CRUSADERS CASTLES AND MUSTY MOSAICS - Karak, Madaba and Amman, Jordan

.......previously, our years long dream to see Petra is finally realised........

The glorious Roman Temple ruins, Amman Citadel

Our trip to Jordan was primarily focused on visiting the amazing ancient city of Petra, and having achieved that, we decided to slowly travel to Amman, stopping at a few historical sites along the way.

Not sure how to go about getting to Karak from Wadi Musa, we asked our friendly reception guy, who called the local bus driver. He said he would collect us from the hotel the next morning, and after picking up more passengers from the bus station, take us to Karak for the bargain price of 5 JOD/£5.50. We were amazed when this played out exactly as he said!

The scenery grew more green and agricultural as we travelled north on the bus, and there were many herds of cute long haired sheep. 

Karak is usually a day trip for people on their itinerary around Jordan. As always, we had time to stay a couple of nights and discovered more to the town than just the famous medieval castle that everyone comes to see.

We arrived to our cheap digs, and finding the owners also ran a nearby restaurant, we sat down, ordered up and ate ravenously. Since Ramadan had finished, we had been quite happy to see all shops and restaurants once again open and busy, and made the most of the abundance of food.

Rich was enthusiastic enough to suggest a stroll around the castle that very day, so we set off up the road, and spent a slow afternoon perusing the giant structure. One of the largest castles in the area, Karak Castle is said to have been built in the 1140s during the Crusader period, and enjoyed a strategic position near the Dead Sea and the trade routes. During the following centuries, the castle fell under subsequent leaderships, ending with the Ottomans in the late 1800s. 

Appreciating the sunny day which we had to explore, we scouted around the tunnels and passages of the castle, and gazed out over the sweeping views. It was revealed how close we were to the Dead Sea - Jordan really is tiny!

Underground cavern, Karak Castle, Jordan

A maze of tunnels under Karak Castle, Jordan

Spring flowers, Karak Castle, Jordan

Views all the way to the Dead Sea, Karak Castle, Jordan

In Karak, we realized something that would be true of all our time in Jordan - the further away from tourist sites one goes, the more genuine the people are. This probably goes for anywhere in the world, but it seemed a sharp contrast here in Jordan, beginning our travels as we did in touristy Wadi Musa. The closest little grocery shop to our hotel was run by a gracious Yemini man. After a short discussion about where he was from, our experience of Yeminis in Saudi, and our desire to travel there, he insisted on buying us a mouth watering meaty dinner to take back to eat at our hotel! Unbelievable!

Enthusiastic boys on Karak street, Jordan

A meal bought for us by Yemini shop keeper, Karak, Jordan

An afternoon spent wandering the busy souq street close to the giant Omari Mosque and away from the castle area further proved what welcoming and friendly people Karakians (?) are. We particularly enjoyed poking around the few antique/junk shops, cluttered with a range of old precious items and more retro colourful collectables. 

Shop selling ancient cassette tapes, Karak, Jordan

Interesting antique shop, Karak, Jordan

Next up was a stop in the "Mosaic City" of Madaba. We hadn't realized it would be a slight hassle to travel to Madaba from Karak. The bus dropped us at a giant roundabout on a busy multi-lane highway on route to Amman, with no-one speaking up to let us know where to go to transfer. We were eventually helped by a man who told us to scramble up the side of an embankment to another part of the highway, where a Madaba bus came and took us the rest of the journey. 

We arrived at our pre-booked Air B and B, in what seemed like a wealthy area of Madaba. We had a cosy apartment, with a clean and well equipped little kitchen and immediately went out to supply ourselves with groceries for our weeks stay. It had been some time since we had been able to cook for ourselves and we thoroughly revelled in the treat! We also found the shop owners and people on the street in this suburb (away from the touristed areas) to be super friendly and amiable. 

