We will pick up our trip from where we left off in part 1. At the treasury or Al Khazneh.
The name, the treasury comes from the fact that it was first thought to be a treasury for the pharos of Egypt (that was before it was determined that the Nabateans built Petra). The purpose of this magnificent building which is over 40 m high and is strategically placed at the end of the Siq remains a mystery, some think it was a royal tomb while others think it was a library. Its purpose may still be a mystery but one thing is for sure, it was built and placed to strike awe in the hearts of the visitors of Petra and it still does 2000 years later
It is amazing to see the Khazeh at different times of day, the dance that light and shadow play across the beautifully carved rose red stone is mesmerizing
If you leave the khazneh and start walking towards the heart of the city the first monument you come across is the one in the picture below. The locals call it the thief’s palace because a famous thief hid in it for months while the search for him continued until he was finally captured. Currently there are excavations in it and you are not allowed to go in but it is said to have some of the most beautifully colored stone walls
All over the place there are donkeys, hourses and camels you can ride for a price. Donkeys in particular have been trained to climb the 800+ stairs leading up the the high place of sacrifice. Sadly because we had the kids with us and the climb takes over an hour even with the donkeys we didn’t go. The place of sacrifice is located on a mountain top that overlooks the entire Petra area, the view from the top is said to be worth the hour climb.
This little guy was shy and kept hiding from me as I was trying to take his picture
I wish you could see the speed the donkey was going down the stairs
Note the donkeys climbing the stairs
If you keep walking you will come into the street of facades, some consider this the ceremonial part of the city while others think these were tombs.
We went into one of those carved buildings which was two stories as you can see
This is the view from inside
and this is the roof, the marbling of the sand stone is nothing short of amazing
As you enter heart of the city, the Nabataean theater is located on the left. It was built in the first century AD in the form an arc that is 95 meters in radius and 2.23 meters in height. It is carved in the rock . The Theater consisted of 45 rows of seats that were thought to accommodate 7-10 thousand spectators.
Leaving the theater behind brings you to the court or the urn tomb, this is the first of a number of buildings that are located high up on the side of a mountain, this one I did climb.
This beautiful building is thought to have been a tomb at the time of the Nabateans but then it was changed into a courthouse during the Roman occupation of the city and those arched rooms were turned into cells
If you walk around the clif you come to a building with the most magnificent facade , this building is called the silk tomb due to the colors in its facing
With this we come to the end of part 2, I hope you enjoyed the pictures and the walk around Petra with me.
Coming Soon
Candied watermelon peel, John’s Feta cheese and more of Petra , stay tuned
Iglika
/ December 30, 2012Thanks for sharing! It was so interesting!
Sawsan@ Chef in disguise
/ December 31, 2012Thank YOU for stopping by and for your kind comment
Jenni
/ July 13, 2012Such beauty and history! I have always wanted desperately to see Petra for myself, to climb the rocks and touch that beautiful stone, and peer into the windows and wonder what must have happened there. I am so glad that you were able to go there, and that you shared it with us!
Sawsan@ Chef in disguise
/ July 14, 2012I am really glad you enjoyed the trip Jenni and do hope that you will have a chance to visit it yourself some day
Stefanie
/ July 12, 2012Amazing photos! Looks like a wonderful trip!
Sawsan@ Chef in disguise
/ July 12, 2012Thank you Stefanie, we had a great time
Nami | Just One Cookbook
/ July 11, 2012Sorry Sawsan to come here so late. I thoroughly enjoyed this post. How beautiful and gorgeous – I just can’t imagine how it’s like to see with my own eyes! It must take you a lot of time for this post, but THANK YOU for sharing!!
Sawsan@ Chef in disguise
/ July 11, 2012Please do not appologize, I appreciate you stopping by for a visit whenever you can
I am really glad you enjoyed the post Nami
Courtney
/ July 9, 2012That is just simply amazing. Definitely going on my bucket list!
