Rock city in Jordan. The ancient city of Petra in Jordan - we go through the back entrance. Jordan. Peter. Tours, hotels, souvenirs

Ancient city Petra is rightfully considered the main one that glorified this eastern country for the whole Earth, and one of ! In this article, you will learn in detail why this place is so popular with hundreds of thousands of tourists visiting Jordan every year.

If you can only visit one place in Jordan, let it be Petra, this ancient city often called the red-pink city, this is from the color of the rocks in which the city is cut down.

The impressive facades of temples and tombs, carved into rocky walls of multi-colored sandstone, are unique historical monuments. They were created by the Arab tribes of the Nabataeans, who lived in this region before the arrival of the Romans.

The place, safely hidden from the outside world, became the capital and turned into one of most beautiful cities Middle East. Petra means "rock" in Greek. Indeed, the city seems to be carved into the rock.

Its walls were created by nature itself, and all possible infrastructure - from aqueducts to the treasury - people. Only two paths lead to Petra, one of which lies through the Siq gorge, 1 km long and only 3-4 m wide.

In ancient times, the city flourished due to its location at the crossroads trade routes, as well as the ability of residents to store and store water, which was very important in the harsh conditions of the Arabian Desert.

Petra - large city even by today's standards. It takes several days to get around its territory.

Maybe someone remembers the old movie about Indiana Jones, in which he was looking for the Grail - there was huge temple carved into the rock? It turns out that these were not decorations, but such a miracle really exists - in Petra!

Ancient Nabatean city Petra was founded in these rocks about 4 millennia ago (according to other sources - 2 millennia), back in the era of the Edomites - then a small but well-defended fortress was built in the rocks. Later, these lands passed into the possession of the Nabataean kingdom, which was just at that time experiencing its heyday.

Petra, which served as the capital of the kingdom, gradually acquired great influence and unusually wide fame. The emergence of the city in such hard to reach place became possible thanks to the ability of the Nabataeans to control the flow of water, because in fact Petra is nothing more than an artificial oasis! Flash floods often occur in this area, and the Nabataeans successfully controlled them using dams, cisterns and aqueducts, which allowed them not only to survive long periods of drought, but also successfully trade water.

In addition to the fact that the Nabataeans knew how to skillfully collect water, they also learned how to skillfully process stone. The name "Petra" literally translates as "Rock", and it is not surprising - after all, the entire ancient city consists entirely of stone!

However, the Nabataean kingdom fell under the onslaught of the Roman emperor Trajan, and then the Roman Empire itself went into oblivion ... Since the 16th century AD, only the wind “walked” here, and then infrequently. This pearl among the rocks was forgotten for more than 2 centuries - until the moment when, in 1812, the Swiss adventurer Johann Ludwig Burckhardt decided to find in these lands lost city, about which there were many legends, but which, despite this, no one has ever seen. As a result, the Swiss found the legendary lost city, carefully guarded by sands and rocks!

All the buildings of Petra were built mainly in three periods: under the Edomites (XVIII-II centuries BC), Nabataeans (II century BC - 106 BC) and the Romans (106-395 AD) .). In the XII century, the ancient city was owned by the Teutonic Knights. The monuments built here after the 6th century AD have practically not survived. Therefore, the appearance of Petra, which today opens up to the eyes of tourists, is ancient capital Nabataean kingdom

An interesting fact is that the territory of Petra is currently only 15% explored, so it is possible that soon the mysteries of the ancient city may amaze the whole world! Now imagine that these 15% are about 800 (!) different historical objects on the territory of Petra!

Due to such a huge number of centuries-old sights, even tickets here are sold for a three-day period - after all, in a day you can only briefly examine all the famous this moment“treasures” of Petra, but in order to get acquainted in detail with all of her architectural elements Not even a month is enough!

Petra makes an impression on all the tourists who came here - even the most sophisticated ones, and I think this is due to a greater extent not so much with the ancient city itself, but with the road that leads to it - after all, the city “hid” in the very center of the rock! In order to get to Petra, you need to go down into a deep gorge called “Sik” (“Mine”), formed as a result of a prehistoric shift of the earth’s crust, and walk along a narrow path for a long time (in some places only 3-4 meters wide) to its bottom, between sheer 80-meter cliffs, on which here and there there are ancient inscriptions carved in stone and even entire niches carved in limestone for recreation.

At some point, it begins to seem that you will have to walk along this gorge forever, but suddenly it breaks off abruptly and the huge Pharaoh's Treasury opens up to your eyes ( Arabic name- El-Khazneh, from which the word “Treasury” later came) - one of the most famous monuments ancient Petra, in front of which the ant-people froze in surprise ...

