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The Rose-Red City of Petra

On a trip to Jordan, Mark explored the famed city of Petra.
“I’m a huge fan of the Middle East’s history, with locations such as Abu Simbel in Egypt and Crac Des Chevaliers in Syria amongst my favourites. Somewhere like Jordan packs so much history in to such a small country – it’s truly fascinating. Petra has always been on my list of places to see (probably as a result of the Indiana Jones movies!) so when I was in Aqaba, there was no excuse not to visit. Being August, though, high temperatures meant that it was going to be hot going!
The entrance to Petra is really breathtaking – you’ve probably seen it on TV, but the narrow gap in the rocks known as the Siq that opens up in to the city itself makes for a spectacular entrance – with 200 metre high cliffs towering above you, the sense of adventure is at its height. Petra itself covers a fairly large area, so I found it useful to break it up in to different areas, to make the most of the location – and to avoid overdoing things in the heat! The first ‘building’ you come to as you pass through the Siq is probably its most famous – thanks, again, to Indiana Jones! The Treasury is a spectacular monument that’s beautifully carved on the outside, but a hollow chamber on the inside – a stark reminder that Petra wasn’t built from the rock – it was carved out of it.
As you pass along the Street of Facades, you’ll come to the Theatre – at this point I was able to imagine how the city would have been when it was at its height, buzzing with people passing along the main thoroughfare, stopping at the theatre or continuing on to other parts of the city.
At the furthest end of Petra is the Monastery – well worth the walk, it’s the largest structure in the City. Also known as the Dier, little is known about it, and as it feels somewhat tucked away, I had the feeling that its history wasn’t entirely peaceful. Its size is overwhelming – the entrance door to the inner chamber is eight metres high, and the façade itself is over 40 metres long.
If your feet can take it (and mine could but only after a long rest under a shady tree!) head to the High Place, located on top of the mountain with impressive views – you can either take the 700 steps (as I did) or a donkey may be an easier option – personally, it looked a safer bet to walk! The High Place was a point of worship and ceremony – try to imagine the 700 steps as part of a processional route.
If you find yourself in Aqaba or one of the nearby Red Sea resorts, make the effort to go to Petra – it really is one of the most fascinating sites I’ve been to, and well worth the effort to go – although next time I may avoid the hottest time of year!"For details of holidays to Aqaba visit http://www.escapeworldwide.co.uk/red/destin/aqaba.shtml

More details of the holidays we offer can be found at http://www.escapeworldwide.co.uk

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