Sawsan@ Chef in disguise
/ July 10, 2012ambrosiana
/ July 9, 2012Amazing pictures Sawsan!! This is a city I would liove to some day visit!!! Thanks for letting us travel with your beautiful blog!
Sawsan@ Chef in disguise
/ July 9, 2012Thank you very much
I am really glad you enjoyed it
bitsandbreadcrumbs
/ July 8, 2012What amazing pictures of a truly awe inspiring place. I love the colors and textures of the rock building facades. The theatre reminds me of some I saw in Greece, but not as old, and not that amazing rose color. What a fabulous trip and thank you for sharing it.
P.S. I made your peach and feta salad with the lavender dressing and it was just divine.
Sawsan@ Chef in disguise
/ July 10, 2012You are most welcome.There are other theaters in Jordan, in Jerash and in Amman but none are carved out of stone and none are rose in color
Petra is indeed a special place and I am glad you enjoyed coming along with me on this trip
Thank you for trying the peach salad recipe and for letting me know how it went
Really glad you enjoyed it
Chica Andaluza
/ July 8, 2012Absolutely incredible Sawsan – and if it looks this amazing in photos I can only begin to imagine what it is like “in the flesh”. Those little donkeys are very hardy – they are used in some Spanish villages as “taxis”…As long as they are well treated, they don´t seem to mind as they are so very strong. Love the new look too, you have been very busy!
Sawsan@ Chef in disguise
/ July 8, 2012Thank you for commenting on the new look Tanya, I have been thinking about it for a long time as I wanted a theme that highlights the pictures more and has thumbnail pictures in archives and search results so I thought I would give this one a go.
As for the donkeys, the man who rents them told us the same thing, that they treat them well and switch them after each ride.
Martina
/ July 8, 2012Great post!!! loved Petra myself when i visited jordan in 2009. and great blog!!! will try your cauliflower fritters tomorrow!
greetings from france
Sawsan@ Chef in disguise
/ July 8, 2012Thank you very much Martina for stopping by and for leaving me a comment
I can’t wait to hear what you think of the cauliflower fritters
mjskit
/ July 8, 2012The marbling in the sandstone IS amazing and that last picture really shows it!! Most of this city remains me of Indian cliff dwellings in the southwestern U.S. The native Americans built cities into the sides of cliffs; however, nothing I’ve seen was nearly as intricate nor as magnificent as this! What a shame you couldn’t go in the treasury. What an experience that would have been! Loved these two post! My husband just went through them with me and now he’s on the Internet learning more about it! Thanks! BTW – We just saw this in the second Transformers movie!
Sawsan@ Chef in disguise
/ July 8, 2012I am really glad that you and your husband enjoyed the post.
O couldn’t enter the treasury because there are excavations under it, the found out that the road we now walk on is not the original road. The original road is 6 m under the buildup of sand and rubbel so there is so much to discover.
Maybe next time I will be able to go in
A_Boleyn
/ July 9, 2012I went to YouTube and watched the video filmed as part of the History Channel’s series, “Digging for the Truth – The Treasures of Petra.” The multi-part series is very interesting. This part shows the inside of The Treasury.
Sawsan@ Chef in disguise
/ July 10, 2012Thank you very much for the link, I really enjoyed watching it and the other parts too. I am really enchanted by this place and I like it more the more I learn about it
rsmacaalay
/ July 8, 2012Wow this is phenomenal, this is one of the places to visit in my bucket list
Sawsan@ Chef in disguise
/ July 8, 2012I hope you get a chance to visit it, it is truly worth the journey
Just A Smidgen
/ July 8, 2012This is just spectacular! I can only imagine the person/s who saw this rock and visualized the carving of this city!! I especially love the silk tomb.. the patterns in the stone are stunning.
ps I think the donkey was trying to hide from customers so he wouldn’t be forced to walk up in that heat.. poor little guy!
