I planned this trip to include a visit to Petra, which I expected to be astonishing, beautiful beyond words and mind-bending.
Just trifling, really, those expectations. Don't you think?
My first encounter with the place blew away my expectations and cemented Petra in my mind's eye as a place of wonder and magic.
It was, admittedly, a theatrical production - this first encounter with the place. But this production was beautifully crafted in a manner that renders the production worthy of the outcome.
What was this encounter, this production?
Petra. By night.
We were fortunate enough to arrive on a night when the night tour was available. It was optional for us, but really, would you turn down the opportunity to walk into an ancient city with your way lit by candle and moonlight? Well I couldn't. And didn't. And if I am ever forced at gunpoint to regret everything in my life, this experience surely never be regretted. I would refuse.
So there.
When you read and research Petra, you'll find the history - no, rather, the ancient history (it being a Nabatean city, eventually conquered by Rome... etc.), but not much about the more recent history. The Bedouin people came to inhabit the city of Petra and it's surrounds. After Petra was rediscovered to the Western world (in 1812) and grew in popularity exponentially thereafter (eventually gaining World Heritage Status from UNESCO in 1985) the Jordanian government needed to make the place safely accessible to tourists. So, a deal was struck between the Jordanian government and the Bedouin people. The Bedouin were built homes and given free reign to sell food, trinkets, etc, to the tourists in the city of Petra. In return, the place became a "park."
So the Bedouins put together a fantastic evening for their guests. We descended into the city, walking about thirty minutes in relative silence, winding through wind-carved slot canyons. The way was lit with "millions" of small candles in paper bags giving off a warm, orange glow and softly illuminating the path.
Above us, the nearly full moon glowed it's white light and we caught glimpses of it through gaps in the canyon walls every so often.
The way felt old, ancient, biblically epic. Sacred.
And how can I begin to describe what it's like to find the Treasury at the end of your journey at night?
You don't see the whole thing all at once.
No, you peek at pieces of it, little, tantalizing mysteries, each of them making you desperate to see the next bit. It starts high up, ahead of you in the rock walls. A gap, small, but unmistakable. The natural walls of the canyon contrast the man-made carved facade perfectly. Two things made of the same material couldn't be more drastically different.
It glows at night. And not just from the candles. It glows from some ethereal energy; Petra knows it's cool.
It glows pink, white-pink at the top of the rocks and golden pink at the bottom of the building, glowing from the arrays of candles lain out in front of the facade.
Shortly after arriving (and gawking) at the facade of the Treasury, we were asked to sit on one of the woven carpets that had been lain out in rows facing the Treasury.
We were given cups of steaming tea and then the leader of the local Bedouin tribe introduced himself and told us a story. He was followed by two musicians - the first played a small, angular fiddle. The second played a small flute. We were serenaded under the moon and stars by traditional desert music. Perfectly ambient. Gorgeously inspiring.
It ended too soon. And it surpassed, by far, my hugely high expectations. Go to Petra. See it by night. You will not be disappointed.
On the way back, I stopped off with a few of my travel mates at a bar set up in an ancient cave, aptly called "The Cave Bar."
The Cave Bar
I'm not a fan of bars, but I could have sat at this one all night, enjoying the great scenery, company and tall glasses of cold water.
The Americans enjoying the Cave bar
No comments:
Post a Comment