Petra البتراء
Petra البتراء
Why Go?
Petra, the great Ancient City that lies half-hidden in the wind-blown landscape in southern Jordan, is one of the world’s most treasured Unesco Heritage Sites. Voted by popular ballot in 2007 as one of the ‘New Seven Wonders of the World’, it has retained its magnetism even through times of strife in the wider region.
A visit to Petra when it was rediscovered for the wider world by Jean Louis Burckhardt in the 19th century meant going in disguise, speaking in local dialect and engaging the trust of surrounding tribespeople. Today visitors are welcomed both by the Bedouin who still relate to the Ancient City as home, and by the townspeople of neighbouring Wadi Musa whose facilities make a several-day visit to the Ancient City a pleasure. With nearby Nabataean attractions at so-called Little Petra, desert camping and numerous hiking opportunities, at least two days should be allowed to do Petra justice.
When to Go
AMarch to May is peak tourist season in Petra and for good reason. Hiking is at its safest, the wadis are seamed with prolific pink-flowering oleander, and climbs to the High Places are accompanied by spears of flowering aloe.
AMid-October to the end of November, Petra’s second high season, offers a last chance to visit in good weather before rains make some routes off limits.
ABitterly cold by night with bright blue skies by day, Petra is almost empty in winter, allowing for a more intimate engagement with the ‘Pink City’. This is a good time to catch the best bargains in Wadi Musa hotels.
Best Places to Stay
Petra Highlights
1 Siq Following the path of pilgrims through the sheer-sided chasm that leads to an ancient world.
2 Treasury Catching the early-morning sun slanting off the pillars of this Petra icon at the end of the Siq.
3 High Place of Sacrifice Climbing the processional way, pausing for tea with the Bedouin in the gardens of wildflowers.
4 Royal Tombs Searching for spirits lurking in the rainbow-coloured hollows.
5 Monastery Watching the weather-burnished stones catch alight at sunset from this celebrated Petra High Place.
6 Petra by Night Letting the soul glide through the Siq’s shadows, guided by music and candlelight.
7 Petra Kitchen Preparing a traditional Jordanian supper in the company of fellow travellers, guided by experts, in Wadi Musa.
8 Little Petra Enjoying Nabataean tombs and temples in a miniature siq outside the Ancient City often overlooked by tour groups.
History
Petra: An Ancient Land
Petra is inextricably linked with the Nabataeans, the nomadic tribe from western Arabia who built most of the monuments in the Ancient City that are visible today. They were not the first inhabitants of the region, however. In fact, Neolithic villages dating from around 7000 BC are in evidence in the surrounding wadis and hillsides of Petra. Remains of the most famous of these, excavated in the 1950s, can be seen at Al Beidha, just north of the Ancient City near Little Petra. Built at the same time as Jericho on the West Bank, Al Beidha is one of the earliest known farming communities in the Middle East.
Nabataean Heyday
The Nabataeans arrived in the region around the 6th century BC. They were organised traders, and over the next 500 years they used their wealth to build the city of Petra. In its heyday, under King Aretas IV (8 BC–AD 40), the city was home to around 30,000 people, including scribes (the Nabataeans created their own cursive script, the forerunner of Arabic) and expert hydraulic engineers who built dams, cisterns and water channels to protect the site and its magnificent buildings.
The Romans in Petra
By AD 106, as trade routes shifted from Petra to Palmyra and new sea trade routes via the Red Sea to Rome bypassed Petra altogether, the Romans assumed control of the weakened Nabataean empire. Far from abandoning the declining city of Petra, however, the invaders recast the Ancient City with familiar Roman features, including a colonnaded street and baths. The city was honoured by a visit from Emperor Hadrian in AD 131, and in the 3rd century Petra once again became a capital – this time of the newly created province of Palaestrina Tertia. It was a short-lived second glory as an earthquake in 363 brought ruin.
Petra’s 19th-Century Rediscovery
By the time of a second devastating earthquake in 551 Petra had became a forgotten outpost, a ‘lost city’ known only to local Bedouin who preferred to keep its whereabouts secret. In 1812, however, the young Swiss explorer, Jean Louis Burckhardt, ended Petra’s splendid isolation, riding into the abandoned Ancient City disguised as a Muslim holy man, bringing in his wake a series of explorers, fortune hunters and curious travellers.
Throughout the 19th century, Petra became the focus of the Western European obsession with the Arabic Orient and the site was pored over by numerous archaeologists, poets and artists (including the famed British painter David Roberts in 1839).
Ongoing Exploration
The first English archaeological team arrived in 1929 and excavations have continued unabated to the present day. In 1992 the mosaics of the Petra Church were unveiled and in 2003 a tomb complex was found underneath the Treasury. Part of the continuing allure of the ‘Pink City’ is that despite years of scrutiny, Petra still has many secrets yet to be discovered.
Nature Reserves
Petra and the immediate vicinity is a protected area, although it is administered differently from Jordan’s other nature reserves. Given the number of visitors it hosts each year, the area has its own challenges, particularly erosion and damage to antiquities. Visitors must avoid littering, wandering off paths, picking flowers, marking the monuments or disappearing behind a rock instead of using the toilet facilities.
‘IBRAHIM’ BURCKHARDT: EXPLORER EXTRAORDINAIRE
There can’t be many explorers in history who can match the remarkable exploits of Jean Louis Burckhardt. Born in 1784 in Lausanne, Switzerland, he studied Arabic and attended lectures on science and medicine at Cambridge University in the UK before moving to Aleppo (Syria) in 1809. Here, he converted to Islam and took the name Sheikh Ibrahim Bin Abdullah. Over the next two years, he became a master of disguise, adopting local customs and putting his alias to the test among local Bedouin.
In 1812, travelling between Damascus and Cairo, he heard locals tell of fantastic ruins hidden in the mountains of Wadi Musa. Determined to see for himself, he had to think of a ploy to allay the suspicions of his guide and porters and decided to disguise himself as a pilgrim on a mission to pay his respects at the tomb of Haroun. This was an ingenious strategy because the tomb lies at the furthest end of the valley, allowing him cautious glances at the wonders he passed en route.
Although he tried hard to hide his astonishment, his guide wasn’t fooled for long and imagined that the pale Syrian had come hunting for treasure. To avoid occasioning more suspicion, Burckhardt therefore had to confine his curiosity to the briefest examination of the ancient monuments – enough, however, to conclude that this was Petra, a place which he understood no European traveller had ever visited. Despite being a man not given to literary flourishes, his journal, Travels in Syria and the Holy Land, reveals something of the excitement of his discovery and he describes emerging from the subterranean gloom of the Siq in terms that have inspired generations of future travellers.
For many an explorer, this expedition would have been a lifetime’s achievement – but not for Burckhardt. He went on to find the source of the Niger, stumbled on the magnificent Ramses II temple at Abu Simbel in Egypt, and still under disguise explored Mecca and Medina. In 1815 he contracted dysentery in Cairo, which returned with fatal consequences in 1817. He was buried as a Muslim in the Islamic Cemetery in Cairo. He was only 33 years old.
8Dangers & Annoyances
Petra has a few specific issues related to its geography and the large volume of visitors received each year.
AFrom September to March, dangerous flash floods (walls of water that pulse along the narrow defiles) can catch hikers unaware. Checking the forecast is essential.
AHotel touts, traders and animal handlers (including children) can be over-persistent in the competitive high season, sometimes overcharging and employing hard-sell techniques. Deciding on a choice of hotel in advance of arrival at the bus station and engaging would-be traders in conversation are the best antidotes.
AWomen are especially vulnerable to unwanted romantic advances in remote parts of Petra. A firm ‘no thank you’ is generally a sufficient deterrent. In budget hotels in Wadi Musa, it’s worth making sure doors lock properly and that there are no peepholes.
AThe Ancient City is strewn with High Places, once used for sacrifice or other rituals. These locations, all of which afford magnificent views and are a highlight of a visit, usually involve a steep hike up steps to a hilltop where there is no railing or other safety features. Some readers have expressed dismay at this.
8Getting There & Away
Petra is a four-hour drive from Amman, two hours from Aqaba and 1½ hours from Wadi Rum. If driving to or from the Dead Sea, consider travelling along the spectacular and seldom-used road that links Little Petra with Wadi Araba through Namleh. Signs stating that this route is closed are outdated, but flash floods often cause damage to the road, so it’s worth checking locally before attempting the drive.
8Getting Around
There are usually plenty of yellow taxis with green plates travelling up and down the main road of Wadi Musa towards the entrance for Petra, especially in the early morning and late afternoon. They congregate outside Petra Visitor Centre. It’s best to stick with these taxis as other cars offering taxi services are unlicensed and often uninsured.
Within Petra, the only way to reach most sites is by walking (strong, comfortable shoes are essential!) or by taking a camel, donkey or mule to more distant and uphill sites.
The Ancient City
The ancient Nabataean city of Petra, with its myriad tombs scooped out of the sandstone cliffs, is not just the leading highlight of a country blessed with more than its fair share of top sights: it’s a world wonder. It lay forgotten for centuries, known only to the Bedouin who made it their home, until Swiss explorer Jean Louis Burckhardt happened upon it in 1812. Built partly in honour of the dead, the Petra necropolis retains much of its sense of mystery thanks to its inaccessible location in the heart of a wind-eroded landscape. Reached via the Siq, a narrow rift in the land whose cliffs cast long shadows across the once-sacred way, the path suddenly slithers into sunlight in front of the Treasury – a spectacle that cannot fail to impress. Add to this the cheerfulness of the Bedouin, and it’s easy to see what makes a visit to Petra a must.
Petra
1Top Sights
1Sights
Petra City Centre
1Sights
1Sights
There are more than 800 registered sites in Petra, including some 500 tombs, but the best things to see are easy to find and easy to reach. From the main gate, a path winds 800m downhill through an area called Bab As Siq (Gateway to the Siq), punctuated with the first signs of the old city.
There are signs in English throughout Petra, helping to identify the main monuments, but a guidebook is useful to interpret what each site represents.
Start your visit to Petra at the Petra Visitor Centre plaza in Wadi Musa, across the road from the Mövenpick Hotel. This is where you buy tickets, get leaflets and a map, and use the toilets (although there are several toilets inside the Ancient City).
The sights are listed in this chapter in the order in which they are most usually encountered. The key places of interest are marked with a star.
Djinn BlocksMonument
About halfway between Petra Visitor Centre and the entrance to the Siq, look out for three enormous, squat monuments, known as Djinn Blocks or God Blocks. Standing guard beside the path, they take their name from the Arabic word for spirit, the source of the English word ‘genie’. Other than the fact they were built by Nabataeans in the 1st century AD, little is known about their why or wherefore.
Many visitors miss the blocks in their hurry to reach the Siq but they are worth a pause to speculate about their purpose. Some suggest they represent the start of tombs, or were associated with funerary dedications or the worship of water and fertility. Whatever their intended function, they are the lodestar for the modern visitor – a tantalising taste of the monuments to come, or announcing journey’s end on the weary return.
Obelisk Tomb & Bab As Siq TricliniumTomb
Between the Petra Visitor Centre and the entrance to the Siq (south side of the path), there is a fine tomb with four pyramidal obelisks, built as funerary symbols by the Nabataeans in the 1st century BC. The four obelisks, together with the eroded human figure in the centre, probably represent the five people buried in the tomb.
The obelisk tomb at first appears to be multistorey. In fact, it was built on top of a much earlier structure, with a Doric columned facade. This building is known as a triclinium (dining room), and is one of several in Petra. This is where annual feasts were held to commemorate the dead, although it’s hard to imagine the conviviality of a banquet in the silent hollow that remains.
If you miss it on the way down to the Ancient City (easily done if you’re riding a horse to the Siq), look out for it on the way back: the monument comes into its own at sunset when the obelisks are thrown into relief.
Near the Obelisk Tomb, further down the track towards the Siq, a signposted detour to the right leads to several stepped tombs carved into the tops of domed hills. It’s a secret little place, missed by almost everyone in their rush to get to the Siq.
oSiqCanyon
The 1.2km Siq, or canyon, with its narrow, vertical walls, is undeniably one of the highlights of Petra. The walk through this magical corridor, as it snakes its way towards the hidden city, is one full of anticipation for the wonders ahead – a point not wasted on the Nabataeans, who made the passage into a sacred way, punctuated with sites of spiritual significance.
The Siq starts at an obvious bridge, beside a modern dam. The dam was built in 1963, on top of a Nabataean dam dated AD 50, to stop floodwater from Wadi Musa flowing through the Siq. To the right, Wadi Muthlim heads through a Nabataean tunnel – the start (or finish) of an exciting hike. The entrance to the Siq was once marked by a Nabataean monumental arch. It survived until the end of the 19th century, and some remains can be seen at twin niches on either side of the entrance. Many people charge through the Siq impatient to get to Petra. That’s a pity because the corridor of stone is worth enjoying for its own sake and the longer you take to travel through it, the more you can savour the final moment of arrival.
Technically, the Siq, with its 200m-high walls, is not a canyon (a gorge carved out by water), but a single block that has been rent apart by tectonic forces. At various points you can see where the grain of the rock on one side matches the other – it’s easiest to spot when the Siq narrows to 2m wide. The original channels cut into the walls to bring water into Petra are visible, and in some places the 2000-year-old terracotta pipes are still in place. A section of Roman paving was revealed after excavations in 1997 removed 2m of soil accumulation.
