Arrive in Jordan and visit Petra

28th August 2018

From Sharm El-Sheikh we head up the Gulf of Aqaba to berth at Aqaba at 6am this morning.

There is the usual delay getting port clearance with the local authorities before shore excursions can commence.

Viking Orion alongside in the Port of Aqaba

The port where we are berthed is well out of town, and has been sold to the UAE for development. A new port is being built another 15km South of here, so it seems future cruise ships will berth there, a fair distance from the town.

It seems the bulk of people leaving the port are going to Petra, as we are. Disembarkation starts about 30 mins late but we are quickly shepherded onto our buses and are soon on our way. Our guide explains to us that Jordan in a very dry country, and in Aqaba, the annual rainfall is 40mm. Petra, where we are heading to, only gets 320mm of rain per annum.

The population of Jordan is around 9.5 million and is made up of mainly Arabs including significant numbers of refugees from Palestine, Syria, Iraq and Lebanon. Islam is the main religion for over 90% of the population, but other religions are not discouraged. The people are very easy going, friendly and accommodating. The Bedouin population is around 1%, and active along the route we take to Petra, The Kings Highway, which dates back to biblical times, and gets several references in the Old Testament.

Dry, harsh conditions dominate the landscape as we pass out of Aqaba.

This soon gives way to mountains and deep valleys, but is still very dry. 

Wind Turbines and Solar power are becoming more significant as the import power from Egypt as well as having some oil fired power stations

A restroom stop was organised at a bazaar along the way, which is run by a foundation sponsored by the Royal Family to sell wares manufactured by local women. We spent about 15 mins there and a number of people bought a few souvenirs or a bit of silver jewellery. Sharon made a new friend who was intent on selling her a scarf.

Just across the road was a small Bedouin settlement, with a few goatskin tents and a few animals. There areas also small areas of crops, irrigated with artesian water.

As we get closer to Petra, the landscape becomes more mountainous, until we eventually reach the town of Wadi Moussa (Valley of Moses). It is quite a large place and the nearest town to Petra, and a significant number of Bedouin live in the area.

Local butcher with a freshly slaughtered goat on display

Finally at Petra, after a 2 hour bus ride, we can get out and stretch our legs and head to the entrance gate.

The entrance to the visitors centre

It is not clear when Petra was built, but it became the capital of the Nabataean Empire from the 1st century BC, and was a major trading centre, located on the main trading route from west to east at that time. With trade in spices, frankincense and myrrh it became a very prosperous town, and it was naturally protected because access to the town is through a narrow deep canyon known as the siq. 

Some time later it fell to the Romans and a large earthquake in 363AD destroyed much of the City. Combined with changing trade routes, Petra gradually declined and by 7AD was largely abandoned. Local Bedouin moved in and today, there are still around 25 that live in the caves in the City, although the government are trying to resettle them elsewhere.

The scale of this complex is a lot bigger than we expected. To get to the city, it is close to a 2 km walk from the entrance gate, initially in the hot sun with no shelter until you reach the siq (the entrance canyon) which is well shaded due to the height of the walls. The siq is 1.4 km long.

If you don't wish to walk, you can ride a horse, or get a horse carriage.

We decided to walk, as the outside temperature at the moment was only low 30's and we are assured that once we get past the initial walk out in the open, we will be shaded when we get to the siq. John and Sharon make good use of the Viking umbrella.

As we get closer to the entrance to the siq, we begin to see some caves and inscriptions, high above the track, which have been carved into the sandstone.

The local police ride past on horseback as we approach the entrance to the siq.

The entrance to the siq is "guarded" by a couple of local opportunists in ancient uniform hoping to exract a few dollars from unwitting tourists for the chance to have a photo with them.

The canyon (siq) is quite narrow in parts and was previously a watercourse. Calcium deposits on the walls show where previous water levels were when the river flowed through here.

Petra had a sophisticated water supply and distribution system, comprising of channels fed by springs and underground cisterns to store rainwater.

Spring water was supplied to Petra through channels carved into the rock on either side of the siq. These aqueducts were lined with ceramic pipes and covered with stone slabs to prevent contamination.

The siq is very narrow in parts providing natural protection for the city against invaders.

The walls of the siq are adorned with carvings, shrines and caves carved into the rock, some of which were tombs

There are small patches of the original cobbled paving 

A group of Bedouin kids sit high up on a ledge looking at the tourists with some amusement

Finally we reach to end of the siq and catch our first glimpse of the city of Petra.

Upon entering the city, the first thing you see is the imposing Treasury building.

Looking at the siq from the City square

There are quite a lot of people here today and the tourist operators are rife, offering camel rides, horse rides and all types of merchandise.

Houses of wealthy merchants carved into the rock

This map provides some perspective on the size of the complex

The city is huge and to take in all of the detail would take several days. Here are some photos that will provide some perspective on the sheer scale and engineering ingenuity that went into building this complex. When they died, people were buried in tombs carved into the rockface, often located above the house or cave of the family.

An amphitheatre was carved out of solid rock

By now it is getting very hot and we have a 2 km walk uphill, back to the hotel where we will be having lunch. Quite a few of our fellow travellers are not up to the walk back and opt to take the horse cart. Of course they are at the mercy of the operator for what is a fair price, but USD 40 seemed to be the go, although we did meet one couple who paid USD 50.

The sight of an air conditioned hotel was very welcome by the time we climbed the last slope. Lunch was chaotic, as there didn't seem to be any organised timing or seating plan, but nevertheless the food wasn't bad and the complimentary beer went down very well.

At 2.15pm we were back on the bus and destined for Aqaba. There was a toilet stop along the way at yet another bazaar, but we managed to resist the "bargains". We arrived back at the ship at 4.45 pm and they were already preparing for departure. By 6pm we had pushed off the dock and were heading back down the Gulf of Aqaba for our journey down the Red Sea and onwards to Oman.

The next 4 days are at sea, so there may not be much to blog about.