Siq and ye shall find

When I told people I was going to Jordan this spring, the very next thing out of their mouths was inevitably one of the following:

Person who had been to Jordan: OMG, Petra is one of the most amazing places I've ever seen.

Person who hadn't been to Jordan: OMG, I have always wanted to see Petra. I hear it is amazing.

What they don't tell you is that Petra is an enormous secret hideout. Sure, the place features awe-inspiring buildings carved from solid rock onto sheer cliffs. That's cool and everything. But the true magic of Petra is that it is a remarkable feat of ancient engineering AND almost completely hidden, tucked away in a narrow valley by the elusive Nabateans right as BC was turning into AD (or as BCE was turning into CE, as we say nowadays). The Nabateans were ridiculously rich and sneaky. They controlled the frankincense trade and taxed the heck out of caravans coming up from Arabia and heading for the Mediterranean. Emperor Trajan finally lassoed the them into the Province of Arabia but it took even mighty Rome awhile to bring the Nabateans into the fold. The legionnaires had to find them first.

To many people, Petra is the Treasury (that famous facade in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade). It is the sun hitting the columns and carved urns on the Monastery or the multicolored folds of rock that climb the rock faces. For me, it is the Siq. The Siq is the narrow passageway that leads into Petra. It was wrenched apart millions of years ago by tectonic forces and smoothed out by wind and rain throughout the ages. At some points it is just a few meters across and completely blocks out the sun. In other places it widens and provides enough sun for the few lucky fig trees and reedy bushes growing out of the rock. Along its entire length runs an ancient channel that brought piped water into Petra for fountains and wealthy homes. At the end of the Siq, you step from between the cliffs and come face to face with the magnificent Treasury. The Siq is much longer than a magic wardrobe, but the effect is the same. You enter on one side and emerge into a different world. It's the stuff fantasy is made of-- and it is absolutely real and waiting for you in Jordan this very minute. (The beginning and end of the Siq)

K and I walked through the Siq at about 6:15 a.m. both of the days we spent in Petra. We even ate breakfast on a bench next to one of the fig trees the second day. At 6:15 a.m. we had the place to ourselves and could wander freely along the path without having to worry about the horse-drawn carriages, donkeys and horses that ply the same route later in the day (when we were heading back out). Not surprisingly, the Siq echoes, but in the morning it is as still as old stone. Petra itself isn't much more awake. We watched the Bedouin who now run the cafes and souvenir stalls wake up, shake off their blankets and set out their wares. By 9 a.m. the gravel walkways between sites would be overrun with school groups and tours. But in the morning, it was peaceful and almost homey.

There are two hikes in Petra: the Monastery hike and the High Place of Sacrifice. We had two days and we took one hike each day. Both "trails" are actually staircases carved by the Nabateans to lead processions up to the holy places. The High Place offers stunning views of the the main tombs of Petra and leads you down into another smaller valley with more tombs. The Monastery is a building in the same style as the Treasury perched on a nearby mountaintop (K is pictured here in front of the Monastery). It was never a monastery in the Christian sense, though it was used as a church during Byzantine times. Between the High Place (at one end of Petra) and the Monastery (on the other end) are the remains of several Roman temples and a series of dramatic royal tombs. A colonnaded street (pictured below) connects the royal tombs to the start of the Monastery hike.

In its heyday, almost 20,000 people lived in Petra, though no one is quite sure where. Most of the buildings that remain are tombs, some big, some small. Roman and Greek influences are everywhere, and archeologists have recently uncovered a Byzantine church and an early mosque. The church ruins feature a delightful mosaic with not one but two spotted camels.

Petra declined in the Middle Ages and knowledge of the city fell into obscurity and remained hidden from the West until 1812, when it was rediscovered by a German explorer named Johan Burckhardt, who had to pretend to be an Arab pilgrim looking for the lost tomb of Aaron (brother of Moses) to gain access to the Siq.

It is safe to say that Petra will never be a lost city again. On the first day we departed (at around 1:30 p.m.) the Siq reverberated with the sound of local school groups on what has to be the coolest field trip in the world. Middle school kids (truly an international phenomenon) called out to each other and greeted tourists with enthusiastic "Hello! Howareyou!" I offered to take a picture of a group of girls only to have them insist that they pose with me. We dodged carriages and donkeys and the flashes of countless cameras. It was worth it, though, to walk in the Siq again and know that I would be back the next day to enjoy the quiet once again.