Some historians speculate that the primary function of the Siq was akin to the ancient Graeco-Roman Sacred Way. Some of the most important rituals of Petra’s spiritual life began as a procession through the narrow canyon, and it also represented the end point for Nabataean pilgrims. Many of the wall niches that are still visible today along the Siq’s walls were designed to hold figures or representations (called baetyls) of the main Nabataean god, Dushara. These small sacred sites served as touchstones of the sacred for pilgrims and priests, offering them a link to the more ornate temples, tombs and sanctuaries in the city’s heart, reminding them that they were leaving the outside world, and on the threshold of what was for many a holy city.
At one point the Siq opens out to reveal a square tomb next to a lone fig tree. A little further on, look for a weathered carving of a camel and caravan man on the left wall. The water channel passes behind the carving. Hereafter, the walls almost appear to meet overhead, shutting out the sound and light and helping to build the anticipation of a first glimpse of the Treasury. It’s a sublime introduction to the Ancient City.
Finding Your Own Pace in Petra
Instead of trying to tick off all the top spots in the Ancient City (the quickest way to ‘monument fatigue’), it’s better to personalise Petra by sparing time to amble among unnamed tombs, have a picnic in the shade of a flowering oleander or sip tea at a stall on the valley floor and watch everyone else toiling to ‘see it all’.
The following suggestions combine some of the obvious highlights with off-the-beaten-track exploration.
Half Day (five hours) Amble through the Siq, absorbing its special atmosphere and savouring the moment of revelation at the Treasury. Resist the temptation to head for the Theatre; instead, climb the steps to the High Place of Sacrifice. Pause for tea by the Obelisk and take the path into Wadi Farasa, enjoying wildflowers and the Garden Tomb en route. The path reaches the Colonnaded Street via a paintbox of rock formations. If there’s time, visit the Royal Tombs and then return to the valley floor for a chat with Bedouin stallholders and a hunt for the perfect sand bottle.
One Day (eight hours) Spend the morning completing the half-day itinerary, but pack a picnic. After visiting the Royal Tombs, walk along to Qasr Al Bint and hike along the broad wadi that leads to Jebel Haroun as far as Snake Monument – an ideal perch for a snack and a snooze. Return to explore Qasr Al Bint but save some energy for the climb to the Monastery, a fitting finale for any visit to Petra.
Two Days Spend the second day scrambling through exciting Wadi Muthlim (if open) and restore your energy over a barbecue in the Basin Restaurant. Walk off lunch exploring the hidden beauty of Wadi Siyagh with its pools of water before strolling back along the Street of Facades. Sit near the Theatre to watch the sun go down on the Royal Tombs opposite – the best spectacle in Petra.
oTreasuryTomb
(Al Khazneh; MAP GOOGLE MAP)
Known locally as the Treasury, this tomb is where most visitors fall in love with Petra. The Hellenistic facade is an astonishing piece of craftsmanship. Although carved out of iron-laden sandstone to serve as a tomb for the Nabataean King Aretas III (c 100 BCE–CE 200), the Treasury derives its name from the story that an Egyptian pharaoh hid his treasure here (in the facade urn) while pursuing the Israelites.
Some locals clearly believed the tale because the 3.5m-high urn is pockmarked by rifle shots. As with all rock-hewn monuments in Petra, the interior is unadorned. The Treasury is at its most photogenic in full sunlight between about 9am and 11am.
Street of FacadesRuins
From the Treasury, the passage broadens into what is commonly referred to as the Outer Siq. Riddling the walls of the Outer Siq are more than 40 tombs and houses built by the Nabataeans in a ‘crow step’ style reminiscent of Assyrian architecture. Colloquially known as the Street of Facades, they are easily accessible, unlike many tombs in Petra.
A couple of tombs are worth exploring here. The first tomb (number 67) is unusual in that it has a funeral chamber in the upper storey. The low entryway highlights how the valley floor has risen over the centuries thanks to the debris washed down during flash floods. Nearby, tomb 70 is unusual in that it is freestanding, with a ziggurat-style top that makes it look like a miniature fort.
oHigh Place of SacrificeViewpoint
(Al Madbah; MAP GOOGLE MAP)
The most accessible of Petra’s High Places, this well-preserved site was built atop Jebel Madbah with drains to channel the blood of sacrificial animals. A flight of steps signposted just before the Theatre leads to the site: turn right at the obelisks (MAP GOOGLE MAP) to reach the sacrificial platform. You can ascend by donkey (about JD10 one way), but you’ll sacrifice both the sense of achievement on reaching the summit and the good humour of your poor old transport.
The obelisks are more than 6m high; they are remarkable structures because they are carved out of the rock face, not built upon it: looking at the negative space surrounding them, you can understand the truly epic scale of excavation involved. Dedicated to the Nabataean gods Dushara and Al ‘Uzza, their iron-rich stone glows in the sun and they act like totems of this once-hallowed ground.
The altar area includes a large rectangular triclinium, where celebrants at the sacrifice shared a communal supper. In the middle of the High Place, there’s a large stone block preceded by three steps. This is a motab (repository), where the god statues involved in the procession would have been kept. Next to it is the circular altar, reached by another three steps; stone water basins nearby were used for cleansing and purifying.
The faint bleat of sheep or the clunk of a goat bell evokes the ancient scene – except that no ordinary person would have been permitted to enter this holy of holies at that time. Cast an eye across the superb panorama in front of you – far above the mortal goings-on of both ancient and modern city – and it’s easy to see how this site must have seemed closer to the sky than the earth.
The steps to the High Place of Sacrifice are well maintained, if unremitting, and it takes about 45 minutes up through the crevices and folds of the mountain to reach the obelisks from the Theatre. From here you fork right to reach the altar area. The route is steep but not unduly exposed, so is manageable (unless you suffer from severe vertigo) even without a head for heights. From the altar area, descend the shelves of rock to a broad rim: about 50m down are regal views of the Royal Tombs.
It’s worth sitting here for a while. From this lofty vantage point you can watch the everyday dramas of camel handlers arguing with their mounts, young children moving goats from one patch of sparse vegetation to the next and Bedouin stallholders regaling the unsuspecting traveller. They each move beyond the languishing tombs of ordinary folk, far too mindful of the needs of the living to worry much about the forgotten hopes of the ancient dead.
From the obelisks it’s possible to continue to the city centre via a group of interesting tombs in beautiful Wadi Farasa.
oTheatreTheatre
Originally built by the Nabataeans (not the Romans) more than 2000 years ago, the Theatre was chiselled out of rock, slicing through many caves and tombs in the process. It was enlarged by the Romans to hold about 8500 (around 30% of the population of Petra) soon after they arrived in 106 CE. Badly damaged by an earthquake in 363 CE, the Theatre was partially dismantled to build other structures but it remains a Petra highlight.
The seating area had an original capacity of about 3000 in 45 rows of seats, with three horizontal sections separated by two corridors. The orchestra section was carved from the rock, but the backdrop to the frons scaenae (stage, which is no longer intact) was constructed, as opposed to carved, in three storeys with frescoed niches and columns overlaid by marble. The performers entered through one of three entrances, the outlines of which are still partially visible.
To make room for the upper seating tiers, the Romans sliced through more tombs. Under the stage floor were storerooms and a slot through which a curtain could be lowered at the start of a performance. From near the slot, an almost-complete statue of Hercules was recovered.
With a backdrop worthy of a David Roberts canvas, the Theatre now offers a vantage point from which to watch a modern tragicomedy of the ill-costumed, cursing their high-heeled footwear; the ill-cast, yawning at tedious tour guides; and the ill-tempered – mainly in the form of irritable camels and their peevish owners.
The Tombs of Petra
There are more tombs dotted around Petra than any other type of structure; for years visitors assumed that the city was a vast necropolis. One plausible reason why so few dwellings have been discovered is that many of the Nabataeans lived in tents, much like some Bedouin do today.
Petra’s earliest rock tombs date from the 3rd century BC. The size and design of the tombs depended on the social status and financial resources of the deceased, ranging from simple cave-like tombs to the ornate facades of the Royal Tombs, the high point of Nabataean funerary architecture.
More sculptors than architects, the Nabataeans quickly realised that it was easier to carve tombs out of the soft sandstone rock than to build freestanding structures that were vulnerable to earthquakes. The larger tombs were carved out of the rock from the top down, using scaffolding support, and the facades were then plastered and painted (almost none of this decoration remains).
The dead were buried in loculi (small, separate cavities) carved from the plain walls inside the tomb, while the exterior decoration was made to represent the soul (and sometimes likeness) of the deceased. All but the most simple tombs contained banqueting halls where funerals and annual commemorative feasts were held. Some rooms were frescoed and traces of coloured decoration can still be seen in Wadi Siyagh’s Painted House and in Siq Al Barid (Little Petra).
The Nabataeans were a nomadic desert people without an architectural heritage of their own, but as traders they were cosmopolitan enough to borrow elements of art and architecture from their neighbours. Egyptian, Assyrian, Mesopotamian, Hellenistic and Roman styles can all be spotted throughout Petra, as well as unique local architectural inventions, such as the Nabataean horned column. Combine this eclecticism with the organic nature of Petra’s cave-like tombs, the stunning natural colour of the rock and natural grandeur of the landscape, and it’s easy to see how Petra has captured the imagination of generations of travellers.
oRoyal TombsTomb
Downhill from the Theatre, the wadi widens to create a larger thoroughfare. To the right, the great massif of Jebel Al Khubtha looms over the valley. Within its west-facing cliffs are burrowed some of the most impressive burial places in Petra, known collectively as the ‘Royal Tombs’. They look particularly stunning bathed in the golden light of sunset.
The Royal Tombs are reached via a set of steps that ascends from the valley floor, near the Theatre. A worthwhile hike from the Royal Tombs leads up to the numerous places of worship on the flattened High Place of Jebel Khubtha, together with a spectacular view of the Treasury. The steps are easily visible between the Palace Tomb and the Sextius Florentinus Tomb. The Royal Tombs can also be reached via the adventurous hike through Wadi Muthlim.
AoUrn Tomb
The most distinctive of the Royal Tombs is the Urn Tomb, recognisable by the enormous urn on top of the pediment. It was built in about AD 70 for King Malichos II (AD 40–70) or Aretas IV (8 BC–AD 40). The naturally patterned interior of the Urn Tomb measures a vast 18m by 20m.
Part of what makes the Urn Tomb such a grand structure is the flanking Doric portico cut into the rock face on the left of the tomb, and the huge open terrace in front of it – a feature that encouraged its use, according to a Greek inscription inside the tomb, as a cathedral in AD 447. The double layer of vaults was added at a later date by the Byzantines. Look towards the top of the building and you’ll see three inaccessible openings carved between the pillars. These are also tombs, the central one of which still has the closing stone intact, depicting the king dressed in a toga.
ASilk Tomb
Next to the distinctive Urn Tomb in the Royal Tomb group is the so-called Silk Tomb, noteworthy for the stunning swirls of pink-, white- and yellow-veined rock in its facade.
ACorinthian Tomb
The badly damaged Corinthian Tomb is something of a hybrid, with Hellenistic decorative features on the upper level and a Nabataean portico on the lower level. The tomb gets its name from the Corinthian capitals adorned with floral motifs.
APalace Tomb
The delightful three-storey imitation of a Roman or Hellenistic palace, known as the Palace Tomb, is distinctive among the Royal Tombs for its rock-hewn facade, the largest in Petra. The doors lead into typically simple funerary chambers while the 18 columns on the upper level are the most distinctive and visually arresting elements of the tomb. Notice the top-left corner is built (rather than carved) because the rock face didn’t extend far enough to complete the facade.
Sextius Florentinus TombTomb
A few hundred metres around the hill from the Royal Tombs is the seldom-visited Sextius Florentinus Tomb, built from AD 126 to 130 for a Roman governor of Arabia, whose exploits are glorified in an inscription above the entrance. Unlike many other tombs, the interior is worth a look for the clearly discernible loculi (graves); there are five carved into the back wall and three on the right as you enter.
Colonnaded StreetArchaeological Site
Downhill from the Theatre, the Colonnaded Street marks the centre of the Ancient City. The street was built around AD 106 and follows the standard Roman pattern of an east–west decumanus, but without the normal cardo maximus (north–south axis). Columns of marble-clad sandstone originally lined the 6m-wide carriageway, and covered porticoes gave access to shops.
At the start of the Colonnaded Street is the Nymphaeum (MAP GOOGLE MAP), a public fountain built in the 2nd century AD and fed by water channelled from the Siq. Little can be seen today, although it’s recognisable by the huge 450-year-old pistachio tree, giving welcome shade in summer.
Also along the Colonnaded Street are the limited remains of the market area and the unrecognisable ruins of the Royal Palace (MAP GOOGLE MAP).
The street ends at the Temenos Gateway (MAP GOOGLE MAP). Built in the 2nd century AD, the gateway originally had huge wooden doors and side towers. It marked the entrance to the temenos (MAP GOOGLE MAP; sacred courtyard) of the Qasr Al Bint, separating the commercial area of the city from the sacred area of the temple. Look closely for the few remaining floral friezes and a figure with an arrow, which suggest that this was once a very grand structure. Opposite are the minimal ruins of the Nabataean baths (MAP GOOGLE MAP).
Great TempleTemple
A major Nabataean temple of the 1st century BCE, this structure was badly damaged by an earthquake not long after it was built, but it remained in use (albeit in different forms) until the late Byzantine period. A theatron (miniature theatre) stands in the centre. The temple was once 18m high, and the enclosure was 40m by 28m. The interior was originally covered with striking red-and-white stucco.
The first set of stairs was fronted by a monumental propylaeum (gateway) while the courtyard at the top of the first stairs marked the lower temenos, flanked by a triple colonnade. The upper level housed the temple’s sacred enclosure, with four huge columns (made from stone discs and clad in marble) at the entrance.
