One of the oldest of the Seven Wonders of the World.
A World Heritage Site which has been described as UNESCO as
one of the most important cultural properties. A place with more than 2,000 years of history:
This is Petra.
The famous rose-red ancient desert city of Petra
is one of Jordan’s most important tourist attractions.
In 2019, it experienced an all-time record high of more than 1 million visitors.
These numbers saw a significant drop due to the pandemic.
But in late 2021, tourism has picked up again. That’s when we went and visited.
Petra is located near the town of Wadi Musa. which means 'The Valley of Moses.'
If you're coming to see Petra, you’ll most likely have your accommodations
somewhere in Wadi Musa as you can’t stay in Petra itself.
As tourism is one of the main sources of income in Jordan,
you can find many hotels, souvenir shops, restaurants, taxis
within a short radius of Petra itself.
The entrance fee is a little more than 60 Euros per person for a day.
But if you plan on coming for more than a day, there’s a 2- or 3-day-ticket you can buy
for just slightly more.
It’s important when you buy a ticket here to get your passport.
Because we just forgot it and we had to go back to the hotel to get it.
Thank you!
We got the ticket here.
This small map describes the whole ancient city of Petra.
We are right here, which is the Visitor’s Centre.
And just a 2-kilometer-walk and we’ll reach the Treasury,
which is the famous picture that you see everywhere on Google about Petra.
But there’s a lot more to see also. If you keep going, you’ll see
the Royal Tomb, the Theatre, the Great Temple and a church.
It is not known when precisely Petra was built. But Petra was the capital of the Nabataean Empire,
which grew rich through trade and was built more than 2,000 years ago.
A large earthquake in 363 AD, combined with the changes in the trade routes,
led to the city eventually being abandoned.
By the 7th century, only local nomadic Bedouin tribes were living in the area.
Then in 1812, the city of Petra and Al-Khazneh were "rediscovered"
by Swiss explorer Johann Burckhardt.
It was after this "discovery", that Petra became increasingly known in the west.
The most popular and most frequently photographed monument is the Treasury Al-Khazneh.
It’s almost 40 meters high and feels like a giant work of art which,
like most other structures here, was carved out of sandstone rock.
It’s easy to reach. And one of the first things you will see after
you go through the magnificent gorge called the Siq.
The Treasury also famously appeared in many movies, including Indiana Jones.
It’s way more magnificent when you are this close to it.
The whole site is more than 264 square kilometers big.
So you can imagine that the Treasury isn’t the only thing worth seeing.
Even though tourism is important to the Jordanian economy,
with some of the local population nowadays almost exclusively depending on tourism,
mass tourism can actually pose threats to archaeological places like Petra.
In concerns about the deterioration of the fragile
UNESCO World Heritage Site have been raised. Hooves of animals like donkeys and crowds of
people touching or leaning on the walls have accelerated the natural process of erosion,
which can cause damage to the dry sandstone. In fact, the surface of the Treasury itself
has receded by almost 4 centimeters in the span of less than 10 years.
Another side effect of unsustainable tourism and a thing you typically
don’t see in most photos and videos, are the many tourist traps to watch out for.
Not only do the many stalls selling souvenirs and refreshments to the tourists
destroy the harmony of the site a little bit. The overwhelming amount of people approaching
you in an attempt to sell you something can make you feel uncomfortable as a visitor.
Be prepared to be approached every few meters by a local offering you a donkey, horse or camel ride.
Selling you supposedly ancient coins or wanting to be your guide, offering you to take you to
one of the viewing points. This was so easy.
Cheese!
Though the sign at the visitor centre says that you’re allowed to visit all paths and trails, the
guides waiting in front of the Treasury will tell you that it’s not allowed to go up to a viewpoint
without a guide. And they will even physically block your way,
if you try to take a short hike by yourself. They charge between 10 to 30 Euros.
Another such example of a tourist trap in Petra are the horse or donkey rides.
That are supposedly included in your ticket and completely free of charge.
But they apparently come with the expectation of a hefty tip at the end.
Overall, the constant pressure to buy something and having no moment in peace for yourself,
can be exhausting. Yes, Petra is beautiful and worth visiting, but
these are things that you have to be aware of before going there.
If you want some peace, get away from the main attractions and try
one of the many hiking trails. Highly recommend!
If you’re interested in seeing Petra by night,
make sure you’re visiting on a Monday, Wednesday, or Thursday.
3 times a week, starting at 8:30 p. m., from Petra Visitor’s Centre,
you get to walk the entire Siq to the Treasury by night, lit with over 1,500 candles.
Once reached, you get to sit down with some tea, listen to traditional music and some storytelling.
And see the Treasury lit up in different colors.
A ticket costs around 21 Euros per person.
If you’re coming all the way to Jordan, there are a few other cool things to do,
that you might not wanna miss out on, which are not too far from Petra.
One of these things is to stay at one of the many Bubble Hotels nearby Petra or Wadi Rum.
Wadi Rum is a scenic desert further in the South.
Staying here reminded us of one of those science fiction colonies on Mars.
And Wadi Rum is definitely worth seeing.
Our favourite food in Jordan, which we ate for breakfast daily, was Foul.
A traditional dish, cooked from mashed fava beans, flavoured with lemon juice,
garlic, onions, spices and served with olive oil.
Also, one of the most unique things to do in Jordan is visiting the Dead Sea, which is just
a 2 to 3-hour-drive north.
– Look at this!
– Oh my God! – I feel like biting on this.
If you prefer to see marine life and like snorkeling or scuba diving,
you can do that all the way in the south in Aqaba in the Red Sea.
So what is the best time to come to Jordan? Summer can be extremely hot.
So for Petra, many people recommend to come from March to May or September to November.
We personally went in early December, but found the temperatures pleasant
if you carry a jacket with you.
Hope you enjoyed this video!
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See you next time!