My trip to Petra turned out to be shorter than I planned but  a fantastic experience. No surprise that Petra was named one of the greatest wonders ever wrought by Nature and Man! I was totally possessed by Petra’s beauty. My post is just a glimpse of what I saw while I was there…

A little history: Petra is  a unique city, carved into the sheer rock face by the Nabataeans, an industrious Arab people who settled here more than 2000 years ago, turning it into an important junction for the silk, spice and other trade routes that linked China, India and southern Arabia with Egypt, Syria, Greece and Rome.

Petra is sometimes called the ‘Lost City’. In spite of its being such an important city in the ancient times, after the 14th century AD, Petra was completely lost to the western world. It was rediscovered in 1812 by the a Swiss traveler.

Below are few impressions from my trip to Petra.

Passing Aqaba, Jordan on the way to Petra

Goats on the road….

Wade Rum in the distance…

Images from Jordan…

The corridor to Petra from the distance…

Petra lies on the slope of Mount Hor in a basin among the mountains which form the eastern flank of Arabah (Wadi Araba), the large valley running from the Dead Sea to the Gulf of Aqaba.

My head dressed by Bedouins…

My sister Reda with black headscarf…

This is how I enter Petra…

At the entrance…

Walking into Petra…

Entrance to the city is through the Siq, a narrow corridor, over 1 kilometer in length, which is surrounded on either side by amazing 80 m high cliffs. Just walking through the Siq is breathtaking. The colors and formations of the rocks are incredible. As I reached the end of the Siq I caught the first glimpse of Al-Khazneh (Treasury).

Water system in Petra (right below)

First glimpse of the Great Temple of Petra – The Treasury or ‘Al-Khazneh’

Al-Khazneh is a massive façade, 30m wide and 43m high, carved out of the pink rock-face. It was carved in the early 1st century as the tomb of an important Nabataean king.

Below is my photo gallery from Petra.

Caves in Petra…

More caves…

a ancient monastery, Petra…

Climbing to the top…

Cave in Petra…

Image from the top…

From the top…

Wearing moon stone neckless which I bought from the Bedouins…

Complete photo gallery from Petra is here…