Gradually, the state of stupor recedes and is replaced by surprise and disbelief that such a hulk can be carved into the rock. The purpose of Al-Khazne, carved into the rock around the 2nd century AD, is still unclear, but many historians and archaeologists believe that it was originally a temple of the goddess Isis.

In any case, the Treasury is an example of the greatest craftsmanship of ancient architects. After all, even today it would be very difficult to create such a structure, not to mention how accurate the calculations must be and how it was hollowed out of stone in general, if there is not a single tree for scaffolding around for hundreds of kilometers!

It is also surprising that after millennia, the facade of the Treasury turned out to be practically untouched - see for yourself!

Monument of the Pyramids in front of the entrance to the Siq Gorge

Before entering Petra, you can purchase detailed map cities and decide for yourself whether to wander through the most mysterious nooks and crannies in splendid isolation or hire a guide

Map of the ancient city

The map shows: 1 - Entrance; 2 - Al-Vuheira; 3 - The beginning of the Sik gorge; 4 - "Treasury of the Pharaohs"; 5 - Place of sacrifice; 6 - Theater; 7 - Tomb of the Urn or "Cathedral"; 8 - Tomb of Sextus Florentinus; 9 - "Nymphaeum"; 10 - Church; 11 - Temple of the Winged Lions; 12 - Big Temple; 13 - Temple of Uzza; 14 - Archaeological Museum; 15 - Lion's Triclinium (Roman dining room); 16 - El Deir Monastery

The ancient city stretches for several kilometers. Laid from east to west the main street, decorated on the sides with a colonnade. At its eastern end there is a three-span Triumphal Arch, and on the western big temple

Early necropolis of the Nabataeans

One of the main architectural elements of Petra, along with the Treasury, is the ancient theater for 6000 spectators, completely carved into the rock and located so that from there you can see the most important tombs, among which are the “Cathedral”, the Palace Tomb, the Corinthian tomb, the Tomb of the Urn and the Silk Tomb

The theater was built in Petra at the beginning of the 1st century AD, almost at the same time as the majestic bulk of the El Deir monastery carved into the rock at the top of the cliff - a huge building about 50 m wide and more than 45 m high, which, judging by the carved on the walls crosses, for some time served as a Christian church. To many, it may seem familiar - most likely this is due to the fact that one of the scenes of the second film about Transformers was filmed here =)

Maybe it's more recognizable

From the slope next to El Deir, you can see Mount Jebel Harun with a white mosque on top - this relatively small and modest in its decoration tomb of Aaron, the brother of Moses, was erected in the 13th century by the Mamluk Sultan. According to Arabic legends, Petra- exactly the place where Moses struck the stone with his staff and water flowed out of it

To the right of the Theater is the entrance to the Cathedral. The inscription testifies that Bishop Jason converted the Doric Tomb into the Eucharistic Hall. The same inscription dates this transformation to 447 AD.

Plan of the Church of the Papyrus in the western part of the city

1 - Atrium; 2 - Baptistery; 3 - Basilica; 4 - Department; 5 - Altar; 6 - Papyrus Room

The Jordanian city of Petra is the main attraction
Jordan and is located in the Wadi Musa valley. It is included in the World
UNESCO heritage, and on July 7, 2007 this ancient city was named one of the
"Seven New Wonders of the World". The word "Petra" in translation means "Rock",
because the city is entirely carved out of stone.

Petra - Nabataean rock city, historians find it difficult to name it
age, it ranges from 2 to 4 thousand years. It is assumed that he was
was created back in the era of the Edomites - it was then that a small,
but a well-defended fortress.

However, later these lands became part of the Nabataean kingdom, when
flourished. The state formed by the Nabataeans (group
Semitic tribes), existed from the 3rd century BC until 106
AD on the territory of modern Jordan, Syria, Israel and
Saudi Arabia. Petra became the capital of the kingdom, gradually acquiring
a huge impact. Building a city in such a difficult, hard-to-reach place
succeeded thanks to the engineering knowledge of the Nabataeans and a reasonable system
sewerage and plumbing. Surprisingly, Petra is an artificial
oasis! In this part of the planet, sudden showers often occur and
floods, but the Nabataeans knew how to control them with the help of
use of dams, cisterns and aqueducts. Not only did they not need water,
but also traded it! Another amazing ability of the Nabataeans, without
which the city of Petra would not exist is the ability to work with stone.

