Petra

With titles like UNESCO World Heritage Site, one of the 7 wonders of the modern world and on the Smithsonian’s list of places you must see before you die, you can be assured that Petra, Jordan is a unique, fulfilling and life changing experience.
The history, ingenuity and culture within the structures of Petra will astound you. Petra holidays are like nothing else you’ve ever experienced. Discovered by the modern world only in the early 1800s, Petra is a relatively new discovery for the world of archaeology. Though an ancient city, there are hotels located within walking distance, a bar and even a restaurant inside the city. Your holiday to Petra will be filled with ancient architecture, meeting new people, exploring the desert of Jordan and learning about the life and culture of these ancient engineers who built their own water storage system and rock-cut tombs.

One of the main attractions of holidays in Petra is the exploration of an ancient culture, historical architecture and before-its-time engineering. Your Petra holiday will begin as it should- with a dramatic entrance. To enter the city of Petra, you must walk through the Siq, or the shaft. At it’s narrowest points, your journey into Petra through the Siq will narrow to just 10 feet wide. Your journey through the Siq will take you back in time as the sound of your footsteps bounce off the high canyon walls and whispered conversations ring in your ears. Fortunately, the path is cooled by the perpetual shade offered by the walls. As you approach the end of the 2.5 kilometer walk, through a jagged opening you’ll glimpse the most famous building in Petra- Al Khazneh known in English as The Treasury. The city of Petra was built, nay carved, into the walls of the natural ravine around 312 BC by the Nabateans. One of the best ways to explore the ancient history while on holiday in Petra is to take the Petra by night tour which includes a candlelit walk into the city, mint tea and traditional music played live as you view the lit up treasury and enjoy the endless blanket of stars above. Though the treasury was meant to symbolize the wealth of the city to those who entered, it was essentially empty, though rumours have persisted into modern times of a secret, buried treasure.

Petra was used by the Nabateans as their capital city and as the central hub of their extensive trade route. This history is all visible in the architecture of Petra. During your holiday in Petra, you’ll see a mixture of ancient architecture, with influences from every stop along the Nabateans trade route, including Egyptian, Assyrian, Hellenistic, Mesopotamian and Roman architecture along with some flourishes of their own creation. One of the most exciting highlights of a holiday to Petra is the freedom to explore the half-built, half-carved into the mountainside city in any way you want. You can wander far and wide, climb through the amphitheatre or just sit and gaze at the treasury. During the time of the Nabateans, Petra was the centre of a kingdom more than three times the size of modern Jordan. Petra was a crossroads between Arabia, Egypt and Syria-Phoenicia, meaning you could find incense from Arabia, silk from China and spice from India in this city. The Nabateans gained their wealth by trading in foreign goods, especially frankincense and myrrh. As you explore the city of Petra, don’t be afraid to enter the buildings, climb up the mountainside and go to the end of the city to see the gorgeous view. Be sure to not miss the monastery, though it requires a little work to get there. At the top of an 800-step rock cut path, the monastery, which was built as a tomb, used as a temple and then a church, is well worth the exertion. Carved deep into the mountain, this impressive structure was even used in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.

Holidays to Petra provide an insight into the feats of ancient engineering. The sole reason that the city of Petra was able to survive despite being surrounded on all sides by desert was because of their water storage and transport system. The Nabateans created a small oasis in the middle of the desert, where they controlled the water, sustaining a massive city on the minimal and seasonal rainfalls of the region. Still today, most of the ancient water system is still used within the city to collect rainwater and prevent flash floods from damaging the ancient city. Time and water are always wearing away the water system so it must be constantly updated and maintained. One of the best ways to get to know Petra better is to take a cooking class at Petra Kitchen where you’ll meet interesting people from around the world, learn how to prepare 6 traditional Jordanian meals and then eat those delicious meals. You can even feel good about your sustainable tourism and know that the extra food that isn’t eaten is given to local families who are in need. As the world’s largest producer of olives, you’re sure to love the cuisine of Jordan and enjoy the fantastic, locally made olive oil. Be sure to try the national dish of Jordan, called Mansaf. This dish is made with lamb cooked in fermented, dried yogurt and served with bulgur or rice.