Petra
Petra can be reached by taxi from Amman (or the airport), by organised tour or by public bus. The latter is the cheapest, but also the slowest option, though many long-distance coaches have full facilities, including toilets and a hostess who comes round at intervals selling very expensive sandwiches and drinks. You can hire a car - the road is good, signposts are in English as well as Arabic, and traffic is pretty law-abiding. The disadvantage is that you will be paying for one or more days while the car is just sitting idle as you explore Petra.
There are many hotels and hostels in Elji, the village outside Petra, ranging from 5-star luxury to no-star basic accommodation (fleas may or may not be included in the price). Most are within easy walking distance of the entrance to Petra. If you are prepared to travel or have a car, then there are other options such as a restored khan about twelve miles away which offers luxury in an "authentic" setting.
If you want to pre-book accommodation, a hire car or other means of travel, you are welcome to use our travel agent in Jordan, Christina at Rose City Travel.
The Outer Siq
Walk down the Wadi Musa to the ticket office. Note that at the time of writing entrance fees to Petra and other sites have been reduced in order to encourage tourists in the wake of the 11/09/2001 attacks (compare this positive attitude with the money-grubbing actions of the Turks!). In addition, substantial discounts are available for your second or third days in Petra.
Once you have passed the ticket control you are on your own. Disregard anyone who tries to persuade you to ride a horse, camel or cart: these are only permitted as far as the entrance to the Siq - about a quarter of a mile - unless you are disabled, when they can take you as far as el-Khazneh. They are not allowed to take you right into the middle of Petra. This is a change from the (un)happy days of yore when it was compulsory to hire a horse, whether you rode it or not, and the Siq was greatly eroded by the constant traffic of hard-hooved beasts.
The first substantial monument on your left is the Bab es-Siq Triclinium, with the Obelisk Tomb above it. Trinclinia were rooms fitted out with stone benches on which people could recline to eat. It used to be believed that these were for funerary feasts, but it is more likely that they were for eating in general and rather than being associated with a particular tomb, were available for anyone to hire, whether for a funerary feast, a wedding feast or whatever. It is worth climbing up to view the interior.
Just a little further on the right there are a couple of stone blocks. Some have identified these as "god blocks", but personally I think they were pediments for raised tombs after the Lycian model. Note the ledge cut around the top of two of them to hold a superstructure, while the third has a groove in which blocks of stone were wedged and which also supported a superstructure. (There is another one down by the entrance to the Siq.)
At the bridge over the wadi stop to do two things: first, curse the Jordanian Antiquities Department, and then note the tunnel.
There used to be an relief cut into the Elji side of the wadi depicting a couple of Nabatean deities and the word "Rekem", the Nabatean name for Petra. This was the only place in Petra where this name was found. When the authorities built the bridge, they appear to have buried the inscription beneath tons of concrete - a bit of wanton vandalism for which there is no excuse.
The Siq
When we first visited Petra the stream flowed right down through the Siq. A few years ago a party of tourists were caught in a flash flood in the Siq and drowned, after which the government erected the dam, which diverts any flood water through a tunnel cut by the Nabateans and into another wadi which circles the mountain of el-Kubtha and comes out at the Nymphaeum. It is possible to walk through the tunnel and along the wadi, but the route is not easy and does not contain anything of interest.
Stop at the entrance to the Siq and note the water channels on either side and the meagre remains of an archway that once spanned the Siq. It finally fell in an earthquake in the late 1800s, but it can be seen in the drawings of many early visitors to Petra.
Walk through the Siq noticing the remains of the Nabatean paving, the rectangular "god blocks" cut in the side of the gorge (including one with eyes and mouth carved on it), and where the gorge turns sharply right, look on your left for the much weathered remains of a camel caravan that once rose up over the water channel. In all there were at least four camels and their attendants and there may have been more, but they have been weathered away.
Finally you come out at the most famous of Petra's monuments, el-Khazneh, which is probably a temple. Note the niches carved in the large central room, as well as the smaller rooms cut in the rock on either side of the portico. Also be sure to take a picture of the exit from the Siq as you stand at the top of the steps.
