Petra, Jordan (2007)

In the middle of the vast desert that characterizes Jordan and the Middle East protrudes a large rock—a mountain really—that looks out of place and glows a vibrant red. Because there weren’t really any forests to cut down to make homes, the city of Petra was intricately carved into the mountain so that every home, temple, reservoir, etc. was fixed into place. The only changes were the geologically slow changes of the rock itself and sporadic rain events, revealing layers of colors and patterns. The Bedoins, or native dwellers of Petra, vehemently protected the area and prevented any outside from entering because they believed that the lost treasures of the Egyptian Pharaohs were buried hidden within the maze of caverns in the great rock—Petra had served as an important trade outpost between Ancient Egypt and the Far East. Only recently, a European, disguised as a local with deep knowledge of the language and culture was able to infiltrate the people and expose the wonder and beauty of Petra to the rest of the world.

Early in the morning, we set out in a Jeep from Israel.

Waiting at the Jordan/Israel border crossing, we watched this kitten play with a hookah.

A sand artist sells his craft to tourists.

A poor attempt to blend in.

The rocks pile up at the entrance to Petra.

We walk the path carved out thousands of years ago to the ancient city.

The colors start to reveal themselves.

Nice wallpaper in this home!

Water storage units (the first office water cooler?).

One of many dams to retain the precious water and subdue flash floods.

The drainage system was carefully designed to prevent evaporative water loss.

Is that a rock or an elephant behind me?

Homes not unlike the compact layout of San Francisco or New York.

Theater.

What’s left of a camel herder.

The structures are getting more intricate.

A 400 year old tree (not a giant green fro).

The walls lean in to hide something in the distance.

The great treasury reveals itself slowly.

The most elaborate and well-preserved structure at Petra, the treasury was carved through generations and stylistic influences. They started from the top with Egyptian style, then moved to Greek and finally Roman style at the bottom. The small marks on both sides are where the people climbed up to make corrections.

The original base to the treasury has been covered up by sedimentary erosion.

A couple of guards at the entrance of the treasury.

Carmel’s dad asked the guard to wear his Boston Red Sox cap. The guard said no.

The mostly happy Levitan family.

These Jordanian girls had perfect Los Angeles accents. They said they watch countless hours of American movies.

Moving on down the road by horse drawn carriage, camel or by foot.

Parking lot.

Alon avoids the camel.

The great palaces emerge around a bend.

The urn tomb is carved right into the rock.

I went to explore the red rock palace.

A fun place to walk around.

Carmel in front of something cool.

More structures and colors.

Some of the colors up close.

Pillar people. How did they jump up there? Perhaps it was their Air Jordans…

The library used to be a grand building.

Carmel’s mom decided to take a donkey back out of Petra.

Carmel’s dad has been demoted from medical doctor to donkey tower.

Not missing out on the fact that one of the Indiana Jones movies was filmed at Petra.

And this shop wanted to get in on the movie action too, but the Titanic clearly has no connection with Petra (it’s not like it got lost in the middle of the Jordanian desert on the way).