Cute residence Madaba, Jordan

After a couple of days without seeing anyone about at our apartment building, we messaged our host in order to ask if we could do a load of washing. He arrived the following night, and we discovered he actually lived in Amman. He had come over especially to help us do our laundry! Having put our dusty things in the machine, we settled down for a most informative chat with the affable guy about what it's like being a Catholic in a majority Muslim country (especially during Ramadan!), and generally chat about travel and life. An offer of a whiskey was extraordinary for Rich - after so long without a drink it was a real treat. 

We were surprised to learn that Christians make up only about 3% of the population in Jordan, we had imaged the representation to be higher. The percentage is low mainly due to the high birth rate of the Muslim population and emigration of many Christians to other countries. It is said that Christians are integrated into Jordanian society without much fuss. They are free to celebrate their ceremonies, and have representation in parliament. Thanks to the complicated history of the region, Christians in Jordan come in many forms -  Catholic, Protestant, Greek Orthodox and Oriental Orthodox, as well as the Evangelists, (the latter not being recognised as a church by the government).

Madaba kitty

Sigh-seeing around Madaba was solely focused on churches and mosaics. Walking though the dusty sandstone streets, we discovered a rather lovely and busy town with a great vibe. Locals were welcoming and there were plenty of historic churches for us to poke around. 

This mosaic was a bit racy! Madaba church

Mosaic scene with much frolicking, Madaba church

An ancient city mentioned in the Bible, Madaba was subsequently ruled by the Roman and Byzantine empires during the 2nd-7th centuries, as part of their Arab provinces. Many of  its famous mosaics were constructed during this time as well as during the Umayyad era (600s-700s). Much later, in the 1880s, ninety Arab Christian families moved to the city from Karak (where we had just come from), and more in depth research into ancient Christian sites in the area was undertaken. A treasure trove of intricate mosaics were revealed under floors and rubble in buildings, and great care was taken to preserve the art. Some showed extremely important historical records and maps of the Middle East, others more whimsical scenes of nature, animals and everyday life. We found it most perplexing, that in all the mosaics we saw during our stay, there were very few with religious motifs. 

An archaeological park had been created to protect and show the mosaics to the public, and we were welcomed in a rather special way by the gatekeeper. He insisted on writing our names in Arabic on our tickets, with a calligraphy style, and explaining a little about the site. To be honest, we dislike guides and being spoken to about a place before seeing it in that way, but he was very enthusiastic, so we nodded and smiled and got away as soon as we could. 

Writing Sal's name in calligraphic Arabic, Madaba

The highlight in Madaba for us was St John the Baptist Catholic Church. Completely deserted when we visited, we were able to explore the site in peace. A small, but intriguing network of underground tunnels were open to the public, and the cold and musty passages were set up with mouldering artifacts and pictures. We particularly liked the old photos of missionaries in the early days posing with groups of local Bedouins. Haunting hymns played softly from speakers somewhere, creating a tranquil atmosphere. The modest church was a quiet place for reflection, and we then headed to the bell tower. After a steep climb up a series of wonky ladders and dodging the humungous bell, we spilled out onto an open ledge with a stunning 360 degree view over the entire town. 

Poor John, separated from his head, St John the Baptist Church, Madaba

Climbing the ladder to the look out, St John the Baptist Church, Madaba

Lovely window, St John the Baptist Church, Madaba

Old photo of Bedouin on display, St John the Baptist Church, Madaba

Some of the other sights around town, whilst probably historically important, were a little underwhelming. A mixture of lack of maintenance and badly presented lay outs, made the dirty tiled floors difficult to see and decipher what was actually pictured in the mosaics, which was a shame. The worst were covered in pigeon poo. I suppose in such a dusty country, it's difficult to keep the sites completely spic and span. 

We were happy to wander and enter everywhere we saw that was open, thanks to our Jordan Pass, almost every entrance fee was included. 

