There is a 2 mile hike that begins down a road on which you can ride a horse if you like. You can see the beginning of the carvings in this photo. Petra is a vast, unique city carved into the sheer rock by the Nabataeans, industrious Arab people who settled here more than 2000 years ago, turning it into an important junction for the silk, spice and other trade routes that linked China, India and southern Arabia with Egypt, Syria, Greece and Rome. By the 16th century Petra was completely lost to the west and remained so for more than 300 years until rediscovered as the "lost city" in 1812.
Eventually, you begin a decsent down a long canyon, similar to the Narrows in Zion National Park if you have ever visited there. You can't help but look up as you hike!
The canyon eventually begins to uncover the jewel of Petra, known as the treasury. You may recognize this from Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.
It's visually stunning and impossible to capture fully in a picture. You see camels behind me because you can ride them and donkeys further into the ruins.
I hiked up that hill behind me in the first photo of me on the donkey where you see people climbing. You can see this view of the theatre from that hill, as well as the backside of the park which would take a week to exlore, even though we only had 3 hours!
These two young Bedoin girls rescued my hat as it blew off my head and they asked to take their picture.
If you are wondering the religious significance of this area, it is believed that Moses' brother Aaronn is buried in Petra and some scholars believe Paul preached and taught in this once bustling city which house more than 40,000 people at one point. Our final views of Petra as we leave the canyon...
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