Jordanian Desert: The World Wonder Beneath Our Feet

The second part of our trip to Jordan focused on visiting the Wonder of the World that is Petra, an ancient city of ruins that is still so well preserved partly because some of the buildings, mainly tombs but also a few residential dwellings, were hewn directly out of the rock. Petra was home to different population cultures and could defend itself effetively against attackers, as the entire city was well hidden behind mountain ranges. And in addition to all the education on our trip, there was of course no shortage of culinary delights or the privilege of comfortable accommodation. But the most exciting thing is always the different people you meet.

Taking adventurous paths

Before I tell you about our visit to the legendary Wonder of the World, Petra, I would like to say a few words about our rental car. Otherwise I would be missing out on some of the most adrenaline-filled moments of our trip. It was an aging 5-seater sedan with automatic transmission. Don’t ask me the brand, maybe it was a Mazda. I am absolutely not a car person, except that I like to drive. It took us a few days to find out how to shift between gears manually. And I never fully trusted the brakes either.

Now Jordan is a mountainous country, especially in the western strip of land where most of the tourist destinations are located. There is a well-developed highway between Aqaba and Amman. Away from this, we drove on many adventurous tracks. In addition, the cities in Jordan have grown organically for the most part and were not planned in the European manner. Not just occasionally, but quite often, I broke out in a nervous sweat when I had to turn off at an acute angle and master a dramatic incline with our cute little engine and the automatic gearbox. There were also very few road markings and road signs. But somehow this way of driving also has its charm, so unconventional and free…

A rejection that led to good

So we cruised through the Jordanian rocky desert until we arrived in the next town near Petra, Wadi Musa. There we discovered that our accommodation had been canceled at short notice for personal reasons. We had to find a new place to stay, and quickly. Because we still wanted to spend the day in Petra. In our haste, we stupidly booked accommodation that was an hour away by car.

In fact, this mistake later turned out to be a wonderful gift. I’ll tell you all about it when the time comes. We found another hostel in the town, which was completely deserted when we arrived. Tracking it down had been quite an adventure, including the decision to try out this spooky driveway after all, which we had deliberately driven past at first. The owner was initially unavailable, there was no shade and no toilet. The wifi code on the sign on the door contained an error, so there was no internet either.

When our host finally turned up, he had just come from the hairdressers. We didn’t correct him in his assumption that we were a German couple, most of the people thought that about us. Friends – Jordan is an accommodation paradise! You get a lot for comparably low prices. Admittedly, we were almost always the only guests, which made it even more enjoyable.

So we spread out in our slightly swanky room with a king-size bed and then quickly made our way to the entrance to the Petra landscape. To be fair and honest, I want to point out that the owner of this hostel was extremely accommodating and friendly. And the breakfast was so plentiful and lovingly prepared by his wife that we took a good portion with us to eat on the way.

How we conquered Petra on horseback

As soon as we set foot on the site of the Wonder of the World Petra, we were surrounded by guides offering us their donkeys or horses. If I had received a dinar for every time I was offered a donkey there, I would have earned more money in Petra than we spent there for the two of us. As two of the few tourists, we couldn’t save ourselves from offers. And so we actually agreed to a horseback ride across the higher plateaus to the core of the archaeological site, after bargaining down from 50 to 15 dinars. Unfortunately, we hardly had any change with us and our guides didn’t have any change either, so they ended up with a total of 50 dinars. Beginner’s mistake… But the ride was fantastic!

While Adrian’s guide was tirelessly pointing out and explaining the different types of rock and dust in all shapes and colors, my guide was constantly complimenting me on my riding skills and generously offered to be my photographer. Once again, our visit to my first Wonder of the World is better described in photos than in words. Fun fact: although Petra is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, it has not been officially registered as a Wonder of the World by this authority. In 2007, Petra was “merely” selected as one of the New Seven Wonders of the World. Needless to say, it was hot and dusty there. We explored a large part of the area (actually on foot and without donkeys) and also took paths that were classified on the map as very difficult and not without a guide.