The Nabataean kingdom fell at the hands of the Romans under the leadership of
Emperor Trajan, and then the Roman Empire itself fell. Thus,
this rock pearl was lost in the deserts until known
traveler Johann Burckhardt did not intend in 1812 to find
lost city. He was fascinated by legends about mysterious rock
buildings that no one has ever seen. As a result of persistent
The Swiss did it anyway.

Royal Tombs, Petra, Jordan

It is assumed that all the premises of Petra were erected within three
periods: under the Idumeans (XVIII-II centuries BC), Nabataeans (II century BC
era - 106 BC) and the Romans (106-395 AD). There is an opinion that
in the XII century A.D. Petra was owned by the knights of the Teutonic Order. However,
monuments erected in this city after the 6th century AD, have already reached us
did not reach. The appearance of Petra, which we see today, is almost identical
ancient capital of the Nabataean kingdom.

At the moment, the territory of Petra has been studied by only 15%. It means,
that the mysteries of the ancient city may soon shock the whole world! What
available in Petra now - this is at least 800 historical objects,
it is simply impossible to get around and consider them all in one day! That's why
tickets here are sold immediately for three days, although in fact, in order to
really get to know all the architectural elements of Petra,
perhaps a month is not enough.

To get here, you need to go down to deep gorge, and then
walk along it for a long time, between high sheer cliffs, on which at times
there are inscriptions carved in limestone, and even entire niches,
carefully carved for rest for weary travelers. At some point
it may seem that this mountain gorge have to walk forever, but
suddenly it ends abruptly, and the tourist’s eyes open like this
called the "Treasury of the Pharaoh" (in Arabic "El-Khazneh") - one of
famous monuments of secret Petra. Many historians believe that
originally it was the temple of the goddess Isis. Such a structure would be very
difficult to create even today, so it doesn’t fit in my head like people
ancient times, it was possible to carry out such accurate calculations and how in general
it is possible to hollow out a structure of such a height from stone, when around on
hundreds and hundreds of kilometers there is not at least some suitable material
for the construction of scaffolding! The degree of strength is also amazing.
buildings - after millennia, the facade of the Treasury remained
practically untouched.

Before entering Petra, you can purchase a detailed map of the city and, if
If you wish, hire a guide. The ancient city extends deep into the rocks on
several kilometers, from east to west, the main street with
colonnade on the sides. On its eastern side there is a triumphal arch for three
span, on the western - a huge temple. One of the most important architectural
part of Petra is an ancient theater designed for 6 thousand spectators,
which is completely carved into the rock. It is known that it was built in
beginning of the 1st century A.D. e., simultaneously with the majestic bulk of the monastery
El Deir is a huge structure with a width of 50 m and more than 45 m in height.
Fans of fantasy cinema will be interested in the fact that
one of the scenes of the movie "Transformers 2" was filmed here.

Couldn't they travel [study the history of past centuries and millennia, and then visit the preserved monuments, the capitals of states and civilizations that once prospered and crush any enemy], while having understanding hearts and hearing ears?!

It is not people's eyes that go blind, but the hearts that are in their chests [they do not heed the lessons of the past in the present, do not try to understand them. Their whole life is a run from nowhere to nowhere along the narrow path of stereotypes and personal interpretations, subjective conclusions].*

Holy Quran 22:46

Impressed?

Then let's open the cards a little.

So, Petra (Arabic البتراء‎‎) - ancient city, capital Idumea (Edoma), later the capital of the Nabataean kingdom. It is located on the territory of modern Jordan, at an altitude of more than 900 m above sea level and 660 m above the surrounding area, the Arava Valley, in the narrow Siq Canyon.

Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan or Jordan — Arab state in the Middle East. It borders with Syria in the north, Iraq in the northeast, Saudi Arabia- in the east and south, with Israel and Palestine - in the west. Jordan shares with Israel and Palestine coastlines Dead Sea and Gulf of Aqaba with Israel, Saudi Arabia and Egypt.

About 90% of the territory of the kingdom is occupied by deserts and semi-deserts.

The most famous landmark in Jordan is , the city we are interested in Petra , located 262 kilometers south of Amman, and 133 kilometers north of Aqaba in the Wadi Musa valley.

The ancient city is the property of the Bedouins, who are engaged in the manufacture and sale of souvenirs on the territory of the museum, and also offer a ride on horses or camels. In place of the current Petra was the first fortified settlement to be named " village" — "stone, rock". Later this name was translated into Greek - Petra ("stone").

Petra - the capital of the Nabatean kingdom and one of the most beautiful and well-preserved ancient cities. Petra is on the list world heritage UNESCO and is one of the new wonders of the world. In ancient times, Petra was on the trade route connecting the Middle East, Arabia and India.

