Petra, a Wonder of the World!

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by Mike Keenan

 
“Harrah!” shouts the Arab at his dormant donkey. “Harrah!” I
chime in, wedged tightly inside the cart beside George, a friend, and the enervated
driver. With a sudden jerk, the donkey takes flight; immediately, I know that we
are in big trouble. The cart bounces on uneven, rocky terrain. Ahead, we
encounter huge cobblestones jutting without rhythm or remorse, bouncing us
skyward like ad hoc fly balls at Blue Jays batting practice. Worse than
anything experienced at the C.N.E. or Disneyland,
I suspect there must be wealthy orthopedic surgeons who reside here.

            George and
I cleverly split a $30 fee so as to save our strength on the long, hot route
through the Sig, the entrance to Petra, a narrow gorge, flanked on either side
by soaring, 80 metres high cliffs which open to the famed Treasury, carved into
red sandstone by Nabataeans who originated from Yemen over 2000 years ago.
After incessant shake, rattle and roll, we finally arrive. Wow! I imagine
caravans arriving here that accommodated silk, spice and other trade routes
linking China, India and southern Arabia with Egypt, Syria,
Greece and Rome.

            “Oh my god; it’s exquisite! Look at
the colours,” exclaims a tourist. I begin taking pictures. Jordan’s greatest tourist attraction is justly
nominated as one of the new Seven Wonders of the World.
Camels are available for twenty-second photo ops; however, I decline as they
appear docile, thin and unimpressed with the Treasury’s awe-inspiring, massive
facade, 30 metres wide and 43 metres high, carved from the sheer, dusky-pink,
rock-face, dwarfing all below.

            Our group soon
arrives and we wind our way along more amazing structures carved from myriad colours
and formations, dazzling to the eye. We pass hundreds of
elaborate tombs with intricate carvings, a massive Roman-style theatre seating
3,000, obelisks, temples, sacrificial altars and colonnaded streets, and high
above, overlooking the valley, the impressive Ad-Deir Monastery. There are two
museums: the Petra Archaeological Museum
and the Petra Nabataean Museum;
one could spend days here.

Along the way, artisans from Wadi
Musa and a nearby Bedouin settlement hawk local handicrafts, pottery, Bedouin jewelry
and bottles of striated, coloured sand from their simple stalls.

            For
the return trip, George and I opt to ride donkeys (sans cart) at 3 dinars a
piece. I manage to climb aboard with some help and hang on, desperately trying
to maintain balance. The donkeys return us to the Treasury, and then it’s back
on the cart, compulsory training for astronauts, wild bull riders, politicians
and other professions where one’s brains are subjected to an astronomical g
force.

            Entranced,
the next night I attend “Petra
by Night,” this time walking to and fro in single file with 150 others guided
by candles enclosed in paper bags, lining the Siq. We are asked not to talk,
and the quiet mood turns solemn. Arriving at the Treasury, we are greeted by
hundreds of candles illuminating the façade. A Bedouin in native dress provides
sweet, hot tea as we sit on the ground listening to hypnotic, repetitive music
filling the dark night. The melodies of flute or chabala and guitar or rababa
reverberate amidst cliff walls. A refreshing breeze pours through the narrow
Siq to augment our spirits. I dream again of ancient caravans. It’s a magical
moment that reminds me of another celebrated long ago when a group of my
students and I were invited to join a canoe instructor’s graduation ceremony,
weaving amidst random candles floating in glass jars on Halliburton’s Bark Lake,
classical music playing in the background as each canoe maneuvered in silence. 

            Petra is up against some
steep competition for consideration as a new Wonder of the World. My spouse and
I have been fortunate to observe some of the choices: Athens’
Acropolis, Rome’s Coliseum, Paris’
Eiffel Tower, New York’s
Statue of Liberty, and Peru’s
Machu Picchu. Petra deserves the
accolade.    

Mike Keenan
writes a weekly newspaper column for the St. Catharines Standard and has been
published in the Globe and Mail, Buffalo Spree, Stitches, West of the City and
Pulse Magazine. He is editor of the zine, Synapse Magazine: www.synapsemagazine.ca




Photo Credits

Mike Keenan:  Treasury, the Siq, Jordanian guard, camel,
tombs, Petra at
night, Mövenpick Resort.



If you go

Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan: http://www.kinghussein.gov.jo/tourism1.html

King Abdullah II: http://www.kingabdullah.jo/homepage.php

Mövenpick Resort: http://www.moevenpick-hotels.com/hotels/petra_resort/

Royal Jordanian Airlines: http://www.rja.com.jo/default.aspx

Visit Jordan:
www.visitjordan.com