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Tuesday, April 24, 2012

jordan: petra

We had the opportunity to visit the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, aka, country of Jordan. Did you know that it was a "kingdom?" -I sure didn't until we came here. 
The four days that we were in Jordan, we pretty much traveled the entire country. But the highlight of the trip was our visit to Petra. 

Petra is one of the Seven Wonders of the World. And let me tell you, it sure is a must see! Some of you might recognize it from the Indiana Jones movie, but it's much more than that. The city has been around since the 6th century BC and was a center for the Nabataeans and their trade routes. They would have camel caravans loaded with spices and other native goods ready to be traded and sold. Later the city was influenced by the Romans and their Hellinistic ways, you can see the footprint of that in the detail of the architecture in Petra. What I mean by architecture is that, the city has these massive and elaborate carvings of castle-like structures imbedded into the mountain sides. The mountains themselves are compiled of beautiful colorful striations of purples, browns, yellows and reds. It is really a beautiful and raw place to visit.

The site is also very big. The five hours we had to spend there were simply not enough. Let me explain it this way, after you get your ticket and walk through the canyons, which by the way is the only way in and out, it will take you roughly 45-minutes to get to the beginning of Petra which is the site of the "Treasury."  From the Treasury to the Monastery (which is a must see!) it is about a two hour hike up the mountain. And all this is just a fraction of Petra. 



The "Treasury" -which is most associated with Petra.




Half of a carved out camel caravan. Before the city was excavated, red sand filled the canyons to about the top of Vadim's head. Everything that was covered with the sand was preserved and is seen below.

Fishy-fishy




 Inside one of the carved out structures, the colors are so amazing!





The Monastary








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