Historians believe that the city was built by the Nabataeans - Arab tribes of nomads who settled on these lands in the 3rd millennium BC. The appearance of Petra owes much to the Greco-Roman culture, which the Nabataeans adapted to their needs. Starting with a few easily defended caves in the rocks, Petra gradually turned into an impregnable walled city. The lands of the former Nabatean kingdom and Petra were completely forgotten in the West.

The Swiss traveler Johann Ludwig Burckhardt was the first European to see and describe Petra in 1812.

The very location of Petra is amazing, namely the mountains, which, depending on the time of day, change their color from dark red to pink and even orange.

It is not so easy to get to the ancient city, you will have to overcome several kilometers on foot: first go down, and back up through Siq Gorge. From the east and west, the cliffs break off vertically, forming natural walls up to 80 m in height.

Here is a description of this path, made in the 70s: “The path to the city lies through this passage. Its length is about 1.2 km, and its width is from 4 to 10 meters or more. The spectacle is truly unforgettable: reddish and brownish cliffs up to 80 m high hang from both sides; a strip of sky turns blue above, coarse gravel and sand rustle underfoot, it smells of dampness and mold. The Romans failed to take Petra for several years; its inhabitants, blocking the only narrow passage leading to the walled city, could hold back an entire army with small forces ...

Walking down the aisle- both to the right and to the left above the head are such cut, gnawed red stones. During the rainy season, this gorge turns into a swift turbulent stream. The road is adorned with the remains of an ancient pavement and rock carvings, and along the edges, like a railing, a water trough winds, delivering water to Petra.

The beginning of the gorge, through which you can get to Petra itself

Already approaching the exit from the gorge, we freeze in amazement: through the hole in the dark corridor, about fifty meters from its end, a pink building with columns and an elegant pediment illuminated by the sun is clearly visible. A few more minutes of patience and before us is one of the monumental tombs of Petra ... What is most striking is that it is a solid stone massif without any additions.

Opens around the corner El Khazneh — majestic building with a facade carved from a huge rock. This is one of the best preserved buildings of the first century. The building is crowned with a huge stone urn, which allegedly kept gold and gems, - hence the name of the temple (translated from Arabic "treasury").

The interior of one of the "rooms" of El Khazneh.

Here it is very clearly seen that all this was carved in a solid stone massif.

Having rounded the rock and the palace of Al-Khazne, you will find yourself surrounded by hundreds of buildings carved into the rocks, temples, tombs, small and large residential buildings, tombs and festive halls, long stairs, arches and cobbled streets. A little lower, a huge Roman amphitheater carved out of stone, which once accommodated more than 4 thousand spectators.

High up in the mountains above the city sacred place worship of the gods, from where a stunning panorama of Petra opens - an amphitheater, a Byzantine church and the tombs of kings, Roman colonnades, the mausoleum of Aaron, and main temple Nabataeans - Kazr al-Bint.

Here is a list of the most interesting of them: El-Khazneh ("Treasury", the tomb of one of the Nabatean kings), Ad-Deir ("Monastery"), Sakhrij ("Ginn blocks"), "Obelisk tomb", "Square of facades", sacred mountain Jebel al-Madbah ("Mountain of Sacrifice"), "Tombs of the Kings", Mugar An-Nasara ("Christian Caves"), Theatre, Byzantine church behind the ruins of the Nymphaeum, Al-Uzza Atargatis ("Temple of the Winged Lions"), Qasr Al- Bint ("Palace of the daughter of the pharaoh", although the pharaohs, of course, do not have any slightest relation), and etc.

There are two in the city archaeological museum: old (in the mountain of Jabal Al-Habis) and new, with excellent collections, as well as many monuments identified with biblical chronicles - the Wadi Musa valley itself ("Valley of Moses"), Mount Jebel Haroun (Mount Aaron, on which, according to legends, the high priest Aaron died), the source of Ain Musa ("Source of Moses"), etc.

Petra was called the "robber's nest", "bloody stones", "cursed place", "city of evil spirits", "ghost city", "city of bloody altars", "city of the dead".

The territory of Petra is large area. From the center, where the ruins of numerous buildings are well preserved, no longer rocky, but built traditional way, made of stone, it extends for several kilometers.

The main street, stretching from east to west across the city, was laid during the Roman rule. On both sides of it stretches a majestic colonnade. The western end of the street ran into a large temple, while the eastern end ended in a three-span triumphal arch.

Ad-Deir is a monastery carved into the rock at the top of a cliff - a huge building about 50 m wide and more than 45 m high. Judging by the crosses carved on the walls, the temple served as a Christian church for some time.

