Petra was on my “to visit” list for a long time before I finally made it there last year, and after 3 days there I can say that it should be on every traveller’s bucket list. Words can’t describe the feeling when you first walk down the narrow Siq that suddenly opens up to reveal the splendour of the Treasury. The rest of the site doesn’t disappoint either – with an overwhelming sense of history surrounded by spectacular scenery spread over vast distances. Several days are needed to fully explore the city – the hike from the entrance of the Siq to the Monastery for example takes almost 2 hours, depending your level of fitness.
On my first day there I visited the Street of Facades, shown in the center of this picture. These are tombs, with impressive facades carved into the colorful stone. The most elaborate were for the rich, while there are more simple and smaller tombs for the poorer people.
At the end of the day I looped up behind the theater (via the path leading to the left in the picture and then Wadi Farasa, approximately a 2 hour hike) to the High Place of Sacrifice, where the Nabateans are believed to have carried out religious ceremonies and sacrifices. On the way down, taking the more direct route down to the valley floor, the golden light highlighted the Street of Facades where I had spent several hours earlier in the day.
A Colorful Affair 