* Pictures noted are bottom to top - We left Dana Reserve late morning and drove to the ruins of Shawbak, a Crusades castle built in 1115 AD by Baldwin I of Jerusalem on the ancient Syria to Arabia pilgrimage and caravan routes. There was no entry fee and very few other people at the site which was nice. We enjoyed a walk through the remains of many structures (picture 1) and the surrounding panoramic views of the dry, wild, and rocky landscapes (picture 2).
After visiting Shawbak, we continued our drive to the Wadi Musa area, home to the famous world heritage site of Petra. Before going to Petra we first visited a canyon filled with dramatic rock formations (picture 3) and then a small, quiet location known as 'Little Petra'. What a great spot - again no entry fee and no other visitors. Once out of the parking area, we walked along a soft sand trail through narrow walkways of beautiful rock (picture 4), carved tombs (picture 5) and steep stairs. Very impressive.
We left 'Little Petra' and within 20 minutes we arrived at our hotel in downtown Petra. After checking in we walked to the entrance gate of the Petra site. We spent the next few hours until just before sunset walking 1.5 miles (without getting run over by the horse-cart traffic) to the most famous and dramatic attraction, The Treasury (due to 'Indiana Jones' movies) (picture 6).
Once back at the hotel we enjoyed a quiet night to relax and recharge since the next day was another full walking trip back to the Petra site. The sun was out and the temperatures were almost cool which made our walking, climbing up rocks and exploring the tombs more comfortable than we thought it would be. While we were overwhelmed by the incredible workmanship of the tomb carvings (pictures 7,8), treasury (picture 9 - through cut out rock entrance way), and amphitheater (picture 10), the intense beauty of the rocks both inside (pictures 11, 12) and out (picture 13) - colors, layers, and formations - were equally impressive.
Though there were lots of tour groups, the enormity of the site made it possible to access each of the attractions comfortably at our own pace. After a number of hours we made the hike back through the site to our hotel where we took some time off to rest and enjoy an early night.
Next day we were packed and ready to go to our next stop - the desert of Wadi Rum.
After visiting Shawbak, we continued our drive to the Wadi Musa area, home to the famous world heritage site of Petra. Before going to Petra we first visited a canyon filled with dramatic rock formations (picture 3) and then a small, quiet location known as 'Little Petra'. What a great spot - again no entry fee and no other visitors. Once out of the parking area, we walked along a soft sand trail through narrow walkways of beautiful rock (picture 4), carved tombs (picture 5) and steep stairs. Very impressive.
We left 'Little Petra' and within 20 minutes we arrived at our hotel in downtown Petra. After checking in we walked to the entrance gate of the Petra site. We spent the next few hours until just before sunset walking 1.5 miles (without getting run over by the horse-cart traffic) to the most famous and dramatic attraction, The Treasury (due to 'Indiana Jones' movies) (picture 6).
Once back at the hotel we enjoyed a quiet night to relax and recharge since the next day was another full walking trip back to the Petra site. The sun was out and the temperatures were almost cool which made our walking, climbing up rocks and exploring the tombs more comfortable than we thought it would be. While we were overwhelmed by the incredible workmanship of the tomb carvings (pictures 7,8), treasury (picture 9 - through cut out rock entrance way), and amphitheater (picture 10), the intense beauty of the rocks both inside (pictures 11, 12) and out (picture 13) - colors, layers, and formations - were equally impressive.
Though there were lots of tour groups, the enormity of the site made it possible to access each of the attractions comfortably at our own pace. After a number of hours we made the hike back through the site to our hotel where we took some time off to rest and enjoy an early night.
Next day we were packed and ready to go to our next stop - the desert of Wadi Rum.
1 comment:
Hi Susan. Hi Friend. I'm not sure if comments will get emailed to you, but I would love to get in contact with you. I think about you now and then and would love to get together for lunch. It's been a long time.
Carol Maestas
agenttt99@yahoo.com
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