Later, after the researchers dug out the space under the monastery, they discovered the tomb of one of the Nabatean kings.

Here is a very informative video - the program of the National Geographic channel:

The remains of this cities of the dead are a lesson to us who live after them. In the sacredIn the Koran, the Almighty in several verses tells us about the destroyed peoples and villages:

How many settlements We destroyed together with their sinful, godless inhabitants: [old] houses collapsed and became empty, wells [water supply systems] became useless and fell into disrepair, and [strong] built [with the latest science and technology] palaces [ if they remained standing, they were empty and deserted].*

Holy Quran, 22:45

Each of the human communities has its own term [nothing lasts forever in this world, everything (people, peoples, cities, states, eras, civilizations) has an earthly beginning and end]. If it comes, then nothing can be changed (it is impossible to delay or accelerate it). *

Holy Quran, 7:34

Didn't you see what your Lord did to the Adites?! [With their tribe] Iram, who had [majestic] buildings based on columns. Until that moment, there were no others like them [powerful and strong, smart].

Holy Quran 89:6-8

Do they not see [do not know] how many civilizations were destroyed by Us earlier! Indeed, they will not return to them [to those who currently exist]!*

Holy Quran 36:31

In conclusion, I will quote the words of a Muslim scholar-sage who was asked:

“Why do we hear edifications, instructions, but we cannot benefit from them, they are not reflected in our lives?

The sage replied: “For five reasons:

First: Allah has endowed you with many bounties, bestowed on you an uncountable number of blessings, but you have lost the feeling of gratitude before Him

Second: having committed a sin, you stopped feeling fear of God's wrath, you stopped asking for mercy with deeds and words

Third: you don't follow what you know.

Fourth: there are righteous, well-behaved people in your environment, but you don’t even think of being equal to them.

And the last: you bury the dead, see off many of your relatives and friends to another world, but you cannot learn from this instructive lesson "

As-Samarkandi N. Tanbih al-gafilin.S.292

O Allah, fill our hearts with timidity before Your majesty and might. Awaken in us this feeling, which will manifest itself in our tears, which will be filled in the future life with heavenly sources in the highest degrees of Firdavs! Amine.

Radia Zavdetovna,

Mahalla №1

*With comments by Sh. Alyautdinov

When writing the article, materials were used:

Wikipedia

Sh. Alyautdinov “The Holy Quran. Meanings»

I. Alyautdinov “Know. Believe. Honor"

Mikhail Nefedov writes: I am sure that if you are asked which of the wonders of the world you have seen, then 10% of those surveyed will answer that the pyramids are in Egyptian Cairo, but few have been here and seen this:

Even the tourism industry in the United States mistakenly wrote it off to Israel, when in fact it is in Jordan.

There are also seven new wonders of the world, if you are interested, here is a complete list for you:

1. Colosseum in Rome, Italy
2. Great Chinese Wall in Asia, China
3. Machu Picchu in South America, Peru
4. Petra in Jordan
5. Taj Mahal in Asia, India
6. Statue of Christ the Redeemer in South America, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
7. Chichen Itza in America, Yucatan, Mexico

Today I will talk about Petra.

Even before the trip, I was tormented by the question why in all the photographs the famous rock temple-mausoleum, "Treasury" or "Treasury of the Pharaoh", as the Arabs call it, is depicted crookedly. So, I was able to understand this only by visiting there in person.

But I'll start from the beginning:

Petra is an ancient city, the capital of Idumea (Edom), later the capital of the Nabatean kingdom. It is located on the territory of modern Jordan, at an altitude of more than 900 m above sea level and 660 m above the surrounding area, the Arava Valley, in the narrow Siq Canyon (English).

Entrance for tourists is 50 JOD (Jordanian dinar), in rubles it is a little less than 5 thousand rubles.

There are several ways to get around Petra, the cheapest is on foot. Horse-drawn transport will cost a pretty penny, but if you're too lazy to walk, call this guy.

And he will organize a cart for you.

Petra was located at the crossroads of two important trade routes: one connected the Red Sea with Damascus, the other - the Persian Gulf with Gaza off the coast mediterranean sea. Caravans from the Persian Gulf, laden with precious spices, had to courageously endure the harsh conditions of the Arabian desert for weeks until they reached the coolness of the narrow Sik canyon, leading to the long-awaited Petra. There travelers found food, shelter and cool life-giving water. Other major center Nabataeans was Hegra.

