Excursion to Petra, Jordan
Upon arrival in Eilat, we listen to the guide's suggestions about extensive excursion plans for tomorrow, including a sightseeing tour of the city, visiting markets and fashion stores, a yacht trip on the sea with soft drinks and wine. But we are primarily interested in Petra - an ancient rock city in Jordan, included in the seven wonders of the world. It turns out that day trips to Petra are held 2 times a week and the only chance for us to visit this place is tomorrow. So, we skip all other events, tomorrow we go to Petra.
In the lobby of the hotel there is a representative of the tour desk, which offers a trip to Petra the next day for $ 200 per person. We go around the entire beach in search of more loyal price offers. To no avail. You have to agree to the terms and conditions.
Early in the morning we leave by bus to the Jordanian border, which is nearby within sight. After a long procedure of crossing the border, we are met in the adjacent territory by a huge poster with the image of a smiling, youthful king of Jordan in army uniform. There is also a change of bus and guide. Further, our trip will be provided by a Jordanian travel agency.
The road passes through a rocky gorge and goes to a mountain plateau. In parallel, a railway track was laid connecting the capital of the Kingdom of Oman with the seaport. It is surprising that the small states of Israel and Jordan, bordering on the two powerful powers of Egypt and Saudi Arabia, were able to access the Red Sea within 8-12 km of the coastline. This allowed them to equip seaports and create first-class resort areas.
The Jordanian plateau looks empty and lifeless. There are no water bodies or vegetation. Sometimes there are villages for Bedouins. The guide says that the water here is extracted from underground rivers and that the government is making great efforts to accustom the Bedouins to settled life. The process is difficult, because they are nomads for dozens of generations. The road climbs steeply into the mountains and leads to the village of Wadi Musa, located next to Petra. There are many hotels and restaurants in the village.
Petra - the capital of the Arab Nabatin dynasty of the 3rd century BC. The Nabataeans controlled the caravan routes of that era, which ran from China, India to southern Arabia and to the rich markets of Greece, Rome and the entire Mediterranean for about 500 years between the 3rd century BC. and II century AD. The city is located at an altitude of more than 900 meters above sea level and 660 meters above the surrounding area in the valley of the Arava River in the narrow Siq Canyon.
To get to the city, you need to walk, or on horseback or a phaeton to get through a deep crack in the sandstone mass - a winding valley a kilometer long with overhanging rocks almost closing at a height of more than 90 meters. At the end of the path, the Siq gorge gracefully makes the last bend, and from the twilight in all its splendor, the most impressive building of Petra arises - the palace of El-Khazne, which means the Treasury. This most majestic monument of antiquity is carved into the rock and has a height of about 42 m and a width of 30 m.
Further, the canyon widens, and we go to the city center, surrounded by hundreds of buildings carved into the rocks, majestic temples, royal tombs, festive halls, water channels and reservoirs, baths, stairs going up, places of worship, shops, arches, public buildings and paved streets. Rocks play with colors of pink, dark red, purple or orange. On the way there is an amphitheater carved out of stone, capable of accommodating 3.000 spectators. Indeed, all this is worthy of one of the wonders of the world.
On the way back, we stop at the Jordanian resort area on the Red Sea coast, where the flag of Jordan is flying on a mast with a height of more than 100 meters - the highest flagpole in the world, listed in the Guinness Book of Records. This flag is perfectly visible from the beaches of Eilat. Israelis sometimes joke:
And Jordan is visible from our window,
And from your window, only a little Syria.
