Day 6
Our day began with a 3.5 hour drive to Petra from Amman. The country was SO dry and brown, and it reminded me of Nevada. I loved it...I just love the desert. There is something about the barrenness and open sky that draws me.
Land of the Ammonites, Moabites, and Edomites
Our drive took us through the land of the Ammonites, Moabites, and Edomites (the Edomites are the descendants if Esau-Genesis 36:43), which is so wild to realize I have experienced. It is a land that only roaming nomadic tribes could live on back then. Both Abraham and later Moses both journeyed through that area. I can't imagine taking hundreds of thousands of people across that terrain to the Promised Land, but he did!
We drove along a part of the King's Highway, which was a major trade route thousands of years ago. The highway received it's name from when nine kings banded together and fought another group of kings near the Dead Sea (the Valley if Salt, or Siddom). This group of kings captured Lot, and Abram gathered his servants and came to the rescue of his nephew (Genesis 14).
We finally arrived in Petra! Petra is in a slot canyon, so as we entered the lower area from the cliffs and I saw the area below, I was immediately blown away by how it looked almost exactly like Moab, Utah. That has got to be why they used the name Moab in Utah. The original land of Moab is very close to Petra, and the two areas look EXACTLY the same! The color of the rock, the shape of the mounds, the slot canyons in the distance, and then the actual slots themselves. I was way more excited than I should have been. Plus, I have a deep and passionate love for slot canyons that only seems to grow the more I visit them. Sorry, Lindy. We will never hike enough of them. Just accept it.
Petra was in the land of the Edomites which, as I mentioned, are descendants of Esau. Obadiah prophecies against the tribe in his book, and scholars agree that he is most likely referencing the canyons of Petra when he says in verse 3, "The pride of your heart has deceived you, you who live in the clefts of the rock, in your lofty dwellings, who say in your heart, 'Who will bring me down to the ground?'"
So what exactly is Petra? Well, it is freaking awesome. It was settled by the Nabataeans, an Arab tribe, a little before the first century. They were cliff dwellers, and carved intricate caves and sculptures into the sandstone canyons. If you have never heard of Petra, think Indiana Jones. It is featured in one of the movies (I don't know which one. I'm not a guy).
The canyon leading to the main settlement is a massive slot that we walked down for about a mile. As we meandered, we learned about the Nabataeans' system of creating aqueducts and cisterns to collect every drop of water they possibly could. The number of aqueducts and how they were set up was ridiculous. Those were smart people. We saw sculptures and monuments etched into the cave walls and dams they built on side slots...and I wanted to hike down all those side slot canyons. See, Lindy?
After about a mile, we rounded a corner and...
Our first glimpse of the Treasury (featured in Indiana Jones). The picture doesn't even capture a fraction of the stunning beauty and massive size as it first came into view. What?! How?! Amazing. The intricacy of the carvings and the amount of time it must have taken! You can see steps cut into each side of the tomb for workers to climb up and do their job.
The Treasury isn't actually a treasury but a tomb for their greatest ruler. The canyon is dotted with caves that are used for tombs or homes, some of which people still live in today (the homes, not the tombs). Val talked to an Arabic man who lives in a cave on nice nights, and also rents an apartment (although our your guide said that wasn't true).
I really can't describe what Petra is like. It is just so massive (they say you need three days to really explore it). If you have ever been to Utah, envision a slot canyon that leads to a more open area with smaller, wider canyons going off. Then just imagine hundreds of caves dotting the canyon walls and rock slabs. Throw in a few massive and intricate tomb patterns. And then go visit Petra.
We wandered down to a restaurant for lunch in the canyon (it is a pretty touristy spot...vendors everywhere...in the middle of nowhere). After lunch, we were on our own to make our way back to the top for dinner. I loved the flexibility and freedom of that. Some people rode donkeys and camels and some people spent time exploring and walked back up later. Val, Elizabeth, Terry (a really awesome woman from our group...although they are all pretty awesome), and I opted to stay in the canyon for a while and do some exploring. We went to a roman temple (the Romans took over in 106 AD), then stopped at a Byzantine era church, and finally made our way up the side of a cliff to explore a bunch of caves and tombs. It was just a pleasant day!
By the time we were done exploring, most of the tourists had cleared out of the canyon, so it was much less crowded. Win. We were able to get some great shots of the Treasury with everyone gone, then we hiked back out of the canyon with practically no people around us. It was so peaceful and quiet. We were the last of our group to get to the hotel. We cleaned up, had dinner, and after dinner I had coffee and chatted with Val and her husband. Then, bed!
I love slot canyons.
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