The ‘rose-red city half as old as time’, Petra is Jordan’s most famous tourist attraction. It’s one of those places you almost feel that you know before you get there, having seen it in so many photos and films. This mysterious city has been capturing people’s imaginations for hundreds of years. It was built by the Nabateans back in the fourth century BC. Normally a nomadic people, they had amazingly advanced skills in architecture and irrigation and built a spectacular city at Petra, a prime spot on their trade route between Rome and China. But it started to decline after being taken over by the Romans, and by the 12th century the site was abandoned and forgotten about by the rest of the world until it was rediscovered by Swiss explorer Johann Ludwig Burckhardt in 1812. You can still follow the same route as Burckhardt took back then as you come into Petra to its most famous rock temple – the Treasury.

The pathway through the Siq
The mile-long pathway to the Treasury winds its way through a gorge called the Siq. The name al-Siq means ‘the shaft’ and you can see where it gets its name, as shafts of light filter down onto the dark pathway below. At times the gorge is only about three metres wide and the rocks above can be up to 180 metres high above you. The Siq was formed as tectonic movement pulled the rocks apart, and over the years water has rubbed the surfaces smooth into sinuous curves of orangey-pink rock. It’s a quiet walk along the pathway, interrupted by the occasional horse and cart, and the air of anticipation starts to build as you get closer to the Treasury. As you go around each corner you keep expecting it to appear in front of you. A mile doesn’t sound that far but it feels a lot longer as you keep walking onwards.

First glimpses of the Treasury through the Siq
And suddenly the sound of voices and the flashes of cameras announce that you’ve finally arrived. The first glimpses of the Treasury are from between the narrow walls of the gorge, where it emerges out of the darkness. First thing in the morning it’s illuminated by bright sunlight, and in the afternoons it glows orange as the sunset is reflected onto the rock. You come out into a mixture of people milling around – tour groups snaking after their guides, tourists posing for photos, Bedouins and their camels. But if you look beyond the crowds and upwards, they all disappear and you can almost imagine what it must have been like for the first visitors coming into Petra after it had been lost for so many years.

The Treasury
The Treasury – or Al Khazneh in Arabic – is Petra’s most iconic sight. It’s carved into a sheer sandstone cliff almost 40 metres high. And despite it’s name, it was probably a royal tomb or temple rather than a treasury, but got given the name by the Bedouins who thought that pirates had hidden treasure in a giant urn there. The urn’s on the second floor and you can still see the bullet holes where they tried to break the ‘treasure’ out (the urn’s actually just a solid piece of sandstone, so they were out of luck). The design of the Treasury mixes Classical and Arabian styles, and the details are still so well preserved and detailed that it’s hard to believe they are over 2000 years old.

Camels (and Romans!) outside the Treasury
You can spend hours sitting outside the Treasury, watching people go by and the light change over the rocks. The one thing you can’t do though is go inside as it’s only a facade. But although the Siq and the Treasury are the most well-known parts of Petra, this is only a fraction of the ancient city. There are over 60km² worth of caves, temples, mountains and pathways. We were only just getting started…