Wee ancient vase, Madaba museum, Jordan

Thanks to easy and accurate instructions from our helpful host, we easily found our way from our temporary home in Madaba to our next stay in the suburb of Abdali in Amman. We were pleased to travel on one of the only large buses we had seen so far. Old and tatty but roomy, it got us there no problems. We had been so happy to see so many buses of every size and sort in action around Jordan. We had really struggled with lack of public transport in Saudi, but here, many people do not own cars and rely on the extensive bus system, as did we. We did feel that we were often being charged slightly more than the Jordanians, but as it wasn't a great deal, we put up with it (not really having a choice). We couldn't complain with this trip, however, at 1 JOD/£1 for the one hour ride. 

A most swanky and comfortable apartment awaited us in Amman. Chuffed to bits at the clean, spacious and well equipped place, we were, however, shocked at the cool temperatures, and set about turning on all available heating. A cold wind was blowing in the city, keeping things chilly and there was even a bit of rain still hanging about. This didn't last more than a few days, however, after which the sun came out creating a beautiful bright and dry climate for the rest of our stay. The streets around Abdali were quiet and residential, an established place with fragrant blossoming street trees. Randomly, here and throughout Jordan, we were to spot many retro Mercedes cars from the 1970s- all seemingly in great condition. 

Happy to arrive at our swanky digs in Amman

Posh cafe precinct, Amman

As in Madaba, our first priority for our few weeks stay was supplying ourselves with local foods for some cooking time. Abdali suburb had a fantastic shopping area, with a green-grocers, supermarkets, a bakery and sheesha cafe, as well as a myriad of other businesses. More than everything we needed! We stocked up on fresh seasonal veggies such a cauliflower, zucchini, turnips and potatoes and had fun cooking curries, soups and stews while the weather was cool. It had been ages since Sal had a kitchen to potter in, and she was in heaven!

At a laid back local restaurant specializing in Jordan specialities we tried our first proper mansaf, a dish where lamb is slow cooked in yogurt until it is melt in the mouth perfection. 

Mansaf in the foreground, Amman

Our stay in Amman was a relaxed combination of exploring the hilly city, enjoying being "at home", and chatting about future plans over a Turkish coffee and sheesha. 

Coffee fix in Amman, Jordan

It took a few days to discover how to get around with the buses. There were two types around the city. Minibuses, not very frequent and no timetable, and around 0.50 JOD/£0.53 for a single trip. These weren't convenient for us, as the destination was only written in Arabic, and most of the time we didn't really know where we were going to ask the driver. Instead, we found a new fleet of big buses, navigating many routes in the city- our area to the centre being one of them. We asked some people downtown where and how to buy a ticket and were directed to a random mobile phone shop. The helpful guy there sold us a card with some money on it, and away we went. Each trip was 0.55 JOD/£0.58, the buses were frequent, and the service was well used by locals. 

We loved the vibrancy of the downtown area. Colourful dress shops and markets full of yummy produce sat alongside gold stores and fresh orange juice and sugarcane stalls. People were friendly, and we loved the atmosphere with jostling crowds and mosques calling in the background. Even the many slightly tacky souvenir shops were colourful and worth having a poke around in. 

We had noticed, by this time, many images of former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein everywhere in Jordan. Apparently, he is still extremely popular here for his independent pro-Arabic views of the region, strong leadership and close relationship with Jordan during his rule. Although we don't necessarily agree with the politics in this article, it gives a quite good overview to people's ideas on this matter. 

Saddam on a bus window, Karak

Saddam on Iraqi money in Amman market

Using our Jordan pass (now expired, but the guard just waved us through), we visited the stunning Citadel high at the top of Amman, with views across the entire city. Up there, we saw for the first time what an absolutely huge area Amman covers. Inside the Citadel, show stopping Roman ruins sat beside Byzantine settlements and the Umayyad-era Mosque and palace. We took our time walking through the mix of eras, appreciating the undeveloped feel of the site.  

Local visitors at Amman's giant Citadel

Broken off hand of a giant statue, Amman Citadel

Looking out to Amman city, from the Citadel

The giant expanse of Amman city, from the Citadel

Pretty pink spring flower, Amman Citadel

Ruins of a Roman Temple, Amman Citadel

Little lizard, blending in, Amman Citadel

Inside the huge Umayyad-era Mosque, Amman Citadel

Seeing the light, Amman Citadel

The accompanying museum was fantastic, with many finds from Amman and further afield. We spent some time contemplating the ancient colourful beads and golden jewels, busts and statues from different ages, the Roman clay figurines and delicate glasswork and amazing sarcophaguses. 