So, what is Petra all about?

On the evening of the first day of our visit to Petra, we fell exhausted into our huge bed and conducted a bit of research on the history of the place. Do you remember the ancient Nabataean population that we first encountered in Wadi Rum? Petra was their capital (roughly 4^th century BC to 1^st century AD) and flourished in prosperity and prestige as a trading metropolis, especially in the first century BC. The Nabataeans are regarded as the first Arab people and their empire was located roughly in the area called Edom in the Hebrew Bible.

The inhabitants of this city, which at its peak had 30,000 to 40,000 inhabitants, impressed not only with their unique architecture, but also with their irrigation system, which virtually created an oasis in the desert. Petra was also strategically located directly on the trade routes between Egypt and Syria, Yemen and the Mediterranean. In the 2^nd century AD, the city fell into Roman hands. After the Muslim conquest (7^th century) and in the Middle Ages at the latest, all the people gradually left this place and abandoned it to decay.

Petra’s most famous monuments

If you want to enter Petra through the “main entrance”, i.e. the “Siq”, you will come across this monumental and probably best-known building in the ruined city at the end of the rocky road. In fact, it is more likely to have been a royal tomb and was given its misleading name by Bedouins who discovered the area in the 19^th century. This example is a good illustration of how the pompous façades were “built”. First, the rock was hewn smooth to create a relatively flat “canvas”. Then the façade was carved into the stone from top to bottom. The interior had to be well planned and calculated so that the rock did not collapse. The “ladders” to the right and left of the treasure house were probably made by grave robbers.

At the end of a hiking route that was considered very difficult and not to be entered without a guide, we reached the Ad-Deir monastery. This building has impressive dimensions (47 meters wide, 39 meters high) and is located somewhat away from the actual town. Possibly due to its elevated and secluded location, it was inhabited by monks in the meantime, which led to its current name. Originally, however, it was probably also built as a tomb.

The city center stretched along the central colonnaded street, which already documents Roman influence. The amphitheater and the huge temple complex, of which only the foundations and remains of the columns remain, clearly demonstrated the Roman character. I was glad to have seen evidence of actual life in these buildings after visiting the countless tombs…

Diving into a new world once more

After a day and a half in Petra, we moved on to the accommodation we had booked by mistake, but which was relatively close to our next stop. This brought us to Dana Village, an absolute highlight! We were again the only guests, which is why we were shown three rooms, one of which we were allowed to choose. We opted for the simpler one with a breathtaking view. Dinner was an experience in itself, I tell you! We were served a buffet just for the two of us – all you can eat – with more than five different dishes, each tastier than the last. We also had tea to suit our mood. We even had our own personal waitress, who was on hand immediately and refilled our plates until we could have no more. The dining area was located on the roof of these adventurous but lovingly and attractively designed little houses. I was amazed by the overflowing creativity and the unique character of this special place.

During dinner, the owner came over and chatted with us. He told us about the history of the village and again the father of the family played a prominent role. Out of a desire for a more modern life, most of the families in the old village center left their homes and moved to the new area close by. The father founded this vacation village in such a way that all families connected to that place can benefit from it today. His son, who had taken over the business and was now standing in front of us, explained to us that it was out of the question for his father to live only for his own profit. Family and community play an important role, as the son told us with obvious pride. The atmosphere on the roofs of these old Arab houses in the Jordanian mountains was an invitation to dream and make plans, which Adrian and I did intensively. Will we be able to realize these plans at some point?

Inevitably, the war also came up in the conversation. And here, too, some of our host’s statements left deep impressions. He explained to us that we humans provoke violent conflicts when we see ourselves as the rightful owners of a territory. But his father had exemplified what it means to see oneself as a guest on this earth. Then it is neither your land nor mine, not even ours. Instead, we have to humbly manage the land as if we had to give an account for it. What do you think about that?

What a gift to have landed in this special place by misunderstanding!