Archaeologists debate the function of this so-called temple, some suggesting that it may have been used by the Nabataeans as a royal audience hall. The Romans appear to have used it in later times as a civic centre.
Qasr Al BintTemple
One of the few free-standing structures in Petra, Qasr Al Bint was built in around 30 BCE by the Nabataeans. It was later adapted to the cult of Roman emperors and destroyed around the 3rd century CE. Despite the name given to it by the local Bedouin – Castle of the Pharaoh’s Daughter – the temple was originally built as a dedication to Nabataean gods and was one of the most important temples in Petra.
The temple once stood 23m high and its features included marble staircases, imposing columns, a raised platform for worship, and ornate plaster and stone reliefs – examples of which are housed in the display at the Petra Visitor Centre. The central ‘holy of holies’, known as an adyton, would have housed an image of the deities. The sacrificial altar (MAP GOOGLE MAP) in front, once overlaid with marble, indicates that it was probably the main place of worship in the Nabataean city and its location at street level suggests that the whole precinct (and not just the temple interior) was considered sacred.
Temple of the Winged LionsTemple
The recently excavated Temple of the Winged Lions, built around AD 27, is named after the carved lions that once topped the capitals of each of the columns. The temple was probably dedicated to the fertility goddess, Atargatis, the partner of the male god Dushara. Fragments of decorative stone and painted plaster found on the site of this once important temple are now on display in Petra Visitor Centre.
Petra ChurchChurch
An awning covers the remains of Petra Church (also known as the Byzantine Church). Inside the church are some exquisite Byzantine floor mosaics, some of the best in the region. The mosaics originally continued up the walls. A helpful map and explanations in English are also located inside the church.
Al HabisViewpoint
Beyond Qasr Al Bint is the small hill of Al Habis (the Prison). From the Nabataean Tent Restaurant, steps lead up the hill past a disused museum around the back of Al Habis, with striking views of fertile Wadi Siyagh and the junction with Wadi Numeir.
The path soon skirts the tea shop and comfortable cave home of Bdoul Mofleh, one of the last residents of Petra. Asked why he didn’t leave when the rest of his family were relocated to Umm Sayoun, he replied, ‘Why would I? This is my home; I’ve always lived here.’ With a view to die for and a garden of flowering jasmine, it’s easy to see why this hardy resident chose to stay. Notice the red-capped aloe, standing to attention in early summer, billeted across the cliffs opposite.
The path continues around the hill, past the Convent Group (MAP GOOGLE MAP) of tombs to a flight of steps. These lead in turn (via a wooden plank bridge) to the top of Al Habis, another of Petra’s many High Places. At the summit (allow 10 to 15 minutes to reach the top) are the limited ruins of a small Crusader fort (MAP GOOGLE MAP), built in AD 1116 by Baldwin I. The ruins are not impressive, but the views across the city certainly are.
From here you can either hike via the Pharaun Column, which is a good landmark, to Snake Monument in Wadi Thughra, or along Wadi Farasa to the High Place of Sacrifice.
Alternatively, complete the circuit of Al Habis by descending the hill behind Qasr Al Bint. On your way down, look out for the Unfinished Tomb (MAP GOOGLE MAP). It offers a rare glimpse of the way the Nabataeans constructed their rock tombs, starting at the top on a platform of scaffolding and working their way down. Nearby is the enigmatic Columbarium (MAP GOOGLE MAP), whose multiple niches remain a mystery; some suppose they housed votive images or urns, others say this was a dovecote for pigeons.
Basin AreaArea
The Basin is an area just beyond Qasr Al Bint where the main wadi widens at the bottom of the valley. The area, which houses the two restaurants (Basin Restaurant and Nabataean Tent Restaurant), makes a handy pause point before the ascent to the Monastery. This is also the access point for the so-called backdoor to Petra and is where most of the four-legged transport congregates for further-flung points of the Ancient City.
oMonasteryTomb
(Al Deir; MAP GOOGLE MAP)
Hidden high in the hills, the Monastery is one of the legendary monuments of Petra. Similar in design to the Treasury but far bigger (50m wide and 45m high), it was built in the 3rd century BCE as a Nabataean tomb. It derives its name from the crosses carved on the inside walls, suggestive of its use as a church in Byzantine times. The ancient rock-cut path of more than 800 steps starts from the Basin Restaurant and follows the old processional route.
The cave tea shop opposite is a good vantage point for admiring the Monastery’s Hellenistic facade. The courtyard in front of the Monastery was once surrounded by columns and was used for sacred ceremonies.
Behind the tea shop, tomb 468 is worth exploring for another fine facade, some defaced carvings and excellent views. A trail leads up to stunning viewpoints over Wadi Araba, Israel and the Palestinian Territories and south to the peak of Jebel Haroun, topped by a small white shrine.
The easy-to-follow trail from the Basin Restaurant to the Monastery takes about 40 minutes (if in doubt as to the trailhead, look for weary hikers coming down). Alternatively, donkeys (with a guide) can be hired for about JD20 return depending on your negotiation skills; you’re better off walking coming down as the donkeys travel fast and the way is steep and slippery, making for an uncomfortable and at times dangerous journey for both you and your mount. The trip is best started in mid-afternoon when there is welcome shade and the Monastery is at its most photogenic. The path follows the old processional route and is a spectacle in its own right, with flights of eroded steps scooped out of the weird and wonderfully tortured stone. There are several side paths to explore, including a detour to the Lion Tomb (Lion Triclinium; MAP GOOGLE MAP), set in a gully. The two weather-beaten lions that lend the tomb its name face each other at the base of the monument.
An exciting 6km hike leads from the Monastery to Siq Al Barid (Little Petra; it takes about 2½ hours and involves a newly paved path and steps). Ask at Petra Visitor Centre or at local travel agencies for a guide as the route is difficult to find.
2Activities
Hiking
Anyone wanting to see some stunning landscapes, explore unexcavated tombs and meet the Bedouin should pack an extra bottle of water and go hiking – preferably with the contoured Map of Petra, available from shops in the Petra Visitor Centre complex.
Most hikes are not that strenuous and none are overnight trips (camping is not permitted within Petra). Only the hikes along Wadi Muthlim (which is often closed) and to Sabra or Little Petra require a guide. Note that the approximate hiking times are just that and do not include time for pottering.
Experienced multilingual guides can be hired from the Petra Visitor Centre from JD50 (for one to nine people) for a simple route to the Basin, or from local travel agencies. It costs an extra JD20 for a guide to either the High Place of Sacrifice or to the Monastery. Unofficial Bedouin ‘guides’ may charge considerably less than the official rates: occasionally they are very good, but there’s no guarantee. Women on their own should be cautious about hiking with unregistered guides, particularly as most of the hikes involve spending time in isolated parts of Petra.
Stick to trails, use only the toilets provided and remove your litter to avoid degradation of the area.
Short Hikes
Wadi Muthlim to Royal Tombs hiking
This adventurous 1½-hour canyon hike is an exciting alternative route into Petra if you’ve already taken the main Siq path. Flash floods are a serious issue in the area and, as a result, the trail is often closed and a guide is mandatory. The hike is not difficult or too strenuous, but there are several boulder blockages, and in winter you may need to wade through pools of water.
The trail starts from the dam, just before the entrance to the Siq. Before entering the ancient, 88m-long Nabataean tunnel, it’s possible to make a short detour (veer right and double-back over the top of the tunnel) to the Eagle Monument (MAP GOOGLE MAP), with its eponymous carvings.
Back on the hike, walk through the tunnel and you’ll emerge into the sunlight of Wadi Muthlim with its thick ribbon of oleander. The wadi gradually narrows into a 1m-wide siq, and in three places, you’ll have to lower yourself down 2m-high boulder blockages. The first is easy enough to negotiate; the other two take a bit more strategy – not impossible if you have someone to lean on, but tricky if you attempt it on your own. If you’re not comfortable on the second boulder, turn back or you could get stuck between boulder blockage two and three!
After 25 minutes from the start of the hike, look for the remains of a Nabataean dam above the trail. Five minutes later, you’ll meet a T-intersection where the trail joins Wadi Mataha. Follow the painted arrow to the left. This is the most exciting part of the hike as the canyon narrows to little more than a crack in the rock. You can see here how treacherous this hike would be in a flash flood as there is little space between you and the parallel walls. At certain times of the year you may have to splash through residual pools of water here until at length you pass into the perfect picnic point. Surrounded by Nabataean niches, and shaded on two sides almost all day, this little square of ancient Petra has a presence far bigger than its dimensions.
From here, follow the cliff face to the left, past a series of little-visited tombs, including Dorotheos’ House (MAP GOOGLE MAP) and the Sextius Florentinus Tomb, until you reach the Royal Tombs. Alternatively, you can turn northeast on a small track that begins from the wadi almost opposite the Tomb of Sextius Florentinus, and explore the interesting so-called Christian Tombs of Moghar Al Nassara (Moghar Al Nassara; MAP GOOGLE MAP) where excavations are ongoing.
Some parts of the canyon may be impassable if it’s been raining. Flash floods occur along Wadi Muthlim because the dam at the start of Petra’s main Siq deliberately diverts water along this wadi. As such, it’s imperative that you don’t start this trek if it has been raining, is raining or is likely to rain soon. Your guide should have the latest information on the condition of the route.
Making the Most of Petra
Petra at Dawn The Treasury is sunlit in the morning; it is a much-photographed sight, but the real thing is indescribably magical.
Tip: Tour groups arrive at 8am, leaving Petra at dawn for the early birds.
Photogenic Petra Mid-afternoon and most of Petra’s weary guests have returned to base. Those who linger catch the Royal Tombs turning pink at sunset.
Tip: The sun sets around 6pm in summer and 5pm in winter.
Petra on High The Siq, Street of Facades and museum all lie brooding in the wadi bottom. Climb a few steps, hike to a high place, sit on a camel and a whole new dimension to Petra opens up.
Tip: The Theatre seats give grandstand views.
Hidden Petra Petra doesn’t give up its secrets easily and most visitors leave without discovering the Monastery, at the top of 800 hand-hewn steps.
Tip: Best seen in the full sun of afternoon, beautiful views of Wadi Araba are just a 15-minute stroll from the Monastery. Using the ‘backdoor’ from Umm Sayoun saves walking time and distance.
Green Petra A parallel world begs to be explored along the hidden wadis that lie outside the Ancient City; lizards, snakes and scorpions are common but shy residents beside the rocky pools.
Tip: Pink oleander blossoms stripe surrounding wadis in profusion in May.
Living Petra Petra may be a pile of ruins to some, but for others it’s home; Raami Tours from Umm Sayoun shows how the Bdoul Bedouin interact with their famous monuments.
Tip: Saying yes to tea with the Bedouin involves participating in one of Petra’s age-old rituals.
Petra by Night Three times per week, the spirit of Petra is chased down the Siq by candlelight, often in the company of merry hoards.
Tip: Warm coat needed in winter.
High Place of Sacrifice to Petra City Centre hiking
This moderate one-hour hike starts from the High Place of Sacrifice and passes through a less visited but beautiful part of Petra. It’s also possible to do this hike in reverse, making for a grand afternoon exit from the site.
From the top of the High Place path, near the obelisks, a trail with steps heads down towards Wadi Farasa. The start of the trail is not obvious, so look for the helpful piles of stones indicating the trail, or ask for directions at the drinks stand. The hike is immediately rewarding with magnificent veined rock formations and wild gardens of flowers. After about 10 minutes of descent, you’ll come to the 5m-long Lion Monument (MAP GOOGLE MAP), where water was channelled to pour out of the lion’s mouth from the rock face above – an example of Nabataean engineering at its most sophisticated. A stone altar diagonally opposite suggests the fountain had some religious function. The steps wind further down the side of the cliff to the Garden Tomb (MAP GOOGLE MAP), which was more likely to have been a temple, and the remains of a giant water cistern.
A little further down, on the left, is the elegant Roman Soldier’s Tomb (MAP GOOGLE MAP), named after the statue over the door. Almost opposite is the Garden Triclinium (MAP GOOGLE MAP), a hall used for annual feasts to honour the dead placed in the Soldier’s Tomb. The hall is unique in Petra because it has carved decoration on the interior walls. The tomb and triclinium were once linked by a colonnaded courtyard.
Hereafter, the trail branches to the right, above the dry wadi floor. A tea shop here sells handmade strings of cloves, a good sniff of which is surprisingly reviving. The path forks at the ridge ahead. The right fork leads past some outrageously colourful but dilapidated tombs and descends eventually to the Colonnaded Street. The left fork passes Az Zantur (MAP GOOGLE MAP), a 1st-century-AD palace that’s still under excavation. Nearby is a collection of ruined Nabataean and Roman houses (MAP GOOGLE MAP), one of the few traces of habitations so far discovered in Petra. The trail continues west along the ridge to the Pharaun Column, the lone surviving column of another Nabataean temple. From here you can turn left to Snake Monument for a longer hike or go straight on for Qasr Al Bint and Al Habis. If you’re disoriented, look for Petra Church, north of the Colonnaded Street: its pale roof makes a good landmark.
Wadi Siyagh hiking
For an easy one-hour leg-stretcher that doesn’t require a vertical take-off, try the trail that follows the dry riverbed of Wadi Siyagh beneath Al Habis hill. Once a residential suburb of Petra, the wadi and the nearby slopes have unexcavated tombs and residences to explore and offer some peaceful picnic spots once you pass the noisy restaurant generator.