Afternoon sunlight reflects on the Treasury and makes it glow orange
Read more
- Exploring Petra: Beyond the Treasury
- Exploring Petra: The mountainous Monastery
- A First-Timers Guide to Petra
- Petra by night
33 Comments
Travelbunny
December 6, 2012 at 1:49 pmStunning Lucy- desperate to go after seeing your photos 🙂
Lucy Dodsworth
December 6, 2012 at 1:53 pmIt really was spectacular – I have so many photos still to go through but will do a post on some of the other lesser-known parts that were just as stunning.
AniShah
December 6, 2012 at 2:01 pmReally pleased you’re enjoying it! Strange to see these pics having been there just a month or so ago…memories flooding back!
Lucy Dodsworth
December 6, 2012 at 2:15 pmI really enjoyed reading your Petra posts, especially as I knew I was going to be there so soon! Back home to the cold now but lovely reliving all the photos and memories.
AniShah
December 6, 2012 at 2:37 pmWhat an experience, ay? Where to next?
There is something rather magical about the cold too…i’ve just posted pics here of snow in Zurich…magical!
Lucy Dodsworth
December 6, 2012 at 7:31 pmI do love a bit of snow too – especially if it comes with a log fire and some mulled wine!
Kathryn
December 6, 2012 at 2:05 pmGreat post Lucy. I can’t wait to read more!
Lucy Dodsworth
December 6, 2012 at 2:15 pmThanks Kat – lots more of Petra still to come!
Julie Dawn Fox
December 6, 2012 at 3:09 pmI’m really enjoying reading about your Jordan trip and loving the photos. Thanks to you, it’s been bumped higher up my wish list 🙂
Lucy Dodsworth
December 6, 2012 at 7:32 pmThanks Julie, I already have one friend who’s booked a trip to Jordan for the spring so will have to see how many more I can get out there!
elatlboy
December 6, 2012 at 3:43 pmGreat pictures Lucy, stunning place! Look forward to your future posts. 🙂
Lucy Dodsworth
December 6, 2012 at 7:34 pmThanks Aaron, I’m still sorting out all my photos as I took so many but there will be at least a few more posts to come!
Bama
December 6, 2012 at 5:03 pmSome places are popular because they are that good — Petra is definitely one of them. I’m all prepared to be awed by more pictures that you took around Petra!
Lucy Dodsworth
December 6, 2012 at 7:35 pmIt is definitely worth it, and although the Treasury was busy there are plenty of places at Petra where you can get away from the crowds.
restlessjo
December 6, 2012 at 7:03 pmCertainly didn’t disappoint, Lucy! I wish … but I’ll just wait patiently for your next post.
Lucy Dodsworth
December 6, 2012 at 7:35 pmThanks Jo, seems like a long time ago already back home in the cold, will just have to light another fire!
spotell
December 7, 2012 at 10:22 amGorgeous! I want to visit Jordan so badly now!
Lucy Dodsworth
December 10, 2012 at 2:11 pmThanks, it seems that it’s one of those places that are on a lot of people’s bucket lists!
Keli D Images
December 7, 2012 at 6:44 pmWOW! It is places like this that make me want to travel more and more! Thanks for sharing:)
Lucy Dodsworth
December 10, 2012 at 2:11 pmThanks for visiting – love your photos by the way, you’d have a field day in Petra, it’s such a photogenic place!
holidayaddict
December 7, 2012 at 10:22 pmI’m loving the photos and I want to know more! I really, really want to visit Jordan!
Lucy Dodsworth
December 10, 2012 at 2:10 pmI’m going to have a about ten posts about Petra at the rate I’m going at the moment, there was so much to see there!
mlbacallao
December 8, 2012 at 4:09 pmThis is incredible!
Lucy Dodsworth
December 10, 2012 at 2:12 pmThanks, it really was a fantastic place and as good as in all the photos I’d seen of it!
LensTHERAPY
December 8, 2012 at 7:58 pmThis is definitely on my list. Thank you…now I want to go even more
Lucy Dodsworth
December 10, 2012 at 2:09 pmFor anyone who loves photography it really is a dream place to visit!
h0tchocolate
December 13, 2012 at 1:56 pmJaw dropping photos and I feel like I was there, watching The Treasury for the first time.. Wow! Amazing!
Lucy Dodsworth
December 13, 2012 at 10:15 pmThanks – it really is as amazing and awe-inspiring when you see it emerge for the first time, glad I could get a bit of that across!
cav12
December 14, 2012 at 4:55 amStunning photos and information. It’s on my list of places to see. Thanks for sharing. 🙂
2 Digital Nomads
December 23, 2012 at 12:03 amWe lived in Egypt for 20 years and I (Bassel) personally went to a Jordan few times but never visit the Petra. Can you believe it!
The photos and post both are beautiful, thanks for sharing this magical experience with us.
Lucy Dodsworth
December 24, 2012 at 12:49 pmIt’s always the closest destinations that get overlooked isn’t it? Hope you get to visit Petra sometime as it’s really as spectacular as it looks in person!
Tricia A. Mitchell
December 31, 2012 at 6:43 amLucy, I’ve been meaning to check out your post from your time in Petra, and it seems you had an amazing journey there! Isn’t it magical glimpsing the Treasury for the first time? We saw it first surrounded by luminaries at night, then returned the next morning. We only spent two days there, but I could’ve explored for many more. I look forward to seeing the other sites you wandered through.
Lucy Dodsworth
January 1, 2013 at 7:58 pmThanks Tricia. Yes it was such an amazing moment to get that first sight of the Treasury – the walk seemed to go on forever to finally get there. I loved it by night too, so beautiful. We spent two days there too and only saw a fraction of the site, but certainly took a lot of photos!