Sawsan@ Chef in disguise
/ July 8, 2012I was actually thinking the same thought..who was the engineer who thought of it and supervised its excution to come out this way.
I think you are right about the poor little donkey
Flavors of the Sun
/ July 8, 2012Thank you, Sawsan, for sharing these wonderful photos. Although I lived in the Middle East for many years, I never have been to Petra. I would so love to visit there and hope to one day. It looks so magical.
Sawsan@ Chef in disguise
/ July 8, 2012You are most welcome, I lived in Jordan most of my life and this is my first visit to Petra. I hope you can get a chance to visit it and enjoy it someday
Karen
/ July 7, 2012You live in the most fascinating part of the world and I truly thank you for taking us along on you wonderful trip…I enjoyed both parts. Just incredible sights from antiquity.
Sawsan@ Chef in disguise
/ July 8, 2012I know I am very lucky Karen and I am enjoying my time here. I am glad you enjoyed my walk through Petra and hope you’ll find the coming parts just as interesting
Rufus' Food and Spirits Guide
/ July 7, 2012Beautiful. I only know that first facade from a certain movie with a certain action star.
Sawsan@ Chef in disguise
/ July 8, 2012Believe it or not I have not seen that movie, I really should
A_Boleyn
/ July 8, 2012Do you mean Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade or The Mummy Returns? Both were a lot of fun.
Sawsan@ Chef in disguise
/ July 8, 2012Indiana Jones
A_Boleyn
/ July 8, 2012The box set of the first 3 dvds is actually just behind me on the bookshelves in my computer room.
I’ll have to give it another watch.
Sawsan@ Chef in disguise
/ July 8, 2012I have to add that to the list of movies to buy, I need to go get a couple of movies for the weekend anyways. Looking forward to watching them
Eva Taylor
/ July 7, 2012I’m in awe and it’s just from the photos, I can imagine how inspiring it would be to witness it in person! Your photos are wonderful, thank you so much for sharing them with us, Sawsan. I am in disbelief that they built these incredible structures without the immense technology we have today, with their bare hands 2000 years ago. I wonder if any of our buildings will be standing 2000 years from now.
Sawsan@ Chef in disguise
/ July 8, 2012That is exactly the question that was on my mind through out the journey…how did they do it? 2000 years ago with the simplist of tools? how did they manage to build buildings of this size and with such detail?
It is truly incridible
Eva Taylor
/ July 10, 2012Exactly. Now we build condos and within a year, huge pieces of glass comes plummeting down to earth. We’ve had a real condo problem in Toronto, fortunately, no fatalities, yet.
renu
/ July 7, 2012thank u .. sawsan.. really good pics.. good to know soo much about petra.. tahts one more destination in my wish list
Sawsan@ Chef in disguise
/ July 10, 2012You are most welcome Renu
I hope you will get a chance to see it in person one day
Eha
/ July 7, 2012I find this walk with you totally surreal. The history depicted, the shapes, the varied hues: the manmade and what the Greater Powers have created . . . Look at the size of man next to these historical buildings – how can one not be in awe . . .And then the smile created by two camels posing
! An unforgettable journey for which a big ‘thank you’!
Sawsan@ Chef in disguise
/ July 8, 2012I can’t tell you how happy I am you enjoyed the post
it was truly surreal to go to petra and I hoped to be able to transfer some of that through my pictures and words
Kristy
/ July 7, 2012Thank you Sawsan. These pictures are incredible. I love thinking about history when I see places such as this. You know…how many people have visited, how people used to actually live there and how it all comes together. It’s fascinating.
Sawsan@ Chef in disguise
/ July 7, 2012I do the same Kristy, to think that this place was a city that contained over 30000 people. I can’t help but try to imagine what it must have been like to live their 2000 years ago
Sarvani @ baker in disguise
/ July 7, 2012one can just never imagine how huge these structures are till you show us pics of humans near them.. thats when it hits you and gives you a tiny idea of just how awe-inspirinfg these structures are! and am totally taken in with the marbling.. the colours are something I never expected.. after all these centuries.. amazing pics! thanks for sharing!
