Carved sandstone in a desert canyon

Day 57 20 October 2010 Wednesday
Day 58 21 October 2010 Thursday

Day 59 22 October 2010 Friday

We all know the iconic image of the Treasury facade deep within the slot canyon at Petra, but what the heck was Petra?

In a large nutshell, Petra was the great desert city from the first millennium of the Nabataeans. The ornate sandstone facades that we recognize in photos are the large tombs the nobility and very affluent. The Nabataeans oversaw and supported the ancient caravan trade in the area, especially the lucrative trade of frankincense and paper. The Romans / Byzantines had their fingers in the area for a few centuries. The Crusaders set up shop in the 11th century. At one time the name was changed and the location of the famous city hidden in the desert fell into obscurity. Much of their great tomb structures, cut into the sandstone walls, survive today, but little of their free standing masonry structures, which were their homes, shops, etc. remain. A massive earthquake in 555 is blamed for some considerable damage to the city, causing it to be largely abandoned.

A Swiss explorer sought out the city in the 1812. At the time Petra was only sparsely inhabited by the local Bedouin. Burkhart (the explorer) documented the rediscovery, and the Thomas Cook company started offering tours in the 1920’s. Today Petra receives 800,000 plus visitors a year. Fee hikes at the lucrative site are a hotly contested issue. This year prices for tourists will be raised twice, from $45 up to $90 for a three day pass (day trippers coming from Egypt or Israel will pay $135). Local residents pay $1.50.

Administrators are trying to limit the number of annual visitors to the site to 1 million or less. The hotel and restaurant owners are frustrated because they want to see their investments to continue to grow, while the local Bedouin are still wondering when they are going to see a solid portion of the proceeds.

We spent 3 days exploring only a small portion of the 42 sq km site. After just a few days of hiking through

slot canyons and up hills in mid-day sun our bodies were tired. We had the pleasure of meeting a local Bedouin woman named Fatima that someone asked us to look up. We found her working in the site, said hello, and she instantly welcomed us and invited us for tea. Latter that day we found ourselves treated to dinner with her family at their home. Her hospitality speaks worlds about the Bedouin people!