For hundreds of years, trade brought great wealth to Petra. But when the Romans discovered sea ​​routes to the East, the overland trade in spices came to naught, and Petra gradually became empty, lost in the sands. Many buildings of Petra were erected in different eras and under different owners of the city, including the Edomites (XVIII-II centuries BC), Nabataeans (II century BC - 106 AD), Romans ( 106-395 AD), Byzantines and Arabs. In the 12th century A.D. e. they were owned by the crusaders.

The first European of modern times to see and describe Petra was the Swiss traveler Johann Ludwig Burckhardt, who traveled incognito. Near the ancient theater here you can see the building of the Idumean or Nabatean era. Monuments built after the VI century AD. e. practically none, because in that era the city had already lost its significance. At the end of the 20th century, Petra became the most popular tourist attraction in Jordan. In 2007, she was chosen as one of the new seven wonders of the world.

Today, about half a million tourists come to Jordan every year to see Petra, whose buildings testify to its glorious past.

The passage to the valley is through the gorges located in the north and south, while from the east and west the cliffs break off vertically, forming natural walls up to 60 m in height. Not far from Petra are the rock temple of Ad-Deir and the tomb of Aaron.

And this is what a local janitor looks like.

The indigenous people of Petra are very similar to the gypsies, but you should not mention this in front of them, there is a risk that you will be beaten.

Only later did I understand why the tourists coming towards me were so exhausted.

All these rocks were once sculptures, but the years have erased everything. That was the elephant.

As tourists pass through the cool, kilometer-long Siq Canyon, around the corner they see Al Khazneh - a majestic building with a facade carved from a huge rock. This is one of the best preserved buildings of the first century.

The building is crowned with a huge urn made of stone, in which gold and precious stones were allegedly kept - hence the name of the temple (translated from Arabic as “treasury”).

The Bedouins offer camel rides to tired tourists, sell souvenirs and water their herds of goats at the city's springs, whose waters quench the thirst of people and animals.

Here you can take a wonderful selfie with a hunchback.

But not all camels are ready to be photographed.

The donkey was tied to a rock and left to sunbathe.

Having learned how to skillfully collect water, the inhabitants of Petra also mastered the art of working with stone. The very name "Petra", which means "stone" in Greek (Greek πετρα). And Petra, indeed, was a city of stone, like it in the Roman Empire was not. The Nabataeans who built the city patiently carved houses, crypts and temples from stone blocks.

Petra is nestled among the red sandstones, which are excellent for building, and by the first century AD, a monumental city had grown in the heart of the desert. With the help of terracotta pipes, the architects of Petra created a complex water supply system and, despite the arid climate, the inhabitants of the city never needed water. There were about 200 tanks throughout the city that collected and stored rainwater. In addition to connecting reservoirs, terracotta pipes collected water from all sources within a radius of 25 kilometers.

The architects planned the construction of the famous temple-mausoleum of El-Khazneh in the former riverbed. For the construction of this structure, the riverbed was changed, a grandiose project for that time. A tunnel was cut through the rock to divert the flow of water and a series of dams were built.

The canyon gradually expands, and tourists find themselves in a natural amphitheater, in the sandstone walls of which there are many caves. But the main thing that catches your eye is the crypts carved into the rocks. The colonnade and the amphitheater testify to the presence of the Romans in the city in the first and second centuries.

Lots of souvenir stalls

The most common souvenir is a polished stone

Surprisingly, in this ancient city, it works great cellular and 3G.

Local residents are 100% involved in the tour business.

And don't look at them appearance, they earn many times more than the average tourist.

IN best years from 1000 to 3000 dinars per day, although now travel business seriously suffers and still they somehow manage to get their minimum.

In the era of decline, Roman architecture abandoned all the laws of architectonics and, obeying the fashion for tasteless splendor, began to create buildings that seemed to be made of soft material, and not built of hard stone. The tomb facades of Petrea (Petra) can serve as an example of such architectural bad taste.

I became curious to look at the Treasury from above and I went to conquer the mountain. If I only knew how difficult it is, I definitely would not repeat this route.

There were children along the way.

After they wore out Sergei, he agreed to show them the photographs he had taken.

We got off with a demonstration of photos on the display of the camera.

After a short ascent, the temple.

This is how the rock looks in section, this is the ceiling.

We experimented a little more with the sun, we got these shots.

I won't show you the whole way.

He's very long.

According to eyewitnesses, there are almost 900 steps.

View from the mountain to Petra.

Amphitheater

Well, actually, they got in.

There is a small house here.

Outside, it looks like this, but I won’t show it inside, in LiveJournal this is already enough.

To see the treasury, you need to go down a little from the highest point of the mountain, but only in the opposite direction. This, in fact, is the end of our route.