Enter Wadi Siyagh opposite the Basin Restaurant. You’ll soon see steps on the right leading to the Painted House (MAP GOOGLE MAP), one of the very few tombs in Petra that still has traces of Nabataean frescoes. Further down, at a bend in the valley, is a Nabataean quarry (MAP GOOGLE MAP).
The main attraction further along the valley is the dense oasis of green bushes, water pools and even waterfalls (in winter). In spring, the flowers are beautiful and in May and June it’s worth making the hike just to enjoy the oleander and seams of aloe.
The trail along Wadi Siyagh is easy to follow, but becomes a bit rough in parts as it ascends the wadi walls. Don’t attempt the hike if rain is imminent because flash floods are possible.
Treasury Vista I hiking
Leading steeply up from the trailhead opposite the Treasury, this strenuous trail (about one hour return) is generally closed to casual visitors as the handkerchief-sized lookout above the vertical cliff is extremely dangerous. Check with the Petra Visitor Centre to see if the trail is currently open.
If the trail is open, a guide is required. Don’t be tempted to accompany an ad hoc guide whose goat-like facility on the rock is unlikely to match your own and who may be less than sympathetic to your discomfort on the descent. Fatalities have been recorded on this trail.
Treasury Vista II hiking
Offering a dramatic and unusual view of the Treasury, this moderate self-guided hike (about 1½ hours return) ascends processional steps about 150m northeast of the Palace Tomb (the steps are signposted). The stiff climb takes about 20 minutes and flattens out at a hilltop Nabataean cistern (MAP GOOGLE MAP) and a dramatic lookout about 200m above the entrance to the Siq. Start this hike in the early morning to catch the Treasury in sunlight. Along the way, there are wonderful views of the Theatre.
Continue south from the cistern (currently occupied by a helpful Bedouin tea shop owner) along a less obvious dirt path. Descend through the dry wadi for about 15 minutes and then pass into a small ravine; suddenly, you will reach a dramatic lookout about 200m above the Treasury, with fantastic views of its mighty facade. Watch your step and look out for landmarks on the way down as it is hard to find the path back to the top of the steps.
Back at the cistern, a tiny cleft in the rock reveals worn steps leading down a gully and along the rock face to a point next to the Urn Tomb. The trail isn’t all that clear (and is rather dirty at the outset), but it is navigable with a bit of common sense. The writer, lacking in this quality, ended up on a Nabataean drain dangling over a vertical drop. Of course, you can always return the way you came.
NAVIGATING PETRA
The town of Wadi Musa is the transport and accommodation hub for the Ancient City of Petra, as well as for other attractions in the vicinity, such as Little Petra. The town is split roughly into three parts. The upper part comprises a few top-end hotels lining the main road, each of which has spectacular views of the weathered sandstone landscape (although not of Petra itself). The town centre is where most of the cheaper hotels, the bus station and shops are located. The lower part of town, a 10-minute walk from the town centre, is where most of the top-end and midrange hotels, together with souvenir shops, tourist restaurants and the famed Cave Bar, are located.
Beyond this is the Petra Visitor Centre and the main entrance to Petra. From here the Ancient City is reached on foot via the Siq, or gorge, which begins after a 15-minute walk (or horse ride) from the entrance and takes a further 20 minutes on foot. There is another seldom-used entrance near the village of Umm Sayoun, but tickets can only be bought from Petra Visitor Centre.
Long Hikes
Umm Al Biyarahiking
The strenuous self-guided hike (about six hours return) from Qasr Al Bint to Umm Al Biyara (1178m) offers stunning mountaintop views. Legend has it that the flat-topped mountain was once the Edomite capital of Sela, from where the Judaean king Amaziah (r 796–781 BC) threw 10,000 prisoners to their deaths over the precipice.
There are ruins of a 7th-century-BC Edomite village (MAP GOOGLE MAP) at the top as well as several cisterns. There are also many unexcavated tombs along the base of the eastern cliffs.
The return trip from Qasr Al Bint to Umm Al Biyara (the Mother of Cisterns) offers stunning mountaintop views over Petra (you can even spot the Monastery). It’s a fairly strenuous hike up hundreds of steps, but the trail is easy to follow. Start the hike in the mid-afternoon when most of the path is in shade but don’t leave it too late as you don’t want to be coming down in poor light.
From behind Qasr Al Bint, head to the Pharaun Column and descend to the road that leads along Wadi Thughra towards Snake Monument. The path up the rock face starts from the left of the largest of the rock-cut tombs on the southeast face of the mountain.
Jebel Haroun hiking
This strenuous self-guided hike (about six hours return) via Snake Monument starts from Qasr Al Bint. Jebel Haroun (1350m) is thought to be the biblical Mt Hor – the burial site of Moses’ brother Aaron; a white shrine built in the 14th century marks the site.
Some people (Muslims as well as Christians) consider the shrine as a place of pilgrimage. For many, however, the big drawcard of Jebel Haroun is the superb panoramic view from the top.
It’s possible to hire a guide with a donkey or even a camel for the trip, but if you’re reasonably fit and not fazed by working out your own route from the network of goat tracks that head in the general direction, then this really isn’t necessary.
The trail to Jebel Haroun starts at Pharaun Column (MAP GOOGLE MAP), and follows the dirt road past Bedouin settlements to Snake Monument (MAP GOOGLE MAP), a curled stone that resembles a snake on a rock pedestal. Continue to the southwest towards the obvious white shrine (which looks deceptively close); the trail is not as steep as it looks. At the bottom of the mountain, find the caretaker if you want to enter the shrine.
Sabra hiking
The strenuous trek (about five hours return – guide recommended) starts from Qasr Al Bint and leads to the remote Nabataean suburbs of Sabra. It follows the path of ancient trade caravans that once unloaded their precious cargoes at the fringes of the main city.
The remains at Sabra include some ruined walls, temples, bridges and a small Roman theatre. A guide is needed even to find the trail from Snake Monument. A return trip on donkey costs from around JD100, depending on your powers of negotiation.
An exciting option offered by some travel agencies is the adventurous two-day hike from Tayyibeh, through the Siq-like Wadi Tibn to Sabra, camping overnight and continuing on to Petra the next day.
Treatment of Animals in the Ancient City
If there’s one area of complaint that understandably upsets visitors more than others in the Ancient City, it’s the mistreatment of animals. Indeed, many visitors are now quick to admonish any incidents of animal mishandling, particularly from the younger boys, some of whom mete out the kind of treatment to animals that a harsh environment often delivers to them. This, of course, is no excuse, and the local community, together with the Petra administration, have come together over recent years to try to improve the welfare of the animals who form an essential part of the Bedouin family livelihood and whose presence helps to greatly enhance the pleasure of the site for visitors. These efforts are beginning to bear fruit, and animals appear generally in better condition, are better nourished and are on the whole better treated than in former times. While most owners take responsibility for their animals very seriously, incidents of ill treatment still occur. Some visitors have suggested a ban on animal use, but this is more likely to encourage neglect of the family assets as Bedouin incomes are extremely limited and don’t stretch to supporting a redundant ‘family member’. And in all likelihood, this would lead to the dispiriting prospect of a Petra without the people and animals who have been minding this valley for centuries, replaced by technological alternatives, such as golf buggies and electric carts.
While some Bedouin animal handlers resent tourists interfering in the way they treat their animals, most are now sensitive to the fact that their actions are under scrutiny. A word of encouragement to the animal handler about an alternative way of cajoling their charges into action is appreciated more than a diatribe against animal cruelty. All ill treatment should be reported to the tourist police at the Petra Visitor Centre, preferably with photographic or video evidence. This approach is already having a positive impact, and the attitudes of handlers towards the various animals at work in Petra are slowly changing. Tourists can also play an important part in encouraging the humane treatment of animals by ensuring they are not too heavy for their mount. They should also pay the appropriate fare (as given at the Petra Visitor Centre) for the services they commission. It is largely as a result of cut-price fares that handlers feel pressured to return more quickly to base (thereby putting their animals at risk) to recoup the loss with an additional fare.
Horse Riding
For those who know how to ride, it costs from around JD50 for a two- to three-hour horse ride around the surrounding hills. A particularly exciting ride leads across a plateau at the top of the Treasury – definitely not one for the faint-hearted as the horses pull up from a gallop to a stop at the vertiginous cliff edge. Book a ride through one of the tourist agencies in town or, for more of an adventure, ask the animal handlers near the entrance to Petra to take you to their favourite haunt.
TTours
Experienced licensed guides (identifiable by their photo ID badges) are available for private tours to a number of different destinations in the Ancient City and their depth of knowledge – not to mention their sense of humour – brings a different dimension to a visit. These guides can be hired from a kiosk opposite the ticket office inside the Petra Visitor Centre complex. Their rates are standardised and displayed inside the kiosk.
Typical rates for one of these official private guides (who speak English, Spanish, French, German, Russian, Arabic and Hebrew) cost JD50 to JD150, for one to nine people. For the three-hour private tour from Petra Visitor Centre to the Basin it costs JD50; it costs an additional JD35 to take a guide to any of the High Places, a further JD25 to engage the guide for the descent through Wadi Farasa.
Guides are also available for hikes further afield. To the Monastery from the Basin it costs JD50 via the Back Door from Wadi Sayoun, JD90 from the Petra Visitor Centre and JD150 for the Back Trail from Little Petra. It costs JD50 to engage a guide along Wadi Muthlim (a guide is mandatory for this hike) and JD150 to Sabra.
Specialist guides available at Petra include Mohammed Twaissi, who is one of only 13 guides in Jordan licensed to lead ornithological trips. He is able to help visitors spot Jordan’s national bird, the Sinai rose finch, and identify the other flora and fauna within the Petra vicinity. Ask for him at Petra Visitor Centre, or track him down through his brother Mahmoud Twaissi.
oPetra by NightTours
(Petra Visitor Centre, Tourism St; adult/child under 10yr JD17/free; 
h8.30-10.30pm Mon, Wed & Thu)
The extremely popular Petra by Night tour was introduced in response to numerous requests from visitors wanting to see the Siq and Treasury by moonlight. The ‘tour’ starts from the Petra Visitor Centre (cancelled if raining) and lasts two hours.
Readers express a mixed response to the experience, which leads along the Siq (lined with 1500 candles) as far as the Treasury in as much silence as is possible given the crowds. Here, traditional Bedouin music is played and mint tea served. Clearly, given the popularity of the tour, this isn’t going to be the moment to commune with history in awed solitude, but night brings a different perspective to the Siq that many feel is worthwhile. The performance of Bedouin storytelling at the Treasury depends on the mood of the raconteur. Tickets are available from travel agencies in town, or from the Petra Visitor Centre before 6pm.
DON’T MISS
PETRA UNDER THE STARS
Like a grumbling camel caravan of snorting, coughing, laughing and farting miscreants, 200 people and one jubilantly crying baby make their way down the Siq ‘in silence’. Asked to walk in single file behind the leader, breakaway contingents surge ahead to make sure they enjoy the experience on their own. And eventually, sitting outside the Treasury, the collected company shows its appreciation of Arabic classical music by lighting cigarettes from the paper bag lanterns, chatting energetically, flashing their cameras and audibly farting some more.
Welcome to public entertainment in the Middle East! If you really want the Siq to yourself, come during winter, go at 2pm or take a virtual tour on the internet.
Despite the promotional literature to the contrary, silence and solitude is not what the Petra by Night tour is all about. What this exceptional and highly memorable tour does give you is the fantastic opportunity to experience one of the most sublime spectacles on earth in the fever of other people’s excitement. Huddles of whispering devotees stare up at the candlelit God Blocks, elderly participants are helped over polished lozenges of paving stones, the sound of a flute wafts along the neck hairs of fellow celebrants – this is surely much nearer to the original experience of the Ancient City of Petra than walking reverentially through the icy stone corridor alone.
zFestivals & Events
oHistory of PetraPerforming Arts
(Jordan Heritage Revival Company; 
%06 581 0808; www.jhrc.jo; hSat-Thu)
Included in the price of the entry ticket to Petra is a chance to see the Jordan Heritage Revival Company in action. Dressed as Roman centurions, some in full armour on horseback, their steel helmets glinting in the sun, the actors in this dramatic re-enactment cut quite a dash against the normally imperturbable Ancient City monuments.
Ask at the Petra Visitor Centre about the current schedule or look out for tunic-clad centurions around the entrance to the Siq for a fun photo opportunity. There are no shows on Friday or during Ramadan.
Petra Desert MarathonSports
(www.albatros-adventure.com/petra-desert-marathon)
A full and a half-marathon is run annually starting at the Street of Facades in the Ancient City of Petra. The route leads punishingly up near-vertical slopes and crosses patches of open desert in the neighbouring vicinity and finishes in Wadi Musa.
5Eating & Drinking
It’s not possible to stay overnight in the Ancient City. Some Bedouin scammers might entice travellers (especially lone women) to stay in a cave with them but this is strictly forbidden by the management of Petra and is not recommended. If nothing else, scorpions are not uncommon bedfellows!
Most people visiting the Ancient City either take a box lunch from their hotel or head for one of the two restaurants near Qasr Al Bint. A simple buffet is available from Nabataean Tent Restaurant, or a more lavish lunch is served outdoors or in an air-conditioned dining room at the Basin Restaurant. Water, tea and snacks are sold at kiosks with outside seating throughout the main parts of the site.