Recent excavations in front of el-Khazneh have uncovered a couple of tombs, which can be seen under a grill in front of the steps. This raises an interesting question concerning the silting up of the Siq, for as you go down the Outer Siq you will notice on your right a series of tombs, each one a little higher than its neighbours and some almost completely buried. All have more or less the same style of architecture, indicating that they were all made within a relatively short period of time, so obviously there was some pretty drastic erosion somewhere to bury the tombs so deeply.
However the really puzzling thing is this: if erosion nearly buried some of the tombs, how is it that others still stand free of erosion? It would seem that there was a sudden increase in erosion which then came more or less to a halt!
The solution is, I believe, simple. As the population increased in late Nabatean-early Roman times, the demand for fuel increased as well and the hillsides were rapidly cleared of trees and even bushes. Bereft of ground cover, the hillsides outside Petra eroded down to the more or less bare rock that we see today (inside Petra has always been bare rock) and once there was nothing left to wash away, the silting-up process stopped. This points to the drastic and harmful effect humans have had on their environment and should serve as a warning to us in the Twenty-first Century!
There are souvenir sellers aplenty in this part of Petra and you should be aware that the asking price usually bears little resemblance to the price the seller actually expects. A little bargaining may reduce the price by 50% or more, while hard bargaining can get it down to as low as 20% of the initial figure. Some of the ladies and girls who staff these stalls are charming and speak remarkably good English (and French, German, Italian, Japanese and just about anything else) considering that they are self-taught. Beware, however, of being too friendly, as "honour killings" are to Jordanians what watching television is to more civilised people.
Opposite the Khazneh but a little further down the valley on the right is a large triclinium, reached up a flight of steps and worth the climb to inspect. Even further down the valley on the left is a large tomb which at some time had a series of graffiti of geometric shapes carved low down on the facade, representing various Nabatean deities.
Continue down as far as the theatre, which you should explore, and the Urn Tomb, with its arched vaults in front. Climb up to the Urn Tomb, admire the view over central Petra and enjoy the acoustics inside the tomb chamber. At one time this building is supposed to have served as a church - or possibly even the cathedral for Petra. It is called a tomb because it is one of the few in which human bones have been found (in a niche high up on the facade). It is, I suppose, possible that these were relics to consecrate the church, rather than the remains of the tomb's owner.
The High Place
Now go back up the valley to where a path and steps lead off on the right (you may have already noticed this or a sign pointing to the High Place. Please note that the High Place is a good half hour of stiff climbing away and may not be suitable for elderly or disabled people.) Follow the path until you reach the top of the side valley, then head up to the right. Note the two obelisks cut out of the rock, then head up the slope opposite them through the ruined wall and onto the High Place. This is where the Nabatean gods were worshipped and sacrifices, including possibly human sacrifices, offered. Some have objected that there are no signs of burning on the altar, but the fire may have been kindled on a metal framework, rather like the Israelite altar, which preserved the stone.
Go back down to the saddle between the High Place and the obelisks, but instead of turning left and going back down the way you came, turn right and head down into the Wadi Farasa. Shortly before you reach the bottom note the Lion Monument on your left. Admire the colours in the rock.
At the bottom of the valley head right (you can't go left, or at least, not very far!) and the first monument you come to is the Garden Tomb, also known as the Garden Temple. This has been recently excavated to reveal complicated irrigation works. Down a short staircase you come to the Roman Soldier Tomb complex, with a wonderful triclinium on the right, the only one in Petra to have such elaborate internal carving, and the tomb on the left with niches carved in the walls to receive coffins or sarcophagii.
Carry on down the valley, bearing down and left around the end of the ridge in front of you. This will bring you out by the Temple of Dushara, known to the Arabs as Qasr el-Bint Faraon. On the left just before you reach the temple, notice the Unfinished Tomb, which proves that the Nabateans started work at the top and carved downwards. The temple is currently being excavated and reconstructed, so access and photography may be limited.