Cheeky bum on a Roman statue, Citadel Museum, Amman

Fantastic torso from a Roman statue, Citadel Museum, Amman

We continued our historical explorations another day at the 2nd century Roman Theatre. We had seen this place from afar whilst walking in other areas of Amman up high in the hills, but to experience the size of it close up was awesome. The details such as grooves for armrests in the ground, drainage holes in the steps, and quite lovely drains in the shape of flowers in the ground brought an intimate quality to the giant amphitheatre. Accompanying information signs informed us that the big wigs would have sat at the front for the best views, while the hoi polloi would have been high up in the back. The theatre was oriented so the sun would not be in the eyes of the spectators. Again, the museum on site was charming, dedicated to local folklore, and we loved the traditional regional costumes and elaborate jewellery on display in an atmospheric stone building.

A row of columns near the Roman Theatre, Amman

Amazing examples of traditional face coverings from the past, museum, Amman

The humungous scale of the Roman Theatre, Amman

We visited some different communities in Amman, including Rainbow Street a trendy, upscale area with expensive cafes and eateries and the sprawling Friday second-hand clothing market, as well as an outlying transit station district when we became lost trying to navigate the bus routes. But mostly we enjoyed chilling at home and in our neighbourhood, there was more than enough to keep us occupied. 

Amman concluded our Middle Eastern adventure, and it was so fantastic for us to have experienced such varying cultures and amazing people for the past three and a half months. We enjoyed the contrast to our other travels in the past couple of years, and hoped to return to the region again before too long. Next up, however, a much needed European summer and beach time in the Balkans was on the agenda. 

.....up next, we look forward to returning to Central Europe for the sizzling summer!.....

A DREAM FULFILLED - Petra, Jordan

 ........our final blog from Saudi Arabia, or KSA, summing up our two month stay, with Ramadan musings and some other practical information about travel.......... 

We were a bit nervous about our trip from Tabuk in northern Saudi Arabia to Wadi Musa in Jordan. It was a hour to the border, then two or more hours on the Jordanian side, and we had not been able to find any public transport options, only quotes for very expensive taxis. Deciding to set off super early, in order to have the entire day for travel if we needed it, we tried our trusty Uber app at 6 am. Plenty of drivers were about, but a few accepted, and then must have seen where we were going and cancelled. Finally, a young guy with no English accepted the lift and took us the hour north through the desert and to the remote crossing. 

Some scenery of the desert taken from the us window, Jordan

As we approached the border, a guard indicated we were not allowed to cross by foot here, and we had to be in a car. This is the first time we have come across this strange rule. A car pulled up with a well spoken Jordanian fellow driving, who stopped to help. After a quick explanation, we practically jumped into his car, not giving him much choice in taking us across the border! As it turned out, he was extremely nice and knew the border well, having worked in Jeddah for years, and crossed back and forth often. He helped us at each stage, and made the whole border process very easy for us. 

He also was driving to Amman, with a stop in Ma'an, where he could drop us for Wadi Musa. As we left the border crossing and started the long drive into the empty desert with absolutely nothing on ether side of the highway, we realized how incredibly fortunate we had been to be picked up by this man. We could easily have been waiting for a lift for hours. Upon arrival in Ma'an, he insisted on taking us directly to the Wadi Musa bus, putting us on and checking the price (as well as giving us several packets of dates). What a nice guy.