Nabataean Tent RestaurantBuffet$$
(MAP GOOGLE MAP; lunch buffet JD10, lunchbox JD7; h10am-3.30pm)
With simple Jordanian dishes and one or two international favourites, this casual restaurant occupies a lovely spot under blue-flowering jacaranda trees (they flower in May). The proprietors rustle up a generous packed lunch with bread, cheese, cucumber, falafel, yoghurt and cake for a bargain JD7; it can be eaten on the spot with a Turkish coffee if you wish.
oBasin RestaurantBuffet$$$
(MAP GOOGLE MAP; lunch buffet JD16, fresh orange juice JD4; hnoon-4pm; 
v)
The Basin serves a wide spread of international dishes, including a healthy selection of salads, fresh falafel and barbecued spicy sausage. Lots of desserts are also on offer, including fruit and umm ali (dessert of filo pastry, butter, raisins and nuts baked in milk). There’s a fully air-conditioned interior seating area or groups sit by the ravine under canvas while independent travellers are given tables under the trees.
oBdoul Mofleh Tea ShopTeahouse
(MAP GOOGLE MAP; %07 7609 4797; Al Habis; tea by donation; h10am-4pm)
Long-term Petra resident Bdoul Mofleh rustles up ad hoc tea for those passing his ‘unofficial’ cave house on Al Habis. This is the best tea shop in Petra with a view over remote, little visited tombs on the other side of the Al Habis hill in the heart of the Ancient City. Access is from near the Nabataean Tent Restaurant.
Have a Break Tea & CoffeeCafe
(MAP GOOGLE MAP; h9am-6pm)
With a view of the Royal Tombs, this Bedouin-run establishment can muster sandwiches, snacks and milkshakes. It has a permanent awning and nascent garden, and is in just the right spot to enjoy sunset.
7Shopping
Ad hoc stalls run by local Bedouin are scattered throughout the Ancient City of Petra selling items for the ubiquitous ‘one JD’. Most are cheap imports, but some of the Bedouin jewellery is authentic.
What to Wear
The Ancient City of Petra is strewn over a vast area of mountains and wadis and it’s easy to underestimate the amount of time it takes to walk between sights, and especially the uphill return journey when you’re tired. Sturdy footwear, a hat, sunscreen and water are essential at any time of year and a warm coat is needed in winter.
oUmm Raami’s ShopJewellery
(MAP GOOGLE MAP) 
S
Marguerite van Geldermalsen, of Married to a Bedouin fame, sells silver jewellery from this stall nearly opposite the cave in which she once lived with her Bedouin husband and in which she raised her eldest son, Raami. The jewellery is inspired by ancient Nabataean designs and crafted by local women originally trained through a Noor Al Hussein Foundation project.
Why Not ShopGifts & Souvenirs
Selling a collection of souvenirs and with an ever-friendly greeting for those with the energy to walk beyond the Treasury, this Bedouin shop also sells refreshments. It is also a useful landmark as it marks the entrance to the stone staircase for the High Place of Sacrifice.
8Information
TOILETS
There are reasonable toilets at Petra Visitor Centre, near the Theatre and outside the Basin Restaurant. Teahouses provide clean portable toilets throughout the site – most people give a tip of JD1 to the caretakers who maintain them. Please keep to these facilities to avoid spoiling the site for others.
TOURIST INFORMATION
The ticket office (%03 215 6044; Tourism St; h6am-4pm, to 6pm in summer) is in the Petra Visitor Centre, just before the entrance to Petra at Wadi Musa. Although tickets are not sold after 4pm, you can remain in Petra until sunset (7pm in summer, 5pm in winter).
Entry fees are JD50/55/60 for one-/two-/three-day passes (payable in Jordanian currency or by credit card). If visiting Petra as a day trip, including from Israel and the Palestinian Territories, the entry fee is JD90. Children aged under 12 and visitors with disabilities are admitted free. The Jordan Pass, which represents great value for money, gives free entry to Petra.
The ticket includes the price of a horse ride along the Bab Al Siq (the pathway between the Visitor Centre and the opening of the Siq) and a guided tour for a minimum of five people. The tour is not mandatory but is recommended; it runs on the hour between 7am and 3pm and lasts for two hours, helping to highlight the key points of interest along the main trail to Qasr Al Bint (near the Basin Restaurant).
If you’re contemplating trying to enter Petra without paying, don’t. The preservation of Petra depends on the income from tourists, and this is where responsible tourism begins. Tickets are nontransferable between visitors, and you have to show your passport when buying a ticket. Multiday tickets must be used on consecutive days, and they don’t include the cost of the Petra by Night experience.
Information is available on the Ancient City at the Petra Visitor Centre (%03 215 6044; www.visitpetra.jo; Tourism St; h6am-6pm May-Sep, to 4pm Oct-Apr). Besides housing the ticket office, this complex has a helpful information counter and is surrounded by souvenir shops that are useful for a hat and last-minute supplies.
WEBSITES
American Museum of Natural History (www.amnh.org/exhibitions/petra) See an online Petra exhibition.
Go 2 Petra (www.go2petra.com) For background and general travel info on Petra.
Nabataea Net (http://nabataea.net) Everything you could want to know about the Nabataean empire.
Loving Petra to Death
It seems ironic that after 1000 years of obscurity, if not neglect, Petra owes its current fragility to a renaissance of interest. In a ‘good’ year, half a million people visit, putting a huge strain on the management of one of the world’s best-loved antiquities. The combination of thousands of footprints a day, increased humidity levels from the breath of tourists in tombs, and erosion caused by adventurous travellers clambering over monuments and steep hillsides combine to threaten Petra’s longevity.
Acutely aware of the problems, a number of local, national and international bodies have been cooperating for more than a decade to protect and enhance the 853-sq-km site. For the most part, Petra is now spotlessly clean, thanks to constant maintenance, improved toilet facilities and a shift in attitude from visitors, who largely carry their rubbish back out with them.
Other improvements include the use of an invisible mortar to conserve fragile masonry and replace unsightly cement used in previous restoration attempts; major shoring up of the Siq; and ongoing conservation of tomb facades. Urban expansion in Wadi Musa has also been checked, an infrastructure of drainage and sewerage systems installed, and a moratorium enforced on the building of unsightly hotels that impinge on the sense of seclusion in Petra. Better signage and trail markers are appearing, and there are new plans afoot to remove the Bedouin stalls from the Ancient City to a special tourism complex near Little Petra.
These conservation measures, however, will only save Petra for future generations with the cooperation of visitors. Each visitor can play an important part by sticking to trails, not clambering over the monuments, resisting the temptation to touch crumbling masonry, removing litter and using designated toilet facilities. These things sound obvious, but judging by a piece of graffiti that reads ‘Ahmed & Liza 2017’ on top of one of the High Places, responsible tourism may still be a long time coming.
8Getting There & Away
MAIN ENTRANCE
The main entry point for the Ancient City of Petra is at the bottom of Tourism St, at the lower end of the town of Wadi Musa. This is the location of the Petra Visitor Centre and the ticket office. From here, it is a two-minute walk to the main entry gate that marks the beginning of the path that slopes downhill towards the Siq – the ancient gateway to the site.
BACK DOOR TO PETRA
In the 1980s many of the Bdoul Bedouin, who had lived in Petra for generations, were resettled in villages such as neighbouring Umm Sayoun. At the end of this village is an access road into the old city of Petra. It would be a pity to enter Petra this way on your first day, as the Siq is Petra’s most spectacular highlight. But if you want a shortcut to the Monastery thereafter, take a taxi to the gate at the top of this road and walk down to the Basin Restaurant (20 minutes). From there it’s a 40-minute walk to the Monastery. This is 45 minutes shorter than the alternative walk via the Siq. Note that you can’t buy tickets here, and you can’t enter without one, so don’t forget to bring your ticket with you.
There is another back trail to Petra that leads from Little Petra along a picturesque path and ascends steps (far less than 800!) to the Monastery. The walk takes around 1½ hours and currently requires a guide as it is remote and can be hard to find the way. Ask for details at the Rocky Mountain Hotel, which organises this trek from its camp nearby.
8Getting Around
If you buy your ticket at the Petra Visitor Centre, a return horse ride for the 800m stretch between the main entrance and the start of the Siq is included in your ticket (arrange a return time with the handler). A tip of JD4 is appreciated. If you walk down, you can usually find a ride back to the entrance for around JD4. Horses and carriages with drivers travel between the main entrance and the Treasury (2km) for JD20 per carriage (which seats two people), plus JD5 per person in tips.
Unofficial donkey and mule rides (with handlers) are available all around Petra for negotiable prices. Donkeys can reach the High Place of Sacrifice (one way from JD10) and the top of the Monastery (return JD20). Mules can also be rented for longer trips to the Snake Monument (from JD25), Jebel Haroun (JD50) and Sabra (JD100).
Magnificently bedecked camels are available for rides between Qasr Al Bint and the Treasury (one way/return about JD20/30), and they will pause for a photograph near the Theatre. You may be able to hitch a ride on something four-legged back along the Siq for a few dinars at the end of the day.
Leading donkeys, mules and camels is a genuine occupation for local Bedouin, who prize their animals as an important part of their livelihood; that said, some of the younger animal handlers can be seen using a stick or whip with unnecessary aggression – perhaps in a misguided bid to look manly. If you have hired animal transport, don’t feel shy to intervene if you feel the treatment is inappropriate. Report mistreatment of animals to the Tourist Police at the Petra Visitor Centre and to the official Petra government complaints site at www.pdtra.gov.jo. It may not feel as if your complaint is taken seriously, but over the years, the prevailing attitude towards the humane treatment of animals has begun to change for the better. This is partly because of the complaints registered by visitors (see box).
Wadi Musa و ادي موسى
%03 / Pop 18,000 / Elev 1150m
The town that has sprung up around Petra is called Wadi Musa (Valley of Moses). It’s an easygoing assemblage of hotels, restaurants, shops and houses stretching about 5km from Moses’ Spring (‘Ain Musa) to the main entrance of Petra near the bottom of the wadi.
Wadi Musa’s fortunes depend almost entirely on tourism. Dozens of new hotels were hastily erected in the late 1990s (after the peace treaty with Israel), often with no aesthetic or social sensitivity. Many locals bought into the new opportunities that mass tourism offered only to be stung in the tourism slumps that have followed hostilities among Jordan’s neighbours. A moratorium on hotel building remains in place in an effort to curb rampant expansion and to shift the focus to improving services rather than simply ‘packing them in’ – a strategy that has largely worked in a town that takes its custodianship of Petra seriously.
Wadi Musa
1Sights
2Activities, Courses & Tours
4Sleeping
8Transport
1Sights
Petra ExhibitionMuseum
(GOOGLE MAP %03 215 6020; www.visitpetra.jo; Petra Visitor Centre, Tourism St; h6am-6pm May-Sep, to 4pm Oct-Apr) 
F
Awaiting the completion of a new home (currently being built across from the Petra Visitor Centre), this excellent exhibition makes the most of more than 200 artefacts that were formerly housed in the now-defunct Al Habis and the Basin Museums in the Ancient City. The exhibition is divided into different display areas, including Petra through the ages, art and architecture, religion, politics and society, and trade, and help give a tangible context to the site itself.
Allow an hour to do the displays justice.
Moses’ SpringSpring
(‘Ain Musa; King’s Hwy; hdawn-dusk) F
Moses’ Spring is one of two possible locations in Jordan for the site where Moses supposedly struck the rock with his staff and water gushed forth to the thirsty Israelites (the other possible site is near Mt Nebo). The spring still flows but is now housed within a simple modern three-domed building occasionally visited by local pilgrims. The site is located near the King’s Way Hotel, at the main junction into Wadi Musa from the north.
Walking Times to Key Sights in Petra
To make the most of Petra you need to walk. The good news is that you don’t have to be a serious hiker with a week to spare to have a ‘Burckhardt moment’ in the Ancient City – you just need to know where to go and when. Times in the following table indicate one-way walks (unless stated otherwise) at a leisurely pace. At a faster pace without stopping, you can hike from the Petra Visitor Centre to the Treasury in 20 minutes and the Basin Restaurant in 40 minutes along the main thoroughfare. Don’t forget to double the time for the uphill return journey, particularly if you’re tired after a day’s sightseeing. A variety of animal transport is usually on hand to get you back to base if you’re seriously flagging; for example, you can take a donkey from the Monastery to the Basin Restaurant, a camel to the Treasury, a horse carriage to the Siq entrance and a horse to Petra Visitor Centre.
| Direct Route | Time | Difficulty | Alternatives & Interesting Detours |
|---|---|---|---|
| Visitor Centre to Siq Entrance | 15 min | Easy | Horse ride Ponies are for hire to help you reach the dam near the Siq entrance – useful on the uphill return journey. |
| Siq Entrance to Treasury | 20 min | Easy | Hike Clamber above the Royal Tombs to a Treasury viewpoint and look down on everyone else looking up (one hour; strenuous). |
| Treasury to Royal Tombs | 20 min | Easy | Hike Climb the steps between the Royal Tombs and Sextius Florentinus tomb for a regal-eyed view of Petra. Continue to the cistern and descend to the Urn Tomb (one to 1½ hours; strenuous). Hike As an alternative to the Siq, squeeze through sinuous Wadi Muthlim to reach the Royal Tombs (1½ hours; moderate, guide required). |
| Treasury to Obelisk at High Place of Sacrifice | 45 min | Moderate | Walk Go beyond the High Place altar onto the solitary edge of the escarpment for a wide-angle view of Petra (15 minutes from Obelisk; easy). |
| Obelisk to Basin Restaurant (via main thoroughfare) | 45 min | Easy | Hike Instead of returning down the steps you ascended, hike via enchanting Wadi Farasa, passing rainbow-coloured rocks, Lion Monument and Garden Tomb (one hour from Obelisk; moderate). |
| Treasury to Basin Restaurant | 30 min | Easy | Walk Trace the path around the base of the Royal Tombs to Dorotheos’ House, explore the rarely visited Christian Tombs and follow Wadi Mataha to the Basin Restaurant (one hour; easy). |
| Basin Restaurant to Monastery | 40 min | Moderate | Walk Get a head start to the Monastery via Umm Sayoun access road (one hour; moderate), pausing at Turkmaniya Tomb, famous for its long Nabataean inscription (20 minutes from Umm Sayoun to Basin Restaurant; easy). Hike For a rare glimpse of how tombs like the Monastery were cut, walk around Al Habis to see the Unfinished Tomb (40 minutes return to Basin Restaurant; moderate). |
2Activities
While pretty much the only reason to come to Wadi Musa is to visit Petra, the town does have a few activities of its own, one of which is enjoying a Turkish bath, of which there are many scattered all over town.
