Duration: 2 days, Jan 2024
After a day well spent exploring Amman and Jerash, we stepped out to see the other key sights of Jordan, part of the 3 day private tour through Jordan Private Tours and Travel.
Day 1 - Petra and Wadi Rum
We left from Amman early in the morning, around 7.30 am and drove straight to Petra, which took us about 4 hours.
Petra is one of the world's most famous archaeological sites. It is a city founded by the Nabateans around 300 BC. Back in the day it was an important city on the ancient trade routes between Arabia, Egypt and the Mediterranean Sea. Despite being located in the middle of a harsh desert, thanks to the ingenuity of the Nabateans, who had built a complex network of rock cut channels, underground pipes, watertight holes and cisterns to carry and store water, the city prospered.
The city is carved out of red and purple sandstone, and is aptly nicknamed Rose City. The city is filled with spectacular tombs, houses and monuments carved right into the cliffs. The design of the columns, grand staircases and other sculptures show both Hellenistic and Roman influences. The city is a designated UNESCO World Heritage Site and was voted one of the New Seven Wonders of the World.
Located in a remote valley, nestled among sandstone mountains and cliffs, it was purported to be one of the places where Moses struck a rock and water gushed forth. At its peak, Petra reportedly had a population of 30,000. The city began to decline, however, as trade routes shifted. It was subsequently rediscovered in 1812 and then inhabited by local communities.
When we arrived at the entrance, we hired a tour guide (highly recommend) and made our way in. We skipped hiring horses and chose to walk. Typically Petra sees about 10000-20000 visitors a day during peak season, however due to the then ongoing conflict in nearby Israel that day's numbers were down to the 100s, which made it easier to navigate the area without battling crowds.
We began our walk down a "road" lined with ancient dwellings and tombs. Each tomb in the city has a pattern representing a stairway to heaven. We soon arrived at the Siq.
At just over 1 km in length, the Siq is a narrow natural gorge leading to the Treasury. Unlike a slot canyon, this is a naturally occurring geological fault that was subsequently worn smooth by water. It is flanked by 80m tall sandstone cliffs.
The Siq was used as the grand caravan entrance into Petra. The Siq starts at an obvious bridge, beside a modern dam. The dam was built in 1963, on top of a Nabataean dam dated AD 50, to stop floodwater from Wadi Musa flowing through the Siq. Along both walls of the fissure are a number of votive niches containing baetyli, which suggest that the Siq was sacred to the Nabatean people. The Nabateans worshipped idols which had eyes and ears but no mouths, because they believed that only Moses talked to God. Ottomans however defaced a lot of these statues.
The passageway, is punctuated by sites of spiritual significance. Two rock cut water channels run along the rocks on both sides. At its narrowest point, it is about 2m wide.
Right at the end of the narrow Siq, it opens up at the most famous site at Petra, The Treasury.
This is hands down the most magnificent monument carved by the Nabateans. No it's not a treasury.. it is in fact a mausoleum. It got its name from the legend that the Pharaoh hid his treasures in the decorative stone urn at the top of the upper level. With its Corinthian columns, the Hellenistic facade is an astonishing piece of craftsmanship.
Many of the building's architectural details have eroded during the two millennia since it was carved and sculpted from the cliff. The sculptures are thought to be those of various mythological figures associated with the afterlife. The upper floor shows six Amazon warriors to protect the tomb along with eagles at the very top.
In contrast to the elaborate façade, the interior comprises a plain main chamber and three antechambers. Visitors are no longer allowed access into the mausoleum. Our guide told us that around the time we visited a new chamber had been discovered under the building.
This horseshoe shaped theater potentially dates back to 1st century AD, built during the reign of King Aretas IV. In the absence of documentation the exact purpose is unclear, but one can guess it was used for musical shows, etc at least during the Roman era.
Beyond this point the guide gave us directions and we continued exploring the rest of the site on our own.
The present day street was built in 2nd century AD by the Romans to replace an older road built by the Nabateans. As the name suggests, it was a wide thoroughfare flanked by columns, several of which have collapsed since then, especially after an earthquake in 363 AD.
This is by far Petra's largest building. Construction was completed during the reign of King Aretas IV. It is accessed via a monumental entryway and had successive open air courtyards at varying elevations, flanked by columns.
This is Petra's oldest and most venerable temple complex and one of the very few free standing structures at the site. The monument is believed to be a Nabatean Temple that was dedicated to Dusares, the sun god, and constructed in 4 BCE.
Beyond this point we got really hungry, so we picked up shawarmas from one of the little restaurants on site. This was also our turnaround point, since we knew we didn't have time to walk all the way to the end of the site.
The gateway complex is located at the Western end of the Colonnaded street.
This is a group of 4 royal Nabatean tombs
Palace Monument
This is one of the Royal Nabatean tombs. The tomb derives its name from its supposed resemblance to Roman palaces. The tomb is known for its grandiose 5 storied facade.
The Urn Tomb derives its name from the funerary urn located on the pediment at the top of the façade.
This is named after the gorgeous, naturally occurring silk like patterns on the façade as well as on the ceiling.
Similar to the Treasury, this tomb also has Greek Corinthian columns.
This is one of the most well preserved tombs at the site. Presumably, the niches on its 2 storied facade depict a family portrait, with the father in the middle and his sons or male relatives on either side.