Desert shapes and colours, bus trip through southern Jordan

Our bus stopped at a university for one hour, where we were able to freely observe with interest the large number of women and girls about, and the styles of clothes they were wearing. Although everyone was modestly covered up, the contrast to Saudi was huge. Women wore multi-coloured scarves, and usually "Western" style clothes, with no abaya, maybe just a short coat to cover up. Finally the bus got going again through the dusty, rubbly, brown landscape to arrive at Wadi Musa town. We were struck by the number of children playing in the streets. We don't know where all the children were in Saudi, but we seldom saw many in one place. Another observation was the style in which Jordanian men wore their red-checked headscarves, across one shoulder. We saw the Jordanian king sporting this style in many pictures around Jordan. 

Wadi Musa is basically a tourist town primarily servicing visitors to Petra. Of course, every day people live here too, but most locals we came into contact with were financed by their dealings with tourists. The visitor numbers were dismal at the time of our visit due to the continuing conflicts in surrounding countries, and many hotels and shops were shut.

We had found a cheapy backpacker option online that we thought might be worth a go. At 10 JOD/£11 it was three times cheaper than our average hotel in Saudi. The family that greeted us was charming, and all the children spoke English as a result of their interactions with foreign guests, but the shabby room was disappointing, to say the least. We could have put up with the worn state of the room- we have certainly been in worse. But combined with no working WIFI and a broken shower, it was unacceptable. We stuck it out for two nights while our host promised to fix the shower, but once we realized this wasn't going to happen we left. Wandering down to the quiet streets around the entrance to Petra, we found a lovely room with everything we needed for just a bit extra than we had been paying for our grotty room up the hill, and felt happy to stop a while. An extra bonus was not having to walk half an hour up to the centre of Wadi Musa where most of the accommodation was after a big day at Petra. Our hotel was practically at the entrance!

We were quite exhausted from our Saudi adventures, and getting across the border, and felt we needed a few days rest to sleep, and catch up on writing and photos (a never ending task on this portion of our travels!). Then we were ready to tackle Petra.

Long on our list of places to visit, Jordan had somehow never seemed to fit in with our travel plans in the region. Now that we had finally arrived, we realized that destiny had placed us here at this time to take advantage of the perfect weather and lack of crowds. 

We had opted for the three day pass to Petra. There's a very sensible system for tourists in Jordan. We were able to purchase a Jordan Pass before arriving in the country for a cost of 80 JOD/£87. This included the cost of our visa on arrival (40 JOD/£43), and entitled us to visit Petra for three days (60 JOD/£65) as well as a number of other lesser sites around the country. It was a pretty good deal in our situation, saving 20 JOD/£21 each on the visa and Petra entrance alone.

The photographer of our partnership (Rich!) has asked to explain some of the weird light in the many photos we took at Petra. The rose coloured rock reacted strangely to being photographed, especially in the early morning light and constantly changing brightness throughout the day. 

Our first morning out, we set off before 6.30am, and began walking the wide dusty path into Petra with only a couple of other keen visitors. The sun was rising, and we walked past many carvings and paths in the rocks making mental notes to return to these if we had time. 

Eroded statue with feet and robes intact, Petra, Jordan

These were called the Obelisk Tombs, Petra, Jordan

The Siq, a stunning narrow canyon full of coloured rocks, swirls and secret carvings was the entrance to the site, and we found ourselves alone and mesmerized by the winding path. 

Entering The Siq, Petra, Jordan

Memorizing coloured swirls, Petra, Jordan

Imposing walls of The Siq, Petra, Jordan

A glimpse of Treasury through the end of The Siq, Petra

                                    

A shaky video of the initial entry to the treasury. I don't know how professional vloggers get their videos so smooth!

After some time, this passage opened up into the famous and classic Petra sight - the Treasury, or al-Kazneh. This is so iconic, and the place used extensively in the movie Indian Jones and the Last Crusade. The historic story goes that the imposing structure was an elaborate tomb - the "treasury" name referring to a legend regarding hidden money within the rocks. Whose tomb it was, or why it was so immensely grand, we never discovered. We were the second people to arrive at the Treasury that morning, and it felt strange to see the place so serene and without the crowds we were expecting. 