A Turkish bath is the perfect way to ease aching muscles after a long day’s walk in Petra. This time-honoured bathing experience is enjoying a current resurgence in popularity and many new baths have appeared in Wadi Musa, most attached to hotels, including the Amra Palace Hotel and the Petra Palace Hotel. The service on offer at a hammam (bathhouse) typically includes steam bath, massage, hot stones, scrubbing and ‘body conditioning’. The baths are popular with tourists and locals alike, so it’s best to book ahead, especially if requesting a female attendant (women only). Prices typically cost JD15 to JD30, depending on the combination of services on offer. Hotels often offer their residents discounts to their own baths or the baths they patronise.
Salome Turkish BathHammam
(%03 215 7342; opposite Al Anbat II Hotel; bath, body scrub & massage JD24; h3-10pm)
Entered via a grotto displaying old farming implements, this bathhouse has an atmospheric sitting area for relaxing with herbal tea. Offering mixed bathing with body scrub and massage, this traditional little hammam makes a virtue out of staying the same while the rest of the town celebrates change.
Sella Turkish BathHammam
(MAP GOOGLE MAP; %03 215 7170; www.sellahotel.com; King’s Hwy; h5.30-10pm)
The Sella bathhouse has a comprehensive list of services, including sauna, and separate baths for men and women. Dead Sea products are on sale here.
Petra Turkish BathHammam
(%03 215 7085; Tourism St; steam room, massage & scrub 1hr JD30; h3-10pm)
In the passage under the Silk Road Hotel, near the entrance of Petra, this hammam has a completely separate bath area for women, with female attendants.
CCourses
oPetra KitchenCooking
(MAP GOOGLE MAP; %03 215 5900; www.petrakitchen.com; Tourism St; cookery course per person JD35; h6-9pm)
For those wanting to know how to prepare wonderful hummus or bake the perfect baklava, Petra Kitchen offers a practical course, delivered in a single evening. Located 100m up the main road from the Mövenpick Hotel, it offers nightly cookery courses for those wanting to learn from locals how to cook Jordanian mezze, soup and main dishes in a relaxed family-style atmosphere.
A local Jordanian chef is on hand to make sure that apprentices don’t make a goat’s ear of the authentic Jordanian dishes. The menu, which includes delicious vegetarian fare, changes daily. The price includes the printed recipes, food and soft drinks. Better still, it’s possible to buy a bottle of St George to share with fellow learners – a great way to mask any less than perfect results. Reservations (with a deposit) are recommended.
Course times might change slightly from season to season.
TTours
Jordan ExperienceTours
(MAP GOOGLE MAP; %03 215 4343; www.jordan-experience.com; Tourism St)
Focuses on religious tours, including an ‘In the Footsteps of Jesus in Jordan’ tour. It can help chart the Christian presence in the Petra area for those with a historical or religious interest in this dimension.
Zaman Tours & TravelAdventure
(MAP GOOGLE MAP; %03 215 7723; www.zamantours.com; Tourism St; h9am-5pm)
Adventure tours, camping, camel treks and hiking.
Mohammed Al HasanatTours
(%07 7738 0884; explorerone69@yahoo.com)
Mohammed Al Hasanat has been a licensed national guide since 1979. He has a love of hiking and has had plenty of practise. Reliable, knowledgeable both of the historical and cultural contexts of the areas he covers, and experienced in catering to the needs of individuals or groups with special interests. He can organise camping tours over several days, including camel and horse safaris.
Petra Moon Tourism ServicesTours
(MAP GOOGLE MAP; %07 9617 0666; www.petramoon.com; Tourism St; all-day horse rides to Jebel Haroun US$100, min 3 people)
Petra Moon is the most professional agency in Wadi Musa for arranging trips inside Petra and around Jordan (including Wadi Rum and Aqaba). It can arrange horse riding, fully supported treks to Dana (three nights), hikes from Tayyibeh to Petra, and camel treks in Wadi Rum. It also runs a popular 14-day tour around Jordan for 10 to 26 people.
Petra Night ToursTours
(MAP GOOGLE MAP; %03 215 4010; www.pntours.com; off Tourism St)
Not to be confused with the Petra by Night tour, this well-established, family-run agency organises a variety of tours in Petra and beyond. It also sells tickets for the candlelit tour of the Siq.
Mahmoud TwaissiTours
(%07 7725 4658; mat65petra@yahoo.com)
Mahmoud Twaissi has a well-earned reputation not just as a guide but also as a fixer for large-scale projects throughout the country.
La BeduinaCultural
(MAP GOOGLE MAP; %06 554 1631; www.labeduinatours.com; off Tourism St)
Specialist tours including hiking, horse and camel riding, and yoga tours.
Jordan Travel & TourismTours
(MAP GOOGLE MAP; %03 215 4666; www.jordantours-travel.com; King’s Hwy)
Local tours and longer trips around Jordan. Near the Petra Sella Hotel.
4Sleeping
Visitors have a choice of more than 70 hotels (none of which are inside the Ancient City itself) catering to most budgets. Prices generally include a private bathroom, breakfast, free wi-fi and tax; they sometimes include a free transfer to the Petra Visitor Centre. Outside high season (April to mid-May and October to November) prices drop substantially from official rates, especially for stays of three nights or more.
Most top-end and midrange hotels are located at the bottom end of town, within walking distance to the entrance to Petra and well supplied with restaurants and souvenir shops. Their proximity to the Petra Visitor Centre can be a boon after a long day’s hiking in the Ancient City.
The hotels in the town centre are most convenient for the bus station, cheaper cafes and supermarkets. It’s possible to walk downhill to the Petra Visitor Centre from here, but it won’t leave as much energy for exploring the Ancient City itself.
Some good budget and midrange options are available on the King’s Highway between Moses’ Spring and the start of Main St, all of which have panoramic views. The luxury hotels of Upper Wadi Musa are located on the scenic road that leads from the town centre to Tayyibeh, a 10- to 15-minute drive from the Petra Visitor Centre. Perched at around 1400m above sea level, they offer fine views over the Rift Valley and most have beautiful terraces for a sunset drink. On the downside, they feel very much removed from the Petra experience.
WORTH A TRIP
A DOZEN UNUSUAL WAYS TO ENJOY PETRA
AEnter Petra via the narrow Wadi Muthlim instead of the Siq (best kept for the second day of a visit; often closed).
AGain an eagle’s-eye view of the Treasury from a path above the Royal Tombs.
AGallop across a plateau on horseback, high above the Treasury.
ADescend from the High Place of Sacrifice via the garden valley of Wadi Farasa.
ATake tea with one of the few remaining residents of Petra behind Al Habis.
AUnfurl a portable feast in a triclinium, a banqueting hall for honouring the dead.
AHike with a guide from Little Petra along the back trail to the Monastery.
AFind a secret garden beyond the Siq at Little Petra.
ASaddle up a donkey for the two-day hike to Sabra via Wadi Tibn.
ALeave Petra with the Bdoul Bedouin via the road to Umm Sayoun.
AWalk between Umm Sayoun and Wadi Musa for a sublime view of Petra at sunset.
AStop at the viewpoint on the scenic road to Tayyibeh for the ultimate Petra panorama.
oPeace Way HotelBoutique Hotel$
(%03 215 6963; peaceway_petra@yahoo.com; Main St; s/d/tr JD16/22/35; 
W
#)
This hotel has undergone the most remarkable transformation from budget to boutique. The impressive makeover includes blue-lit ceilings, carved wooden doors and a handsome chocolate brown theme to the corridors and rooms, contrasted with cream-coloured marble. Even more remarkable is that the hotel has kept its budget prices, making this central option very good value. Unusually, it’s pet-friendly too.
oRocky Mountain HotelHotel$
(GOOGLE MAP %03 215 5100, 07 9694 1865; www.rockymountainhotel.com; King’s Hwy; s/d/tr/q JD26/39/50/60; 
iW)
This backpacker-friendly hotel has caught just the right vibe to make it Petra’s most successful travellers’ lodge. There’s a cosy communal area with free tea and coffee and the majlis-style roof terrace makes the most of the impressive sweeping views. A free shuttle service to the Petra entrance leaves at 7.30am and 8.30am, returning at 4pm and 5pm.
The Anglo-Jordanian couple who run the hotel advise on onward travel and overnight trips to Wadi Rum. They also operate the peaceful Seven Wonders Bedouin Camp.
Lunch boxes are available for JD4.
oCleopetra HotelHotel$
(GOOGLE MAP %03 215 7090; www.cleopetrahotel.com; Main St; s/d/tr JD18/25/32; iW)
One of the friendliest and most efficiently run budget hotels in town, Cleopetra has bright, fresh rooms. There’s a communal sitting area in the lobby where wi-fi is available for JD2. The hotel can arrange overnight 4WD trips to Wadi Rum (JD50 per person for a minimum of three) and the ever-helpful Mosleh can organise other transport.
Al Anbat Hotel IHotel$
(GOOGLE MAP %03 215 6265; www.alanbat.com; King’s Highway; s/d/tr JD25/35/50; iW
s)
Located some way out of town, this hotel features large rooms with sunset views, and an attractive lobby and restaurant (buffet lunch or dinner JD10) with a magnificent view. There’s a Turkish bath (guests JD15) and free transport to/from Petra. Campers can pitch a tent (JD7 per person with showers and kitchen access); campervans are welcome (JD5 per van plus JD7 per person).
Al Anbat Hotel IIHotel$
(GOOGLE MAP %07 7809 3113, 03 215 7200; www.alanbat.com; off Main St; s/d/tw/tr JD17/23/25/38; 5-bed f JD50; 
pWs)
This hotel has recently undergone a refurbishment and rooms are now luxurious with new soft furnishings. There are good views across Wadi Musa and the surrounding hills from many of the rooms and the roof terrace. In high season the neighbouring building offers less attractive accommodation but with similarly large and comfortable rooms. There’s an excellent Turkish bath opposite.
oPetra Guest House HotelHotel$$
(GOOGLE MAP %03 215 6266; www.guesthouse-petra.com; off Tourism St; r from JD75; pW)
Guests can’t get closer to the entrance to Petra without sleeping in a tomb – and indeed the hotel’s famous Cave Bar is located in one. Accommodation ranges from spacious, motel-like chalets or sunny (if cramped) rooms in the main building. The staff are unfailingly delightful and the breakfast buffet is superior to most. Offers excellent value for money.
P Quattro Relax HotelHotel$$
(%03 215 6577; www.p4hotel.com; opposite bus station; s/d from JD40/50; pWs#)
This new hotel, whose owner has worked in Italy, reveals a European character in its choice of black-and-white decor. Surprisingly for the region, there are three pet-friendly rooms. Piles of luxurious linen, an on-site mini gym, a small roof garden and a restaurant serving authentic Italian fare help contribute to the quality experience at this small, often fully booked hotel.
Seven Wonders HotelHotel$$
(GOOGLE MAP %03 215 5156; www.sevenwondershotel.com; junction of Main St & King’s Hwy; s/d JD60/85; iWs)
The rooms at this hotel are decked out with thick carpets and some have balconies with good views over the town and surrounding landscape. There’s a terrace with a ‘dry’ bar (no alcohol served). Book two hours ahead for the hotel’s Afra Turkish bath (JD35 per person). Open from 5pm to 10pm, the baths offer sauna, Jacuzzi, steam room and massage.
Petra Sella HotelHotel$$
(GOOGLE MAP %03 215 7170; www.sellahotel.com; King’s Hwy; s/d/tr JD45/65/85; iW)
This newly renovated hotel has luxurious rooms, decked in stylish stone tiles with split ceilings and marble sinks in the bathrooms – almost boutique for Wadi Musa. There are good views from front rooms but rooms at the back are bigger. The hotel runs the spotless Sella Turkish Bath opposite.
Lunch boxes are available for JD8.
Petra Palace HotelHotel$$
(GOOGLE MAP %03 215 6723; www.petrapalace.com.jo; Tourism St; s/d/tr/q JD41/55/76/96; iWs)
Located 500m from the entrance to Petra, this attractive and well-established hotel, with its palm-tree entrance, big bright foyer and helpful management, offers rooms around a swimming pool. Corridors and grounds are looking tired but the sociable English Bar and a good restaurant compensate. A mixed Turkish bath (JD20 per person) is open from 8am to 10pm.
Petra Moon HotelHotel$$
(GOOGLE MAP %03 215 6220; www.petramoonhotel.com; off Tourism St; s/d/tr JD50/65/75; piWs)
On a hill at the bottom of Wadi Musa, near the entrance to Petra, this hotel with its distinctive pink exterior features modern rooms, big bathrooms and a rooftop swimming pool. A large terrace is a good place to enjoy splendid sunset views and a popular nightly barbecue (JD15, 7pm to 11pm).
