Travel

Visiting the Ancient City of Petra, Jordan

February 18, 2019

If you had asked me several years ago, I never imagined I’d be able to say I’ve visited two of the Seven Wonders of the World. The first was the Rome Colosseum when we lived in Italy and now I can add Petra, Jordan to the list. If you’re unfamiliar with Petra, it is an ancient city that was inhabited by the Nabataeans in 1st century B.C. They left behind a number of impressive sandstone sculptures, all carved by hand. In this photo is Al Khazna, better known as the Treasury, which is the most famous site in Petra. The ancient city of Petra wasn’t declared a world heritage site until 1985, so it hasn’t been well-traveled for very long.Petra is also called the ‘Rose City’, and you can tell why when you see all the different shades of red and pink in the sandstone. It’s so beautiful in person and the colors change throughout the day depending on the light.The road through Petra is lined with lots of locals selling trinkets and others offering camel/donkey rides and sometimes they can get pretty aggressive with tourists. I recommend visiting the site as early as possible to get the best photos and avoid being hassled (it opens at 6:30 A.M.!) The Treasury is located around the corner between the large rocks on the left of the photo.One of the highlights of the day was meeting Marguerite van Geldermalsen, the author of ‘Married to a Bedouin.’ She met and married her husband Mohammad in 1978 and went on to live with him in a cave, where they later raised three children. Her husband died in 2002 but she’s continued to live in Jordan since her children are still in the area. I read her book a few months ago and kept telling my husband that I really wished I could find her when we were in Petra. I couldn’t believe it when we were just walking along and I happened to look over and spot her standing in the jewelry stand she now runs. I was totally fan-girling and had to get a photo with her, along with a signed copy of her novel!Here you’ll see more of the Nabataeans’ sandstone carvings. I can’t believe how well-preserved their sculptures still are thousands of years later!If you ever find yourself in Jordan, definitely make some time to visit Petra and you’ll understand why it’s one of the Seven Wonders of the World!