Gigantic pillars at the front of The Treasury, Petra, Jordan

Where the treasure is hidden? The Treasury, Petra, Jordan

Grandeur of The Treasury, Petra, Jordan

Dwarfing Sal, The Treasury, Petra, Jordan

Keeping the site tidy, Petra, Jordan

The official narrative tells us that Petra was settled by the Nabataean people in the fourth century BC. Originally nomadic, they chose Petra to settle in, and devised a sophisticated system of irrigation and water networks in order to adapt to the harsh desert environment. These Arab desert people were masterful merchants and were able to take advantage of profitable trading from Africa and India to create a trading hub, and a city that supposedly had 20,000 residents at its peak. What seemed strange to us was, unlike Al Ula, there was little evidence or talk about where all these people lived. Apart from one villa said to be inhabited by a wealthy family, everything else seemed to be tombs or temples. There must be areas in which normal residents were housed, but we didn't see any sign of them in the areas of Petra in which we were exploring. 

We are told the Nabataeans were at the height of their prosperity and power between the 1st century BC and the 1st century AD. As well as water management and trading, they seemed to have been extremely sophisticated in their love of culture, and the temples and facades at Petra suggest immense wealth available to spend on building projects and art. 

A selection of Nabataean and Roman art, Petra museum

Eventually, the Nabataeans, and Petra was taken into the Roman empire where it flourished for a long period, and there are many remainders of that time still remaining today, such as the splendid Roman road. By the Byzantine era several churches were built, but as sea routes became more common for trade, the city declined. Several earthquakes destroyed many structures, including water facilities, and the city slowly died, apart from a small number of nomadic Bedouin people. 

We didn't really have a plan for the first day, just to wander and see how far we got. After the Treasury, the Street of Facades led to The Theatre. Looking up at the majestic rock cut tombs or caves, we noticed the red and brown rocks constantly subtly changing colour with the sun movement. Apparently, Petra is also known as the Rose City because of it's famously coloured sandstone. Ancient staircases led to nowhere, and the shapes and textures of melted rocks were impressive. Much of the tomb decoration sported the same "step" pattern which we had seen in Al Ula, Saudi Arabia (another place of the Nabataeans). 

Stripey rock, Petra, Jordan

Weathered away tombs or caves, Petra, Jordan

Peeking into multicoloured cave, Petra, Jordan

We pondered the narrative about The Theatre. It seemed strange to have a civilisation of such a scale out here in the desert that they needed a massive theatre carved into the rock. Built amongst the elevated tombs and with the best view of that part of the site, it was said to have been the location of concerts and gladiator flights! Holding 8,500 people, we read that it is the biggest theatre carved out of a mountainside in the world. 

What a view! The Theatre, Petra, Jordan

Gorgeous light at sunrise, Petra, Jordan

Further along the main path, we arrived at the Colonnaded Street leading to The Great Temple, a most interesting site. Apparently built in the 1st century AD by the Nabataeans, the site was later developed by the Romans. Again, there is no evidence to suggest why the structure was built, or what purpose it served.  The term "Temple" seems to have been attached to it randomly, as with most sites at Petra- simply a theory some archaeologist put forward at one time, but disputed by others. 

Large portion of surviving Roman "Temple", Petra, Jordan

Some decorative detail on fallen rock, Roman "Temple", Petra, Jordan

Wonderful Roman Road, Petra, Jordan

Looking down on a series of pillars, Roman "Temple", Petra, Jordan

Roman "Temple", Petra, Jordan

Coming to a fork in the path, Rich suggested a walk up to the Monastery, or el-Deir, a brilliant idea, considering the area was nearly empty. We set off on a slog up 800 giant stone steps to an unexpectedly breath-taking site. 

