One of the key reasons for coming to Jordan was the opportunity to visit the ancient site of Petra. We started our adventure in the cool of the morning when it was quiet...by the afternoon as we were leaving it was very busy.
We met our guide and he was able to take us through some of the parts we may have missed and tell us some of the incredible feats of engineering from thousands of years ago.
Essentially the sight is one that has had many inhabitants going back thousands of years that have left their mark.
The first 1km walk is through a gorge that gets narrower and narrower and has been the set for a number of Hollywood movies.
Nothing quite prepares you however for the sight as you come around a bend after about a 30 minute walk (OK going in as it is downhill!)
The icon of Petra is the Treasury and it is a hugely impressive facade cut out of the rock.
It was closed to tourists in 2003 in terms of going inside but this is the only site at the moment in Petra that has hundreds of tombs and caves that you cannot explore.
But is is amazing the sheer height and detail of the carvings. No electric drills!
After spending time at the Treasury, this is only a fraction of the site and the rock canyon opens out to a vast site of Tombs and more facades carved out of the rock. It is only when you see us in the photos can you get any indication of the sheer size. These ones you can walk in and out of and explore the rooms inside.
We continued exploring, the site finishing with the Roman ruins, similar to those seen in Jerash earlier in the week. What a place...and we have only scratched the surface!
We met our guide and he was able to take us through some of the parts we may have missed and tell us some of the incredible feats of engineering from thousands of years ago.
Essentially the sight is one that has had many inhabitants going back thousands of years that have left their mark.
The first 1km walk is through a gorge that gets narrower and narrower and has been the set for a number of Hollywood movies.
Nothing quite prepares you however for the sight as you come around a bend after about a 30 minute walk (OK going in as it is downhill!)
The icon of Petra is the Treasury and it is a hugely impressive facade cut out of the rock.
It was closed to tourists in 2003 in terms of going inside but this is the only site at the moment in Petra that has hundreds of tombs and caves that you cannot explore.
But is is amazing the sheer height and detail of the carvings. No electric drills!
After spending time at the Treasury, this is only a fraction of the site and the rock canyon opens out to a vast site of Tombs and more facades carved out of the rock. It is only when you see us in the photos can you get any indication of the sheer size. These ones you can walk in and out of and explore the rooms inside.
We continued exploring, the site finishing with the Roman ruins, similar to those seen in Jerash earlier in the week. What a place...and we have only scratched the surface!
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