The Incredible Journey Through Time in Petra, Jordan

The Petra is one of the Seven Wonders of the World. We had two choices: walk two kilometers to the city center, or take a horse carriage to get there. I chose to walk and it was a good decision. We passed through many meandering paths, seeing sandstones that morphed in different shades of sienna and different shapes of curves on our way.


The tour guide gracefully showed us the way on foot. He explained that, in order to stop the water of the valley flooding the siq leading to the Al Khazmeh, the ancient people built canals and water pipes to direct the water. We saw bas reliefs along the siq, with the image of a man leading a fleet of camels stone-carved onto the sandstones. The natural contours of these red and yellow sandstones were a wonder itself.


I became used to the light human hand prints on the way, and thus I was blown away when we reached the Al Khazmeh. There standing proudly and prominently, the city center had high pillars supporting a beautiful Romanesque façade, hewn and chiseled into the massive sandstone structure. It was the treasury of the city. In the middle an opening led into some kind of depth that was kept out of bounds to us. I was simply unprepared for this view and very much awed.


#jordan #petra #ruins #sevenwondersoftheworld #ancientarchitecture #ancientcity
#trip

Post by Helen Yu (Chestnut Journal) | Jan 30, 2025