The beginning of the trek up to el-Deir, Petra, Jordan

Views to the site below, walk to el-Deir, Petra

The easier way up, donkey and Bedouins, walk to el-Deir, Petra

Many tombs along the way, walk to el-Deir, Petra

Views galore, walk to el-Deir, Petra

First peek at the ancient el-Deir, Petra, Jordan

Arriving at the end of the stairs, we turned around to see the amazing, monumental Monastery building looming over a flat plateau. It is Petra's largest monument, completely dwarfing the Treasury, and carved into the sandstone, fifty metres tall and wide. Still early in the day, there were only a few visitors around. and we spent quite some time exploring the vicinity, and marvelling at the grandeur. Interestingly, the façade style was almost identical to the Treasury style (and many of the buildings at Petra, actually). Again, we wondered about the size of the monument, and that no evidence has been found as to its purpose. Built in the 1st century BC, the Monastery name actually comes from its use by worshippers in the Byzantine period. By the time we had finished walking to various view points of the Monastery and surrounding scenery, the crowds had arrived, and we were happy to leave. 

Colossal el-Deir, or The Monastery, Petra

We couldn't get over the size of it, el-Deir, or The Monastery, Petra

Beautiful from every angle, el-Deir, or The Monastery, Petra

Rich hanging out with the goats, el-Deir, or The Monastery, Petra

A Bedouin cave, el-Deir, or The Monastery, Petra

Checking out the view, el-Deir, or The Monastery, Petra

Spectacular desert vistas at el-Deir, or The Monastery, Petra

Sections of decoration and arches still remain, el-Deir, or The Monastery, Petra

Hardy trees grew all over at Petra, Jordan

By the time, we had walked back through Petra and out the long uphill exit road, we were knackered. An afternoon and evening rest insured some remaining energy for the following couple of days.

Tired, but excited at the end of our first day at Petra!

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Rousing ourselves at 5.30 am again, the following day saw us concentrating on the Royal Tomb area, with an additional unexpectedly long and tiring detour. Richard's knee was definitely getting another test and performed pretty well! Of course, there was a great deal of motivation when the sights were so amazing.

The Royal Tomb group were a series of gigantic, faded facades majestically looking out over the site. A massive cliff side held natural, or carved holes in the rock, carved facades, shapes and melted rockfaces. Some had very defined square shapes to the openings, other had weathered with time and merged into the rocks. Starting up the stairway to the gigantic structures, we stopped for the views over the Theatre and Great Temple, and simply kept going as far as we could, not really sure what was up ahead. It was very exciting! So the story goes, back in the heyday, these tombs would have been surrounded by ornate and lush gardens, including waterfalls, although how this is known is dubious to us. The apparent refined and large scale agriculture during the Nabataean's time, with olives, grains, figs, grapes and many more crops being grown extensively, made us wonder why this technology is not at all utilised nowadays. Most of the area we saw around Wadi Musa and Petra was quite barren, with the exception of some sad looking olive tree groves here and there. 

The Palace Tomb, Petra, Jordan

The Palace Tomb, Petra, Jordan

Sal and dazzling rock colours, Royal Tombs, Petra, Jordan

Early morning at The Royal Tombs, Petra, Jordan

Free to explore on our own, Petra, Jordan

Corinthian Tomb, Petra, Jordan

Stripes and swirls in the fascinating rock, Petra, Jordan

In awe at The Royal Tombs, Petra, Jordan

The Urn Tomb, Petra, Jordan

The size compared to the people is mammoth!

Lonely guy on top of The Urn Tomb, Petra, Jordan

We passed gigantic tomb after tomb, and eventually, we were heading into a rocky cliff, with a long stairway of stone steps ahead of us. We started the climb, and when we eventually saw some other people, Russians, coming down, we asked them where we were heading. They told us the path led back to the Treasury. This was fantastic news, as it would save us probably a couple of hours of walking back. After slogging up and up some more, some young Brits coming down informed us that the path did indeed go to the Treasury, but there was only a view, no access down to the main path. We were so exhausted already from all the walking, and considered turning back. They assured us the view was worth continuing the walk to the end, so we kept going and were glad that we did. Discovering a solitary viewpoint far away from the hordes below us, we were stunned by the fantastic vista and unusual vantage point of the popular Treasury building. With only a handful of hardy folk around, we enjoyed a chat with them, and braced ourselves for the interminable trek back to the exit. 

