are shrines to ancient gods, tombs, caves, carvings and inscriptions.

After you finish the long, hot walk through the Bab as-Siq, you reach the place where the path drops sharply and is framed by high rock cliffs!

THE SIQ
You have reached the Siq! The ornamental arch that once marked the entrance is long gone .
  
The Siq is a long, narrow and winding sandstone canyon that ends at the Treasury. It served as a natural barrier and entrance to Petra. This is the path visitors take to reach Petra, but back in the day it was the route merchants used to bring their goods to the city. It also was protection against invaders! The Siq is over a mile long. The high walls (262ft) were protection for the city

The Siq is not really a gorge. It was formed by rock upheaval, not water. The rock split in half. (Some believe this to be the rock Moses struck to get water.) After that split, water from the Wadi Musi and the wind began smoothing out the gap in the rock!

For over a mile, the path in the Sig wanders through gorgeous sandstone cliffs nearly 500 ft tall on each side. In many places the path is no more than a few feet wide. At these places the sun and sound is blocked. Then, the rocks open up again to let the sunshine in!

Along the way there are crevices, inscriptions and carvings to explore! Steps and crevices lead off, up the mountain to caves and tombs! 

I put descriptions of things I saw along the way on the photos!

The unexpected sight at the end of the Siq will blow your mind! The last photo in this post will give you a glimpse of what I saw next!


 NEXT: "EXPLORING WITH INDIANA JONES"