Wadi Araba, Jordan
What you leave behind is not what is engraved in stone monuments, but what is woven into the lives of others.
—Pericles (495–429 B.C.), Greek politician
Petra’s ornate carvings in pink sandstone glisten under shafts of brilliant sunlight, showcasing the ornamented facade of the two-thousand-year-old Al-Khazneh (the City Treasury) in the dark canyons of southern Jordan. In a landscape where you might expect to see Bedouins tending their sheep or a camel caravan ambling past, the spectacular Treasury and other amazing structures carved by ancient Arabs, the nomadic Nabataeans, might seem like a mirage—or perhaps a miracle of human ingenuity and prosperity.
If you seek creative inspiration or spiritual enrichment, journey to this sacred treasure. Petra is 162 miles south of Amman (Queen Alia International Airport) and 82 miles north of Aqaba in a mountainous desert between the Red Sea and the Mediterranean Sea. Take a guided coach tour to Petra. Once there, stop at the visitors center. Walk (or hire a horse-drawn carriage) to traverse the siq (canyon) into the ancient city, and then hire a horse, camel, or donkey to tour the ruins. Wear comfortable walking shoes, loose conservative clothing, and a hat, and bring bottled drinking water.
Find inspiration in the brilliant work of the ancient Nabataeans, and bring along a journal to capture your impressions and inspirations.
Petra has been inhabited since prehistoric times and was a flourishing trading center when the Nabataeans masterfully executed their elaborate carvings.