Sharah Mountains HotelHotel$$
(GOOGLE MAP %03 215 7294; www.sharahmountains.com; Main St; s & d JD35, tr/q JD45/55; iW)
A large marble foyer with leather sofas makes an impressive entrance to this newly refurbished hotel. Corridors are simple enough but the quality of new fixtures and furnishings in the rooms and bathrooms makes this a good-value choice. There are views from most rooms and a terrace.
Silk Road HotelHotel$$
(GOOGLE MAP %03 215 7222; www.petrasilkroad.com; Tourism St; s/d/tr JD35/45/55; p)
Hand-painted panels of Bedouin camps stretch across the foyer and restaurant walls of this old favourite, 300m from the entrance to Petra. The rooms in lavender hues may not be to everyone’s taste, but they are large with big bathtubs, and most have a view. The buffet lunch (JD10) is popular with tour groups.
David Roberts: Painting Petra
Stand in certain parts of Petra and Little Petra and it’s almost impossible not to imagine striped-robed Arabs from the 19th century lounging languidly in the foreground. Sit in the cafes and hotel lobbies of Wadi Musa and you’ll see the same characters and landscapes writ large across otherwise vacant walls. And who do we have to thank for this ‘picturesque’ peopling of ancient Petra? The culprit is one David Roberts: artist, Scot and much-beloved topographer of the late Romantic era.
Given the continuing popularity of his images with tourists, it’s safe to say that Roberts (1796–1864) had the common touch. This may have had something to do with his seven-year apprenticeship as a house painter, or perhaps his stint as a scenery painter at the Theatre Royal in Edinburgh. Whatever the reason, his compositions are full of human interest – an unloaded caravan, friends waving across a wadi, a quarrel between traders cast against a backdrop of exaggerated landscape.
Roberts visited the region in 1839 dressed as an Arab, in the tradition of Burckhardt just two decades earlier, and travelled with a caravan of 20 camels and local bodyguards. Petra was the high point of his journey, despite having to cut short his visit because of trouble with local tribes. On his return to Britain, his watercolours, magnificently interpreted in lithograph by the Belgian engraver Louis Haghe, were exhibited in 1840 and won instant critical acclaim.
Roberts’ images have now passed into the visual vocabulary of one of the world’s most treasured sites. For a shoemaker’s son with no formal art training who began life painting houses, that’s a formidable legacy.
oMövenpick HotelHotel$$$
(GOOGLE MAP %03 215 7111; www.moevenpick.com; Tourism St; r from JD500; piWs)
This beautifully crafted Arabian-style hotel, 100m from the entrance to Petra, is worth a visit simply to admire the inlaid furniture, marble fountains, wooden screens and brass salvers. As the hotel is in the bottom of the valley there are no views, but the large and super-luxurious rooms all have huge windows regardless. The buffet breakfast and dinner are exceptional.
Petals are floated daily in the jardinière, a roaring fire welcomes winter residents to the Burckhardt Library (a lounge on the upper floor) and there’s a pleasant ambience on the roof garden in summer. Big discounts possible in low season.
Petra Panorama HotelHotel$$$
(%03 215 7393; www.petrapanorama.com; King’s Hwy; from s/d JD90/120; Ws)
Popular with European tour groups, this hotel was designed for the package tourist with its cavernous corridors, unsubtle touches and an abandoned ship atmosphere during the day. That said, the rooms, which cascade in tiers down the mountain, are bright and spacious, if dated. Each room has its own terrace with uninterrupted views for a private sunset.
Nabataean Castle HotelHotel$$$
(%03 215 7201; www.moevenpick.com; King’s Hwy; r incl half board from JD300; Ws)
Mövenpick runs this opulent choice as a sister hotel to the one near the entrance to Petra. Most rooms have views over the valley, but the windows are surprisingly small and the hotel is often fully booked. There’s a free daily shuttle bus to and from Petra.
Petra MarriottHotel$$$
(%03 215 6407; www.marriott.com; King’s Hwy; r from JD135; iWs)
One of the most elegant hotels in the area, though remote in every sense from the experience of Petra. Services include a pool, several restaurants, a Turkish bath and even a cinema for free use by guests.
5Eating
The cheapest eating options are around Shaheed roundabout and Sanabel bakery. Most offer similar menus with falafel and shawarma (meat sliced off a spit and stuffed in a pocket of pita-type bread with chopped tomatoes and garnish) as staples. Midrange options with a wider selection of Jordanian dishes are near the Petra entrance. International dining with alcohol is largely confined to five-star hotels. Wadi Musa has many grocery stores for picnic supplies and most hotels arrange snack boxes.
Mövenpick Hotel Ice Cream ParlourIce Cream$
(Mövenpick Hotel, Tourism St; 1 scoop JD2.400; h2-11pm)
After a hot day’s hiking in Petra, it’s hard to resist a Swiss ice cream from the hotel’s foyer cafe. The ice creams are also dispatched through the window on Tourism St.
Bin Bukhara RestaurantKebab$
(off Main St; mains JD4; h11am-midnight)
Selling rotisserie-style barbecued chicken and kebabs, this popular restaurant on the one-way loop round the centre of Wadi Musa is just the place to satisfy an appetite after the long slog up from Petra.
Sanabel BakeryBakery$
(off Main St; h5am-midnight)
Good for putting together a picnic, the Sanabel Bakery sells a delicious range of Arab sweets.
Sunrise SupermarketSupermarket$
(Tourism St; h7.30am-11pm)
This handy shop near the entrance to Petra sells all the necessary ingredients of a picnic for a day’s walking in the Ancient City, including fruit and bottled water.
oOriental RestaurantJordanian$$
(%03 215 7087; Tourism St; mains JD6; h11am-9.30pm)
This main-street favourite offers tasty grills and Jordanian fare, such as mensaf (Bedouin dish of lamb on a bed of rice). The outdoor terrace, bedecked with Doric columns, makes a sociable hang-out after the long hike back from Petra.
Zawaya RestaurantInternational$$
(%07 7763 8373, 03 215 6055; Main St; mains JD6; h8am-midnight; W)
With a coffee shop atmosphere, this new restaurant in the heart of Wadi Musa looks set to become a travellers’ meeting place with tables outside and a fashionable interior. The chefs are from Jordan and the US, and the theme of the menu is Mediterranean, Jordanian and Italian.
Red Cave RestaurantJordanian$$
(%03 215 7799; Tourism St; mains from JD5; h9am-10pm)
Cavernous and friendly, this restaurant serves local Bedouin specialities, including mensaf and makloubeh. It’s a popular travellers’ meeting point.
Sandstone RestaurantJordanian$$
(%07 9554 2277; Tourism St; mains JD9, large beer/small bottle of wine JD7/15; h9am-11pm; W)
This popular restaurant offers simple fare of tasty mixed grills, salad and mezze and has an outdoor terrace that is particularly popular at lunchtime. Beer and wine is discreetly served outside or served with greater aplomb for an indoor party over tasty Jordanian dishes.
oAl QantarahJordanian$$$
(GOOGLE MAP %03 215 5535; www.al-qantarah.com; Lower Wadi Musa; lunch/dinner JD10/12; hlunch 11.30am-4.30pm, dinner 7-10pm; pv)
Wadi Musa’s best restaurant specialises in Jordanian food and serves up to 500 people in one lunch sitting. There is no menu – lunch and dinner are buffet style with 15 kinds of salads and mezze, eight meat and soup dishes and eight kinds of dessert. There’s a cooking station and live music every day in the delightful, traditional dining rooms.
oAl Saraya RestaurantInternational$$$
(GOOGLE MAP %03 215 7111; www.moevenpick.com; Mövenpick Hotel, Tourism St; buffet dinner JD20; hlunch 11am-3pm, dinner 7-10pm; pv)
Serving a top-notch international buffet in an elegant banquet hall, this fine-dining restaurant offers a quality of dishes that matches the general opulence of the Mövenpick Hotel in which it is located. It’s worth leaving time for a nightcap in the grand, wood-panelled bar afterwards, which sports a roaring fire in the hearth in winter or a rooftop cocktail in summer.
6Drinking & Nightlife
There is generally a lively buzz in town from around 4pm to 7pm as visitors drift wearily back into town after extended hikes in the Ancient City. This is the most sociable part of the day when an early supper at one of Wadi Musa’s Tourism St restaurants phases seamlessly into happy-hour drinks at a rooftop bar. Some hotels organise films or other entertainment, but only when there are enough takers.
oCave BarBar
(GOOGLE MAP %03 215 6266; www.guesthouse-petra.com; Petra Guesthouse, near Petra Visitor Centre; h3-11pm)
It’s almost a crime to visit Petra and miss the oldest bar in the world. Occupying a 2000-year-old Nabataean rock tomb, this atmospheric Petra hot spot has been known to stay open until 4am on busy summer nights. Sitting among the spirits, alcoholic or
otherwise, gives a flavour of Petra that’s in animated contrast to the bar’s ancient origins.
The menu includes a small range of cocktails and simple fare, such as burgers, salads and pasta. The restaurant and bar are next to the entrance to Petra Guest House Hotel, behind the Petra Visitor Centre. Tax and service of 17% are added to the bill.
Al Maqa’ad BarBar
(GOOGLE MAP %03 215 7111; www.moevenpick.com; Mövenpick Hotel, Tourism St; h4-11pm)
The Mövenpick Hotel bar has a superb Moroccan-style interior with carved wooden grills and a grand chandelier. It’s worth having a cocktail or an ice-cream special just to enjoy the ambience. A 26% tax and service charge is applied. There’s another bar called the Roof Garden in the same hotel if weather allows.
English BarBar
(%03 215 6723; Petra Palace Hotel, Tourism St; h2-11pm)
The Petra Palace Hotel runs this sociable bar, decorated with assorted local memorabilia. It is one of the few dedicated bars in town, and it makes for a particularly cosy spot in winter when the alternative rooftop bars are closed.
Al Qaysar RestaurantCafe
(Tourism St; h10am-midnight)
If you’re climbing the hill between Petra Visitor Centre and Shaheed roundabout, you might like to stop at the Al Qaysar Restaurant, a halfway house with a small craft shop, cafe with seating on the pavement, and clean toilets. It’s also a popular place to try shisha (water pipe).
7Shopping
There are many souvenir shops near the entrance to Petra selling scarves, hats and fridge magnets. Throughout Wadi Musa, craftsmen patiently pour coloured sand into glass bottles; they will write a name in the sand if given enough time. Books on Petra can be found in the shops at the visitor centre and along Tourism St in lower Wadi Musa.
Indiana Jones Gifts ShopGifts & Souvenirs
(%03 215 5069; h8am-10pm)
This old timer of a store is now one among many in the outdoor shopping complex that arcs around the Petra Visitor Centre. It remains a good place to buy a video of the main sites in Petra or a shamag (headscarf), which works well as a hat in the heat of a summer visit.
Made in JordanArts & Crafts
(%03 215 5900; Tourism St; h8.30am-11pm)
This shop sells quality crafts from local enterprises. Products include olive oil, soap, paper, ceramics, table runners, nature products from Wild Jordan in Amman, jewellery from Wadi Musa, embroidery from Safi, camelhair shawls, and bags from Aqaba as well as Jordan River Foundation goods. The fixed prices reflect the quality and uniqueness of each piece; credit cards are accepted.
Andalusia BazaarGifts & Souvenirs
(Tourism St; h8am-10pm)
Has a good selection of hand-blown glass bottles displayed in the window. Prices cost JD10 to JD40 depending on the complexity of the design.
Rum Studio & LabsPhotography
(Tourism St; h10am-10pm)
Some pocket-sized cameras and a range of digital accessories are available here; the shop is located in front of the Silk Road Hotel on the main street.
8Information
Books
There is some interesting literature about Petra, together with beautiful souvenir books, available at shops and stalls around Wadi Musa and Petra.
One of the best guidebooks, Petra: A Traveller’s Guide by Rosalyn Maqsood, covers the history and culture of the site and describes several hikes. The pocket-sized Petra: The Rose-Red City by Christian Auge and Jean-Marie Dentzer provides excellent historical context. Jane Taylor’s Petra is another good paperback introduction to the site. Taylor also wrote the authoritative Petra & the Lost Kingdoms of the Nabataeans. There’s a chapter on hiking in Petra in Tony Howard and Di Taylor’s Jordan – Walks, Treks, Climbs & Canyons.
For an engaging account of the Bdoul Bedouin who once lived in the caves surrounding the Petra valley and who now live on the rim of the Ancient City, Married to a Bedouin is a recommended read. The author, Marguerite van Geldermalsen, raised three children among the Bdoul and ran the local health clinic. Since the book’s publication in 2006, Marguerite has become a local celebrity in Jordan, has received the Queen of England and Queen Noor in her cave, and her son now runs tours for those wanting to gain an understanding of Bedouin life in the area. She continues to live in the Bdoul community at Umm Sayoun.
MAPS
Signposting is steadily improving within the Ancient City, but a map and guidebook remain essential to identifying and interpreting sights.
The best map for hiking without a guide is the Royal Jordanian Geographic Centre’s contoured 1:5000 Map of Petra (2005; JD5), available at bookshops in Wadi Musa.
A free Petra map published by the Petra Development & Tourism Region Authority is given on purchasing tickets and includes a few photographs that help identify certain monuments. There’s also a plan of hiking trails on the wall of the Petra Visitor Centre, a photograph of which may make a useful, portable supplement to other available maps.
MEDICAL SERVICES
The Queen Rania Hospital (%03 215 0635; off King’s Hwy) offers high-standard health care and is open for emergencies without referral. It’s located 5km from the police roundabout on the road to Tayyibeh.