Given our tight itinerary for the day, we turned around at this point and made our way towards the entrance. If you have time, you can consider hiking or riding a camel all the way to the end of the city.
This is an elaborate two-story tomb with its facade boasting of Egyptian, Greek, Indian and Nabataean architectural styles and dates back to 1st century CE. The upper monument features four elongated pyramids symbolizing Nefesh, Nabataean symbols representing the deceased.
This is one of Petra's largest and most impressive monuments, rivaling the Treasury in terms of beauty and architecture.
Explore the Siq and Treasury lit just by candle light.
This is a hiking trail to a view point of the Treasury.
From here we hopped back into the car and drove towards Wadi Rum. It was a 4 hour drive and we arrived at the Wadi Rum Village.
Set on a high plateau at the western edge of the Arabian desert in southern Jordan, Wadi Rum (which translates to Valley of the Moon), is a diverse desert area, with tough rocky outcrops of red rock and flat areas covered in red sand dunes. This is also home to nomadic Bedouin tribes. It also features petroglyphs and other archaeological remains, and all of these earned it the title of a UNESCO World Heritage Center.
In case you are wondering why the pictures look familiar, it's because it has been featured in many movies like The Martian, Lawrence of Arabia, to name a few.
Once we arrived at the village, a jeep picked us up and drove us to our campsite at Rum Magic, well in time to experience an absolutely gorgeous sunset. Photographs do not do justice to how spectacular it was!
A lot of tourists opt for the Sunset jeep tour but given that we were driving in from Petra, we decided to schedule that for the next day.
We had booked a Deluxe tent (highly recommend), which means it came with en suite and was air conditioned. (It does get chilly at night)
Post sunset, we headed over to the dining room area, where they demonstrated how the Bedouins cooked their food underground and in fact unearthed our meal from there. The meal was fabulous which featured tender falling-off-the-bones meat.. Mmmmmmm.
After dinner, we indulged in stargazing and set up our camera for night shots. I genuinely don't think I've seen that many stars with the naked eye.
After some time, we finally retired for the night in our beautiful tent cabin.
Day 2 - Wadi Rum and Dead Sea
We started the morning with a delicious breakfast. We then bundled up and got onto the jeep to get a 2 hour tour of the important sights at Wadi Rum.
Pro tip: It can be pretty cold when you start the tour and as the day progresses, it can get warm. So dress in layers.
Wadi Rum (Continued)
Khaz'ali Canyon
This canyon has a narrow siq, somewhat like Petra. We followed our guide in and it was quite an adventure walking along the narrow pathway.
Beyond some steps we came upon ancient inscriptions, some dating back to 350 BC.
Lawrence's Spring and Sand Dunes
We hiked up a big sand dune and arrived at a viewpoint of Lawrence's Spring. This natural spring has been used since Nabatean times as a stopping point on the caravan routes from Arabia to the Levant, the nearest water source beyond the Rum area being 40km away.
Lawrence of Arabia reputedly washed here during the Arabian revolt.
Small Arch
This is a the smallest natural arch at Wadi Rum. We climbed up the rock next to it and walked over the little bridge.
Post hike, we had some tea at the Bedouin tents set up at the base. We continued exploring the desert and then at the end got dropped off at the village, where our driver met us.
Other things to see
Nabatean Temple
Located next to the village, this extensive ancient Thamudic temple was renovated 2,000 years ago by the Nabateans.
Umm Fruth Rock Bridge
This is the most picturesque and most visited rock bridge in the valley.
From here we began our drive towards Dead Sea. En route we passed through the port city of Aqaba close to the Israel border.
Dead Sea
Lying between Israel and Jordan, this landlocked salt lake is the lowest point on the planet. The lake's surface is 439.78m below sea level. It's a hypersaline lake, with the salt content being 34.2%. This makes it a harsh environment for any animal or plant form to thrive, therefore the name. Salt mining is a critical industry supported by the lake.
Unlike the Israel side, the Dead Sea can be accessed only from a handful of resorts on the Jordanian side. There is one designated public beach but we were told it's not tourist friendly.
As part of the tour, reservations had been made at this resort. After we had a fabulous lunch, we headed down to the private beach.
Pro tips: Carry water shoes. The salt crystals are extremely sharp and very uncomfortable to stand on. The water is EXTREMELY salty, so in case any of it gets into your eyes, wash with fresh water immediately. Do not enter the water if you have any cuts/scratches. Do not shave within the previous 24 hours.
The mud from the bed of Dead Sea is supposed to be really good for the skin. So we slathered some on, waited for 20 minutes or so for it to dry up and then entered the water. The water is so salty, that any person can easily float. So there is no need to know swimming.. because you cannot drown in the Dead Sea.
The water was cool and we had a lot of fun.. despite a couple of salt-in-the-eye incidents.
Post float, we showered at the hotel's facilities at the beach, before heading back to the car, which eventually dropped us back to Amman airport for our flight back to US.
Other things to see in Jordan
This is an archaeological site, reputed to be the location of the baptism of Jesus.
Mount Nebo
This is another Biblical site in Jordan where Moses viewed the Promised Land before his death. On a very clear day one can see all the way to Jerusalem from the summit.
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