Sawsan@ Chef in disguise
/ July 7, 2012Exactly Sarvani, I have seen pictures of Petra all my life as it is really celebrated here in Jordan but standing there and seeing these magnificent buildings in real life size is a totally different matter!
Cher
/ July 7, 2012Thank you for sharing more of these beautiful pictures – I can only imagine how awe inspring it must have been.
Sawsan@ Chef in disguise
/ July 10, 2012It was magical Cher, glad you enjoyed the pictures
ChgoJohn
/ July 7, 2012I cannot thank you enough, Sawsan for posting these pictures and for the accompanying commentary. It isn’t likely I’ll ever be able to see Petra in person, so, seeing this post is wonderful. Your photos are striking, capturing the effects of the sun’s rays, as well as the swirls of the sandstone. That sandstone rivals plenty of marble I’ve seen in other locales. Truly a mystical place, Sawsan, and again, thanks for taking us along.
Sawsan@ Chef in disguise
/ July 8, 2012It is really my pleasure John.I am truly happy you enjoyed the post. I have one more left and then off to the dead sea and Madaba
I do hope that some day you will get to see Petra in person, I would love to hear what you would think of it then
sallybr
/ July 7, 2012I savored each word and each image… you have no idea how much I loved this post of yours! Mesmerizing is indeed the best word to describe Petra…
so great that you got to see it, and thanks to the amazing world of the blogosphere, I got to know you, your blog, and now Petra through you!
Sawsan@ Chef in disguise
/ July 8, 2012The pleasure is truly all mine Sally
knowing someone like you is a true pleasure
A_Boleyn
/ July 7, 2012Amazing pictures. I would have been terrified to go up those steps on the backs of those little donkeys. Even MORE terrified to come down as I have a height phobia.
I’m curious if you were able to enter any of the tombs/buildings. Were any artifacts every found inside or excavated in the area and preserved somewhere?
Inquiring minds want to know.
Sawsan@ Chef in disguise
/ July 8, 2012I am scared of heights too and this trip really tested my courage
I actually entered the tombs and what is inside are plain square rooms that are nothing like the facades. The reason is that these tombs were carved out of mountains and the Nabateans understood that making rooms that are too big and wide would mean that the weight of the mountain on top would crush them so the studies have shown that the rooms where the exact width allowed by the weight of the stone and the distribution of fource through it.
The artifacts found in the area were numerouse statues and pottery items along with coins with the names of the Nabatean kings
saffronandhoney
/ July 7, 2012Thank you for sharing the photos! The colors are stunning.
Sawsan@ Chef in disguise
/ July 8, 2012Glad you enjoyed them
ceciliag
/ July 7, 2012Sawson that was truly amazing, I am speechless.. how full of awe you must have been being so close to that kind of ancient work.. Thank you so much! thank you.. c
Sawsan@ Chef in disguise
/ July 8, 2012My pleasure Cecilia.. I was indeed full of awe, my husband says that Petra enchanted me and he is totally right
Choc Chip Uru
/ July 6, 2012You are an amazing writer my friend – with the pictures as well, I was walking alongside you, a ghost on this beautiful trip
Thank you!
Cheers
CCU
Sawsan@ Chef in disguise
/ July 8, 2012That was the whole point of the post, to take you along on this trip with me..I am glad you think I was successful
Promenade Claire
/ July 6, 2012Thank you! Simply thank you for taking me to Petra !
Sawsan@ Chef in disguise
/ July 7, 2012The pleasure is all mine
Tales and Travels of the Tin Man
/ July 6, 2012What a marvelous tour of Petra. Thank you so much for sharing and for the most wonderful photographs.
Sawsan@ Chef in disguise
/ July 7, 2012Glad you enjoyed it Emil
I hope you can get a chance to see it in person some day