The Wadi Musa Pharmacy (Main St; h24hr), located near the Shaheed roundabout, has a wide range of medications and toiletries.
MONEY
There are several ATMs dotted around town, including at the Arab Bank (Main St) in central Wadi Musa and at the Mövenpick Hotel near the Petra Visitor Centre. Many hotels will change money, albeit at a poor rate. The banks are open from about 8am to 2pm Sunday to Thursday and (sometimes) 9am to 11am on Friday.
TOURIST INFORMATION
Information and tickets are available at the Petra Visitor Centre, just before the main entrance to the Ancient City.
Tourist Police Station (%03 210 6044; info@visitpetra.jo; h8am-midnight) Within the Petra Visitor Centre complex. This is the place to register complaints about misconduct on behalf of guides (an unlikely occurrence) or mistreatment of animals by their handlers.
8Getting There & Away
Public transport to and from Wadi Musa is less frequent than may be expected, given that it’s the top tourist attraction in Jordan. The best place to find information about minibuses and other transport is to ask at any of the hotels or one of the restaurants around the Shaheed roundabout.
BUS
A daily JETT bus connects Amman with Petra, largely designed for those wanting to visit on a day trip. The service leaves at 6.30am from the JETT office, near Abdali Bus Station (JD10 each way, four hours) and drops off passengers at the JETT bus stop (GOOGLE MAP %06 566 4141; www.jett.com.jo; Tourism St), just up the Al Beidha Rd, a two-minute walk from the Petra Visitor Centre in Wadi Musa. The return bus leaves at 5pm in summer, 4pm in winter.
MINIBUS
Minibuses leave from the bus station in central Wadi Musa. Most minibuses won’t leave unless they’re at least half full, so a wait is almost inevitable. If there are insufficient passengers, they may not leave at all. It’s possible the driver may suggest payment for the empty seats. This is not a scam: it’s just an attempt by the driver to cover the cost of the journey. As such, passengers should establish the fare before departing. There are far fewer services on Fridays. Passengers may well be charged extra for luggage (around JD3), especially if it takes up a seat that could be used for a paying customer.
The following services run when full from Wadi Musa Bus Station:
Amman (JD5 to JD6, four hours) Regular minibuses travel daily between Amman’s South Bus Station (Wihdat) and Wadi Musa via the Desert Highway. These buses leave Amman and Wadi Musa when full every hour or so between around 6am and noon. From Amman there are services until around 4pm; from Wadi Musa there may be an additional journey or two depending on demand. Schedules change frequently but hotels in Wadi Musa can give up-to-date advice.
Ma’an (JD0.500, 45 minutes) Minibuses leave fairly frequently throughout the day (more often in the morning), stopping briefly at the university, about 10km from Ma’an. From Ma’an there are connections to Amman, Aqaba and the Wadi Rum junction.
Aqaba (JD5, 2½ hours) These leave at about 6am, 8.30am and possibly at 3pm – timings can be checked through a hotel the day before.
Wadi Rum (JD7, two hours) There is a daily minibus around 6am. It’s necessary to reserve a seat the day before – hotels normally contact the driver on guests’ behalf. If the service isn’t operating, an alternative is to take the minibus to Aqaba, get off at the Ar Rashidiyyah junction and catch another minibus (hitching is not recommended though possible) the remainder of the journey to Rum. Cleopetra Hotel, among other hotels, organises competent overnight tours to Wadi Rum as an alternative to the patchy public transport.
Karak (JD7, two hours) A minibus sometimes leaves at around 7am and sometimes at noon, but demand is low so it doesn’t leave every day and there is no service on Fridays. Alternatively, travel is possible via Ma’an.
PETRA: PUBLIC TRANSPORT AT A GLANCE
| To/From | Duration | Frequency | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Amman (210km) via Desert Hwy | 4hr | 1 bus daily/11 minibuses daily | JETT Bus Leaves 6.30am from the JETT bus office near Abdali Bus Station. Returns 4pm (summer 5pm) from Petra Visitor Centre. Minibus Leaves (only when full) between 6am and noon to/from the South Bus Station (Wihdat) in Amman and Wadi Musa Bus Station. |
| Wadi Rum (90km) | 2hr | 1 daily | Minibus Leaves 6am from Wadi Musa bus station. Leaves 8.30am from Petra Visitor Centre. May only leave if full: ask hotel/camp owner to contact bus driver in advance. |
| Aqaba (120km) | 2½hr | 4 daily | Minibus Leaves between 6.30am and 8.30am, with one mid-afternoon to/from Wadi Musa Bus Station and Aqaba Minibus Station. Leaves only when full. |
CAR
Petra and Wadi Musa are well signposted along the main highways. The road from Petra to Little Petra extends to the Wadi Musa to Shobak road, offering a scenic alternative route out of town. A spectacular road winds into Wadi Araba for direct access to the Dead Sea Highway that has just been rebuilt after flood damage. The road to Tayyibeh is also particularly scenic.
TAXI
Private (yellow) taxis are easy to find in Wadi Musa. One-way taxi fares cost JD45 to Wadi Rum (one hour) or JD80 return with a one-hour wait. A few 4WD taxis are available for much the same cost, but they are not of much benefit as Wadi Rum visitors still have to join a 4WD tour from the Wadi Rum Visitor Centre to explore the protected area.
The one-way fare to Aqaba (1½ hours) is JD45; to Shobak (40 minutes) it is JD30 or JD60 return including a one-hour wait; and to Karak (1½ hours) it’s JD75 or JD150 return including a one-hour wait. To travel to Madaba or Amman via the scenic King’s Highway, with stops at Shobak, Dana and Karak, the fare is JD120 to JD150. Nonstop to the airport, Madaba and Amman along the dull and badly surfaced Desert Highway, the fares are JD70, JD75 and JD100, respectively.
8Getting Around
Taxis are unmetered, but the fares are kept pretty much standard. Between lower and central Wadi Musa it costs JD4; between lower and upper Wadi Musa (Moses’ Spring) it costs JD7.
The Jordan Trail: Petra to Wadi Rum
Distance 90.6km
Duration Five days
The route joining the two iconic destinations of Petra and Wadi Rum lies across some of the wildest stretches of desert in Jordan.
The trek begins by meandering out of the Ancient City of Petra via Sabra. There’s a side trip up Jebel Haroun on offer for those who are hankering after the steep challenges of the previous leg. For the more sane hiker, the route climbs to a plateau and then leads gradually down to the desert floor near the little-visited ruins of Humeima. From here, the hike into Wadi Rum gives rise to magnificent views of the wind-eroded landscape that made such an impression on Lawrence of Arabia.
The hike is marked by a couple of relatively easy days – an opportunity to shore up energy needed to tackle walking on soft sand towards the end of the five-day leg. Wild camping here is accompanied by some of the best show of stars along the trail.
Visit the Jordan Trail (www.jordantrail.org) for route maps, GPS waypoints and detailed breakdowns of daily hikes.
Siq Al Barid (Little Petra) 
Siq Al Barid (Cold Canyon) is colloquially known as Little Petra and is well worth a visit. It was thought to have served as an agricultural centre, trading suburb and resupply post for camel caravans visiting Petra. The surrounding area is picturesque and fun to explore, especially as it is home to some of the oldest settlements in the world, including Al Beidha.
1Sights
oLittle Petra SiqRuins
(Siq Al Barid; hdaylight hours) F
An obvious path leads through the 400m-long Siq Al Barid, opening out into flat, sandy areas. The first open area boasts a temple while four triclinia – one on the left and three on the right – are in the second open area. These were probably used as dining rooms to feed hungry merchants and travellers. About 50m further along the siq is the Painted House, another small dining room reached by some exterior steps.
The Painted House is worth a closer look as faded but still vivid frescoes of vines, flowers and birds on the underside of the interior arch are a rare example of Nabataean painting, though the walls have been blackened by Bedouin campfires. Cut into the rock opposite the room is a large cistern; there are also worn water channels at various points along the siq.
Climbing the steps at the end of Siq Al Barid affords great views of the wind-eroded landscape and plenty of picnicking opportunities. With extra time and interest the Nabataean quarries and cisterns of Umm Qusa, located just before the entrance to Siq Al Barid, are worth a look.
There are guides, souvenirs, drinks and snacks available in the stands clustered near the entrance to the siq, beside the car park.
Al BeidhaRuins
(hdaylight hours) F
The neolithic ruins of Al Beidha date back 9000 years and, along with Jericho, constitute one of the oldest archaeological sites in the Middle East. The remains of around 65 round (and later rectangular) structures are especially significant because they pinpoint the physical transition from hunter-gatherer to settled herder-agriculturalist communities. The settlement was abandoned around 6000 BCE, keeping the site intact. A 15-minute walking trail, starting to the left of the entrance to Little Petra, leads to the site.
It’s important to keep to the marked trails at Al Beidha as the site is fragile. It’s fair to say that for the casual visitor, the ruins require imagination, but the location among wind-eroded cliffs is an inspiring one. Broken tablets leading from Little Petra to the site helpfully mark key points in world history that put the mind-stretching antiquity of Al Beidha into context.
2Activities
There’s a rewarding hike from Siq Al Barid to the Monastery (Al Deir) inside Petra. Often referred to as the ‘back trail to Petra’, this beautiful concealed route takes two hours combining 4WD and hiking (three hours hiking only) and costs JD60 for two people. Along the route, which is paved for much of the way and has steps that help with the steep section, there are wonderful views into Wadi Araba. This is one of the routes that Rocky Mountain Hotel in Wadi Musa specialises in, either from its hotel or from its Seven Wonders Bedouin Camp. Another route leads from Petra centre via Wadi Mu’aisireh Al Gharbiya. Both hikes require a guide as it can be hard to find the way. A valid ticket to Petra (not available from Siq Al Barid) is required, and ticket validity is checked along the route.
4Sleeping & Eating
There are several simple camps in the area that make a delightful rural retreat from the slightly claustrophobic atmosphere of Wadi Musa. If travelling with family, ask about discounts for children – some camps offer half price for kids aged under 12.
A cluster of stands around the entrance to Siq Al Barid sell tea, coffee, soft drinks and snacks. Other than these, the camps all offer half-board accommodation with breakfast and dinner.
Seven Wonders Bedouin CampCampground$
(%07 9795 8641; www.sevenwondersbedouincamp.com; off Al Beidah Rd; tent incl half-board per person JD30, B&B JD20)
Signposted along a track off the road to Little Petra and tucked discreetly into a hillside, this relaxed and good-value camp looks particularly magical at night when the open fires are burning and the rocks behind the camp are illuminated. Accommodation is in simple but cosy tents with electric light, carpets and mosquito nets. Hot water and towels are available.
A range of tasty traditional fare is prepared by locals and sometimes includes dishes from a zerb oven (buried in the ground) and mehndi (barbecue) pits. The camp offers both a guided visit to Little Petra (JD15) and the back trail guided 4WD-hike to the Monastery in Petra (from JD60). Other trips include a two-hour 4WD and hiking excursion (JD60) to a local wadi with impressive rock formations. The camp is run by the same management as the popular Rocky Mountain Hotel in Wadi Musa.
Little Petra Bedouin CampCampground$
(%07 7867 4953, 07 7716 2453; www.lpbcamp.com; Al Beida Rd; B&B/half board per person JD20/25, for 2 people JD25/30)
Signposted just off the main road to Little Petra, this secluded complex in a tree-filled basin surrounded by mountains offers a rural retreat. Accommodation is in army tents that sport proper beds with linen and mattresses with segregated bathroom blocks for women and men. Romantic settings for dinner are dotted around the campsite, including in a cave.
Ammarin Bedouin CampCampground$$
(%07 9975 5551; www.bedouincamp.net; half board per person in tent JD52)
A 10-minute walk from Little Petra (signposted off the approach road), this camp is in Siq Al Amti, hidden in a spectacular amphitheatre of sand and hills, and run by the local Ammarin tribe. Accommodation comprises mattress and blankets in a sectioned Bedouin tent with concrete floors, with a clean shower and toilet block. Reservations (booked by email) are essential.
It’s possible to pitch a tent here and use the camp’s facilities (JD20 per person) and there’s space to park a campervan (JD32 per night per vehicle, with power). Special zerb dinners (meat cooked in a pit in the ground) can be prepared on request (JD25 extra – ordinary dinner is JD35). The camp offers guided hikes and camel trips in the surrounding hills. A Bedouin guide is JD100 per day or JD50 for the back trail to Petra (for up to five people).
There’s also a wonderful little ethnographic museum on-site, spotlighting the local Ammarin tribe. In particular, it’s interesting to read the story of Torfa Bint Saleh Al Ammarin for an idea of the everyday hardships of life on the desert fringe.
The camp offers transfers from Petra Visitor Centre in Wadi Musa (JD10 one way).
8Getting There & Away
Some hotels in Wadi Musa organise tours to Little Petra. Private taxis cost JD10 in one direction and between JD20 and JD25 return, including an hour’s wait. An accompanying guide costs JD50 from the Petra Visitor Centre.
The road to Little Petra is an extension of Tourism St. which loops north of the Mövenpick Hotel. After 8km there’s a left turn signposted ‘Beda’ or ‘Al Beidha’, from where it’s just under 1km to the car park.
Alternatively, it’s a pleasant walk following the road. The route passes the village of Umm Sayoun, the ‘Elephant Rock’ formation and then ‘Ain Dibdibah, which once supplied Petra with much of its water. A shortcut across fields to the left about 1km before the junction to Al Beidha cuts off the corner.