Petra is a historical and archaeological city in southern Jordan that lies in the basin o a valley that runs from the Dead Sea to the Gulf of Aqaba. It is believed to have been settled as early as 9,000 BC by the Nabataeans, a nomadic people believed to have originally been farmers. The theory is that they were affected by a severe drought and wandered the desert for 30-50 years before entering the trade business. During the winter months they would take camel trains across the desert to Mesopotamia to buy things from the silk trade route and bring them home in the spring to sell to the local people. In this way they established themselves as an important trade center.
They were also extremely resourceful. The area they settled in, though located in the desert, was subject to flash flooding. It was the Nabataeans ability to control their water supply that allowed them to flourish in this valley. The built dams to redirect the natural course of the flood waters into man-made canals and created aquafers to store the water for use during the dry season.
Rather than try to describe the natural magnificence of Petra, we’ll let the pictures do the talking. It was an incredible experience to walk the cobblestone streets of the siq, the long narrow gorge leading into Petra, alongside people riding horses and donkeys and carriages – just as they would have 9,000 years ago, watching the play of light amongst the cliffs, and to see these amazing structures carved out of the stone walls – no nails, wood or any other material used. Everything you see was carved directly out of the mountain itself, all out of one piece of rock on the side of a mountain.
After visiting Petra, we went for a 4×4 ride in the desert of Wadi Rum, famous for its association with Lawrence of Arabia. In 1917 Aqaba (where our ship docked) was the invading Turk’s last outpost on the Red Sea. Lawrence of Arabia and his 1,000 recruits planned a counterattack that required them to pass through this area of Wadi Rum. The story is too long to recount here, but if you aren’t familiar with it, we’d encourage you to Google it or watch the movie. Lawrence is quite the hero in these parts and there are many things named after him.
We finished the day with a traditional Bedouin meal eaten under tents in the middle of nowhere, listening to traditional Bedouin music and enjoying traditional dance. It was a great day!
In front of The Treasury. 
The first building we encountered, before entering the siq, was the Obelisk Tomb. 
More tombs 
There is a special place of worship at the top of the column in the distance. 
Some people chose a carriage ride to reach The Treasury. 
Stopping along the way for a photo op. 
The play of light in the siq was beautiful. 
Water canals were carved into both sides and the full length of the siq. 
Remnants of a statue – you can see the woman on the right and the front feet of a camel to the left. 
A peak of things to come. notice how small the people in the foreground are compared to the size of the building. 
The treasury. 
Standing in front of more ruins. 
A 2-story tomb; the body would have been placed on the second story. 
Inside the first floor of a tomb. 
There were camel rides. 
And donkey rides. 
The walk back 
Preparing for our desert ride. 
On our way. 
The rock formations were beautiful. 
Lawrence Canyon 
There were more camels. 
The group ahead of us had the option of trading their 4.4 for camels for a little while. 
We were treated to a traditional Bedouin tea. 
The tea is prepared over a fire. 
A fan of Lawrence of Arabia carved his likeness in a rock near Lawrence Canyon. 
Welcoming committee for our dinner in the desert. 
Traditional dance and music; our seating arrangements in the foreground. 
Traditional Bedouin dance.
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