The Ancient City of Petra, Jordan.

I have this thing with the New7Wonders of the World. Having ticked already 5 out of 7 off my bucket-list I was pretty excited about number 6: Petra in Jordan. I had Petra on my bucket-list for quite some time now, which is why I had huge expectations to this Wonder of the World. Lucky me, I did not get disappointed! The contrary, it was the most beautiful thing I have seen in a long time. ♥

The Treasury (“Al Khazneh”)

Petra is also known as the Rose-Red City, which is really matching with the rock-faces that surround the passages. There are countless monuments, tombs and lonely caves in Petra, most of them were cut out of a sandstone rock face.
Lucky us we went there early in the morning and off-season. That allowed us to enjoy Petra almost on our own. We had plenty of time taking pictures of literally every rock.
Strolling through high rock faces, marvel at the beauty of Mother Nature, we didn’t know where to look first. We strolled for good an hour (with a lot of stops), until we saw the first monument itself. A narrow passage (“Siq”) led to The Treasury (“Al Khazneh”), one of the main attractions in Petra. In front there were 2 camels sitting. What a picture-perfect idyll!

a narrow passage (“Siq”)

spotted: The Treasury (“Al Khazneh”)

The Treasury.

As we wanted to see The Treasury also from above, we were hiking for hours along lonely caves, rock-cut tombs and several souvenir stands. By times we got lost on our way, but it didn’t matter as we kept on going and got rewarded with the most beautiful scenery ever. When we finally reached the top we saw a small shelter with straw-mats. We took a seat. I felt so blessed looking down on The Treasury, as the view from up there was pretty amazing. There was this tour guide sitting in the same shelter we started a funny conversation with. He told us a lot about Petra and about his cousin who owned a small shop at the other end of Petra. It was already noon and by this time we saw large groups of tourists invading Petra through the narrow passage.

souvenirs, anyone?

Petra, the Rose-Red City.

hiking all the way up, to see The Treasury from above.

Petra, you stole my heart. ♥

“Not all those who wander are lost.” – J. R. R. Tolkien

The Treasury from above.

We went down again for lunch and started our second hike for the day. Our goal was the second famous monument in Petra, located at the other side of the ancient city. Hiking up to The Monastery (“El Deir”) was a real challenge after hiking for so many hours. (My legs and calves were sore for days!) But our effort should be rewarded, as the view from the summit was breathtaking. Watching the sunset from the summit was one of the most beautiful things ever. The rocks turn orange and shined bright in the soft light.
Golden hour never felt so magic. We continued walking further to the very end of Petra. A Beduine guy sitting on one of the summits invited us to come up to the top where he had prepared some blankets and a shelter. We joined him on his summit and sat there for hours, drinking tea (prepared over coals in a pot!), philosophizing about life and enjoying this breathtaking scenery. He told us a lot about his life and how it is living in a cave. Fun fact, he turned out to be related to the tour-guide we met on top when we were looking down on The Treasury. What a coincidence! Unfortunately time flew. When we went down it was already pitch-dark, except the moon, which gave us some light. Pretty kitschy, I know. But also pretty amazing! 😉

“Traveling – it leaves you speechless, then turns you into a storyteller.” – Ibn Battuta

What a peaceful moment! If I was not afraid of falling down.. 😉

The Monastery from above.

best view ever.

“Come, let us have some tea and continue to talk about happy things.” – Chaim Potok

watching the sunset over the Monastery.

There is a travel guide for Jordan on the blog, where I am sharing my experience about the trip! Make sure to check it out before going to Jordan as it contains useful information.

xx CtheSky

photo credits: CtheSky.com