Jabal al Ḩammah

In the 1800s, a British scholar named John William Burgeon described Petra as a, “rose red city, half as old as time.”

That phrase kept running through my mind as we wound our way through the rugged canyon worn by nature and chiseled by ancient man, a labyrinthine path known as the Siq.

“Siq” is simply Arabic for a narrow and deep canyon. So much like the Icelandic word, “geyser,” it’s made its way into dictionaries worldwide.

In some parts, the rocky walls are quite narrow and shadows cool the air. In other parts, it’s fairly wide, maybe 100 feet?

Thousands of years ago, the Nabateans diverted water and even created channels for livestock. The channel for the animals to drink from are open. You can see it along the side of the siq in some of these photos.

But who were the Nabateans, anyway?

The Nabateans were originally a nomadic tribe. They spoke Aramaic, but did not leave any written texts beyond a bit of graffiti. For this reason, everything we know about them has come from other sources.

At some point, the Nabateans decided to settle down in Petra, which became their capital city. (Exactly when and why are the matter of some debate.)

The Nabateans actually called their city Raqmu, but the preponderance of sandstone carvings caused the Greeks to call it Petra, meaning “rock,” and the name has stuck.

Petra’s location was ideal for many reasons.

For one thing, it was located near major trade routes for spices, incense, and more. It soon became a major hub, and its inhabitants grew wealthy.

Some residents collected tar from the Red Sea and sold it to Egyptians who used it in their mummification process.

As desert nomads, the Nabataeans knew how to thrive in the harsh climate. When outsiders attacked, they could easily hide in the labyrinthine canyons and strike back from hidden crevices.

The Nabateans also figured out clever ways to manage a very precious resource: water. They redirected springs from other areas and stored it for later use. They also dammed areas prone to flooding and created channels for livestock to drink from.

What an oasis this ancient city must have been for weary desert travelers!

In 106 AD, the Romans took over Petra. Even so, it remained a thriving city until the 7th century AD. At that point, between a series of earthquakes and the rise of trade via seaports, the demise of this once thriving city soon followed.

After Petra was abandoned it was nearly forgotten, becoming the stuff of legends for more than a thousand years.

The city’s exact location remained unknown to the western world until 1812, when Swiss traveller Johann Ludwig Burckhardt disguised himself as an Arab and convinced some Bedouins to take him there.

These days, Petra is Jordan’s biggest tourist attraction. Personally, I find it enchanting and absolutely gorgeous.Read more