Even here they managed to stick a stall with souvenirs. Strange, of course, but it was empty, probably the working day had already ended.

But this view is worth it to climb here.

Going back was easier.

I hope I didn't bore you, I'll try not to do this again;)

This post about the ancient city of Petra in Jordan is not exactly common, because it will not have the traditional “look” at Petra, as tourists usually see it. I will show you a backstage view of this ancient city and tell you about it. all sorts of ways visits - in particular, and how to get to Petra for free, entering, so to speak, from the back door. I will share my impressions of what we have seen, passing in this way. Unfortunately, for some reason, I didn’t take many pictures then, so most of photographic material of Pasha Vorobyov, for which many thanks to him.

By the way, we went to Petra after visiting Mount Nebo and visiting an ostrich farm. I wrote about it: read it if you're interested.

The ancient city of Petra in Jordan - what is it

I think it is worth talking very briefly about this attraction. Petra is the national treasure of the country, it is not for nothing that this ancient city is depicted on the stamps that are pasted at the border for a visa.

In fact, Petra is an ancient city, surrounded on all sides by mountains, which can be reached through a two-kilometer narrow passage. This passage is called the sik. Many buildings of the city are carved into the rock, roughly speaking, they are made from one piece of stone. The city was founded before our era and in different time it was hosted by different peoples. Petra was the capital for the Nabataean kingdom and for some more ancient state. Then there were the Romans, Byzantines, Arabs, Crusaders. All of them left something of their own in the architecture of the city, which is why it is especially interesting here.

The ancient city of Petra in Jordan, among other things, is the Eighth Wonder of the World and is included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Most famous building Petra is El-Khazneh or the treasury. It is completely carved into the rock. Feel the similarity of the words "treasury" and "khazne". It turns out that the word "treasury" is not ours, and its progenitor is Arabic. Well, so, this building is also well known from the film about Indiana Jones: it’s true that according to the script it collapses there.

We did not manage to visit inside it: we, accompanied by a security guard, were taken out of this city for ticketlessness. But more about that below. Only got a couple of photos. Pasha reproached me for a long time for taking a bad picture of him against the background of this most important historicity. Duc. Well, yes, guilty. But in general, isn't it impudence to stand and pose when you are being led under escort.

How much does a ticket cost and how to visit the ancient city of Petra in Jordan: different options

Visiting Petra is very expensive, but there are various ways.

To buy a ticket. Trite and expensive. Since you cannot see Petra in one hour, tickets are sold for one, two, three days. Accordingly, the price is different. When we were there, the ticket cost about 35 dinars per person. And now, they say, it costs about 90 dinars. A nightmare, of course, because the dinar is even more expensive than the euro. If you buy a ticket for three days, then on the fourth day you go for free. Named tickets. In short, an expensive pleasure.

Ask for a ticket from those leaving. The point is this. Let's say someone bought a ticket for three days to visit the ancient city of Petra in Jordan, but used it only twice and decided that on the third and fourth day he would not go there. This means that such a citizen needs a ticket only for a souvenir. He can simply give it to the needy and the poor, that is, to us. Once a generous visitor to Petra gives you a ticket, he will surely meet his fortune. This method requires patience and good knowledge of English. It is necessary to pick up those leaving Petra and ask them for such a ticket. We tried, but somehow inactive and timid, besides, the complete lack of knowledge of English led us to think that this was not our option.

Buy a used ticket. The same way. The difference lies in the fact that you should not ask to give you a ticket for free, but buy it at half price from the same citizens. By the way, this is more realistic if you stay in a hostel: there is more communication with people and a low-budget traveler will easily agree to return part of the resources spent back. And in hostels there may be advertisements for the sale of such tickets. Although the ticket is nominal, the identity of the name on it and your body is rarely checked: many visitors go to Petra and there is no time to do this.

Enter Petra through the back door. Free and the most interesting way. We succeeded: read more about this option of hitting Petra below.

How to get to Petra for free, long, hard, but interesting

Actually, we did not come up with this method. We just found it on the Internet. Its essence lies in the fact that the ancient city of Petra in Jordan has several ways-entrances, and they are located quite far from the main guarded entrance. In fact, we had a handwritten map of how to wander between the mountains in order to reach these passes. True, the map was with a big mistake, because of which I would have either broken my neck or simply returned back if we had not figured out this mistake and corrected it.

So, I give the same description that we had, with comments on how to get to Petra.

A handwritten map of the passage to the Ancient City of Petra in Jordan, with a corrected error.