This was only the beginning, walk to Treasury lookout

Mountain goats clinging to the cliffside, Petra

More goats on the way, walk to Treasury lookout, Petra

Spectacular view down to the Theatre, walk to Treasury lookout, Petra

Finally made it to the Treasury lookout, Petra

Sore legs, but happy! Treasury lookout, Petra

The slog was partially eased by observing the interesting crowds. The Eid hordes had arrived, and the Treasury and Siq were completely packed with Arab families and friend groups enthusiastically enjoying their holidays at the end of Ramadan. 

The hordes had arrived, Petra, Jordan

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We limited ourselves on our last day to a self imposed strict half-day walk. We had done much more than we intended on the first two days, having been carried away with the wonder and excitement of it all, and found ourselves thoroughly tired! There was one trek yet we wanted to achieve, and that was the High Place of Sacrifice walk. The highest place in Petra, this was the site, supposedly, for sacrifices to the Nabataean God, Dushara. Setting off very early in the morning, again, we found ourselves alone on the steep steps leading to the top. As usual when we arrived there was a tea/souvenir stall there, this hardy family apparently living in the remote location. The views were outstanding, and standing on the stone alter looking out and down at the magnificent tombs and temples below with the rocky outcrops behind, we felt on top of the world. Interestingly, no evidence has been discovered at Petra as to what took place in these high places, only that there were probably rituals and animal sacrifices. Once again, returning to the main part of Petra, we encountered the arriving hordes, although it was not yet midday. We felt glad to leave the site and felt satisfied with all we had seen. Even our short day was still four hours walking up and down a steep incline!

More steps on our last day at Petra, Jordan

Small niche on the wall, High Place of Sacrifice walk

Aching legs! High Place of Sacrifice walk

Series of tombs or caves, High Place of Sacrifice walk

A glimpse through the canyon, High Place of Sacrifice walk

Resting near a hardy tree, High Place of Sacrifice walk

Looking down on the Royal Tomb area we had seen the previous day

Obelisk in the sun, High Place of Sacrifice, Petra, Jordan

Obelisk and Rich, High Place of Sacrifice

Looking where we'd walked, High Place of Sacrifice, Petra, Jordan

The supposed sacrifice stone, High Place of Sacrifice

Inside the site of Petra lay many small-scale souvenir stalls and cafes. They were actually quite cute, and not too much of the hard sell. It was surprisingly undeveloped, considering what a popular tourist attraction Petra is, and the numbers of visitors that come here. Many donkey, camel and horse men were trying to make a living over-charging tourists for rides around Petra. These were especially popular on the long walk uphill back to the exit. These guys were not too bad, just asking if we wanted a lift, and riding on when we said no thanks. We suspect this may be due to the small number of tourists here, and maybe there is more hassle when things are in full swing. 

Low key souvenir store near a giant tomb, Petra, Jordan

Starting our Jordan trip in the most touristy place in the country had its challenges. Many shops outside Petra in the town of Wadi Musa were a bit of a rip off, blatantly over-charging, even for simple items such as a bottle of water. We had to change the trusting habits that we had developed in Saudi, and remember to ask the price of things first before buying, and always check the change. Restaurants were also outrageously over-priced, and we struggled to find anywhere to eat where a meal for two without drinks was less than 20 JOD/£21. We made our own breaky with fruit and yogurt, and often ate hummus, fresh bread, tomatoes and cheese bought locally to keep costs down. We looked forward to hopefully arriving to parts of Jordan where the constant over charging might not be such a issue. 

Cute sign at our local shop, Wadi Musa, Jordan

After anticipating visiting Petra for many years, we were so elated to have finally got there on this trip. It completely lived up to its reputation of being one of the wonders of the world. Although many questions we had about its purpose were never fully answered from information boards scattered around the site and the official Petra Museum, we loved pondering about who the Nabataeans were and what had driven them to build such a fantastic city in the desert. 

Thrilled to be at Petra, Jordan

......up next, our continued travels in Jordan further north to Karak, Madaba and Amman......