Entering the Gorge of Petra

Arriving in Wadi Musa

When first stepping foot in Wadi Musa from either Aqaba or Amman you will be stuck in a kind of limbo before you can escape the concrete hole and explore the canyons and ruins of the famous Petra. While the city of Wadi Musa has its own charm, you arrived in the town not to explore the quiet suburbs and tourist center. But to hike your way along ancient paths leading into the depths of the orange rock. Follow the footsteps of bronze-clad armies and mythical kings.

Fortunately, it just takes just a short walk to escape the confines of Wadi Musa. After strolling along a few kilometers you will find yourself at the gates of the wonderous Petra. Rather than having a massive crumbling stone gate which creaking sound welcomes visitors as the wooden doors are thrown open. You will find a scene more resembling a ride from Disney world than stepping into the realm of a bygone kingdom.

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Disney’s Indiana Jones

After forking over your 50 JOD (70.5 USD) to get through the gates of Petra, you will come face to face with the most touristy part of the entire complex. Fortunately, the mini horse carriage rides and tacky impersonators who look as if they were dressed for middle schooler’s history report usually stay between Bab-as-Siq and The Treasury. Beyond the most popular sites of Petra, you will mainly have all the hiking trails and more remote ruins to yourself.

With your wallet a bit litter for paying the astronomical entrance ticket, you should be light enough to dodge the tourist carriages that come shooting through the gorge like a bullet out of a gun. With beauty to match that of the Antelope and Grand Canyon of the United States, it is difficult to enjoy the red glow of Bab-as-Siq with the thumping of hooves chasing you down the ravine.

If you are going to be traveling to Iraq be sure to check out my Erbil travel guide!

Al-Khazneh: The Treasury

As you continue to make your way through the narrow Mars-like pass, the orange rock will slowly reveal the face of the iconic Al-Khazneh. Like unveiling, a masterpiece hidden underneath a sheet of sun-baked rock, the initial site of The Treasury will hit you like a lightning bolt. This 2,000-year-old carving into the canyon has architectural splendor to match that even the most elaborate ruins of Rome.

This ancient mausoleum was built to house the remains of the Nabataean King: Aretas IV Philopatris. Why then is this ornate carving called The Treasury? According to legend, this ancient ruin was used as a hiding place for the loot of bandits and thieves. Despite many efforts to break open the treasure by local bedouins, the alleged riches are stored in solid rock.

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The Crowds of Petra

After a few moments of being glued to the spot by the sheer beauty of the intricate rock carvings, your eyes will fall from the towering mausoleum to rest on the crowds posing for group photos in from of The Treasury. While everyone has a right to explore Petra in any way they feel fit, the mass of people crowding the iconic Indiana Jones backdrop is a tad bit overwhelming.

It is not only the tour groups that seem to endlessly hover in front of the tombs awe-inspiring facade. The hawkers, camel photo-ops, and donkey rides also have made camp in front of The Treasury. Unlike the tourists unraveling large banners, the animals add more of a desert ambiance to Petra. But once Ken and Kate hop on top of the camel to get that perfect souvenir picture, your views of the ruins will be blocked by the cheesy grin of tourists.

If you are looking to get a more intimate look at The Treasury, at night Petra has its very own light show. Rather than being neon lights playing off of the rock, you will see the mausoleum and Siq illuminated by candlelight.

If you are in Oman you won’t want to miss visiting the historic city of Nizwa!

Ruins of an Empire

Once you escape the pit of tourists huddled in front of Al-Khazneh, the entire ancient city of Petra opens up giving you room to breathe. From here, it is easy to explore the canyons and ruins without having to fight and elbow your way to the front of the line. As amazing as The Treasury is, you have a whole city to explore outside the walls of the gorge.

Among the ruins of the Nabataeans you will find crumbling temples, theatres, tombs, and even remains of where the Romans moved into the city in 106 AD. The houses carved directly into the sandstone rock and ancient shrines are, more or less, your own to explore. There is less of a need to worry about keep the slow-moving tour groups at your back as you rush to take in the sites before the grounds are overrun.

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Hiking Over Petra

More than gazing at the rose-colored ruins and wandering through the centuries-old temples, it is the hikes around Petra that will really make your journey worth remembering. Hiking up steep staircases carved directly into the rock of the canyon, you will be making your way to some of the best views of the ruins and the surrounding mountains. You will have many hawkers pushing you to hire a donkey to take you up the canyon. But unless you have been dying to ride a donkey since you have been in Jordan, you can do the entire trek on your own.

Once reaching the top, you will have a panoramic view of the surrounding countryside. The off-worldly red rock, splashes of green shrubbery, and distant ruins truly put the beauty of the city of Petra into perspective. While the hikes are not unknown to tourists, you will not have to worry about battling flag-waving tour guides and hordes of slow-moving families. The hikes provide a more quiet and reflective experience away from the main attractions of the crumbling city.

Looking for more canyons in the Middle East? Check out Rawanduz in Iraqi-Kurdistan!

The Backbone of Jordan

Tourism is Jordan’s bread and butter. Being a country full of rock and desert, the country has little resources to lay down the foundations of its economy. It is tourists who come to the seaside city of Aqaba and ruins of Petra that keep this country afloat. With that in mind, it is hard to scoff too much at the tour groups and souvenir shops that rely on travelers to make a living.

No matter how many people are crammed into the canyons of the Siq, the sight of The Treasury will forever be something imprinted in your mind. The cameras lifted overhead and awkward poses in front of the ruins could never take away from the beauty of the Rose City.

But the number of people in the canyon may destroy the city itself. With the increase of crowds to Petra, humidity levels have risen, thus eroding away at the sandstone which Petra is carved into. If tourists continue to flock to the ancient city of the Nabataeans at the rate they are now, there may soon be no city left to see.

For the time being, you will still have to wade through the crowds to get that picture-perfect view of The Treasury. Although the ruins of Petra has withstood the test of time. We can only hope that it can hold its own against the waves of tourists that come crashing against its rock.