Beyond the temple is the rest house where you can purchase food, drinks and souvenirs or visit the toilet. Do not post anything in the mailbox: it doesn't arrive. There is also an interesting museum which is worth a visit. As you rest in the shade, consider what else you want to do.
Directly opposite you is the rock mountain of el-Habis. A path climbs up the front to a museum, which is also worth a visit. You can continue along the path round the side of el-Habis to a large square plaza cut in the rock and surrounded by tombs. Just past this there is a path and staircase going up on the left. If you climb up there you will find the remains of a Crusader castle. This is not often visited by tourists and the path is badly worn. There are no handrails and the slightest misstep has the potential of precipitating you several hundred feet down onto solid rock. In short, you can get up as high as the castle outworks fairly easily, but to climb higher to the keep is difficult and dangerous and should not be attempted unless you are confident of your rock-climbing abilities.
Ed-Deir
Turning to the right from the rest house and walking along beside it, you will enter a side valley in which the generator for the rest house is probably chugging away. Walk past it as quickly as you can and carry on up the valley, past the Lion Monument (worth a quick visit if you have time) and up to ed-Deir. This is a good hour away and quite a steep climb. If you are tired, you can hire a donkey for the round trip; personally I feel that is even more tiring, though I suppose it may be a different kind of tired! Just follow the path and stairs until you come out at the monument, isolated and splendid. It used to be possible to climb up on top of it, but the authorities have bujilt a wall across the access stairway to prevent you, partly from fear of people falling from the top and partly to prevent damage to the monument.
Climb up the slope beyond ed-Deir and see the white Tomb of Aaron on top of a high mountain away to your left. This can be visited (you can hire a donkey) if you have the time and inclination. Jews are always accompanied since some Orthodox vandalised the Muslim shrine a few years ago: it really is too bad when people behave like this and does no credit to the religion they profess.
Return to the rest house and when you have recovered, set off back up to the Qasr el-Bint, then across the paved courtyard and along the paved road. On your right steps lead up to a most impressive temple decorated with painted plaster and elephant head capitals. Up on the slope on your left there is a modern metal structure, which protects the remains of a Christian church with a splendid mosaic floor. It is well worth the climb.
Once up there, simply walk along the ridge towards the so-called Royal Tombs at the far side of the valley. The first is the much ruined three-storey Palace Tomb. Next to it is the Corinthian Tomb (all these names are modern, by the way). A little bit further is a badly eroded tomb with lovely colours around the doorway, called the Silk Tomb. The final Royal Tomb is the Urn Tomb, which you have already visited.
Little Petra
Back at your hotel, you may wish to round off your trip by hiring a taxi to take you out to Little Petra. The road winds up out of Elji passing, on the left, the ruins of another Crusader castle. Stop and photograph it, and then notice how the open valley beyond is, in fact, the central valley of Petra. If you have binoculars you will be able to make out Qasr el-Bint and the rest house! Contrary to popular belief, the Siq is not the only way into Petra!
The road then passes through the modern Beduin settlement, whence come the hawkers, donkey boys and guides who pester you in Petra. Annoyingly, there is a road (closed by a police barrier) runnning down from this settlement into the heart of Petra. One day I hope that the Siq will be a one-way route, as tourists walk down into Petra, to find their coaches waiting for them.
Little Petra is a small cluster of tombs about five miles from Petra, approached through a cleft in the rock known as the Little Siq. There is not much to see there, but it is interesting, off the beaten track and (at present) free of charge. One of the oddities about Little Petra is three triclinia, side by side, a fact which must certainly call in question the received wisdom that a triclinium was for a funeral feast. It looks more likely that these triclinia were used as dining rooms for a large number of people - possibly merchants and camelmen on their way north to Damascus and making this place their first stop on the long journey.
A good introduction to Petra is the NWTV video Petra, which will familiarise you with the things to look out for as well as giving you much historical background information.