We go down the road leading to the siq (the main ticket entrance). Near the bourgeois hotel Movenpick, we turn right and move along the paved road. We walk about 3 km and come to the village of Umm Seykhun, everyone knows it simply as the “Bedouin Village”. Souvenir merchants live there, who trade in Petra. Near the village there is a secret entrance number 1 to Petra. But he is of little use, because he is known to the police. Souvenirs are brought into Petra through this entrance.

There is a campsite 3 km from the village. It is a platform of sand, fenced with a grid, and around - mountains. Officially, you can’t spend the night near Petra: they can catch the cops. The ancient city of Petra in Jordan has security both inside and outside: patrols go around the perimeter with some periodicity and catch people like us. We spent a little time with the owner - drank tea, watched how he cooks food from tomatoes and canned beans. We sat with him for a bit and went to look for a place to spend the night, as things were going on towards the night.

And the night there is wonderful: thick, thick darkness, like ink, and the wind is also thick. In general, we climbed in the dark and found a passage between two rocks into some kind of stone "well". He represented enough large area surrounded by rocks. The most interesting thing about this place was that there was no wind exactly in the middle of this area. You step aside a little - there is a whirlwind, and you go into the middle - it is quiet. In this place they set up a tent.

I woke up at night from the fact that someone was shining a lantern from above on our tent. I was even a little taken aback, and then I realized that it was just a full moon in an absolutely cloudless sky. Remembered for a lifetime!
In the morning we took a picture of our place to spend the night, ate something like halva for breakfast and then went towards the flow of events.

We go further to the Ancient city of Petra in Jordan. After 2 km we come to an asphalted crossroads. The road leads directly to the valley of the Rift, not far to the right is the village of Beida, and to the left is the little-known interesting sight of Little Petra. It is free, also contains a sik and a mini-temple like El-Khazneh in Greater Petra.

Attention: an error in the handwritten map! We go straight along the small sik and come to the riverbed between the rocks. In our case, the river was dry. We go downstream and come to a sharp descent. Oddly enough, you can go down there, but be very careful and not after the rain. We turn right and pass through the Bedouin camp.

Here in the map - a severe inaccuracy. It makes no sense to follow the river and go down. Pasha, for example, descended into the first ravine in the rock, and further, he says, even steeper and with heavy backpacks is a problem. I didn’t even climb the first descent: I’m not sure - don’t poke your head. We regretted that we did not have a rope. In general, we decided to return to the entrance to Little Petra. By the way, here is a photo of Pasha with the skull of some animal, which he found below. How this skull got there is unclear, probably also a stowaway.

So it is not necessary to go along the river bed and go down too. You can see Little Petra and return to the entrance. Then you need to walk about 300-400 meters along a dirt road that goes to the left of the entrance, and then you will find yourself in a Bedouin village - the one about which it is written on the map and which supposedly can be reached only if you crawl down the riverbed.

In the village, children came to us. Here's a picture of the girl. In general, they are quite enterprising there. We took a picture of her, and she says: “Give me one dollar,” and we shish her. They also saw how sheep graze on the slopes of the mountains: it is not clear what they eat there, only thorns among the stones. Several spent shell casings were also found near the village. The village is actually one name, it is not clear whether it is sheds or huts. The ancient city of Petra in Jordan was already very close.

The attitude towards free riders there is calm, but it’s better not to go at night: angry dogs (as at the entrance to Malaya Petra). You can go straight down the road, but there may be cops there. You should turn right and go across the field to the cliff. Then we turn left and carefully walk along the terrace along the cliff. As a result, we will certainly get to the monastery, which is located in Bolshaya Petra.

On the way to the village, we came across two guys: apparently, they were walking from Petra to the village. They tried to intimidate us: they say, you can’t walk here, and all that. In general, they talked a little impudently, but then they got rid of it and went their own way, carrying some kind of bundle.

That's all, you are in the city of Petra. When we descended from the last cliff to finally get into the city, some foreign tourist was looking at us. He stands and stares as two citizens climb over the "fence".

I remember one more thing: the descent was complicated by the fact that Pasha carried everything fragile with him in his backpack: smuggled coral from Egypt, a hookah and an ostrich egg, which was presented to him on an ostrich farm about. In short, he zadolbal with his backpack. My backpack was simply thrown off, and it was lowered so gently. In general, Pasha, hello to you, if you read these lines, and health to the family and the child. Come visit.

We walked along Petra for only two hours at the most. The stowaways in us were given backpacks, they just had to be hidden and sightseeing light. And if it took another day to explore, then you just had to hide in some cave, hollowed out in the rock, and spend the night.

Well, this is what we had an unforgettable acquaintance with the city of Petra in Jordan.