About this holiday
In ancient times Al Khazneh was the central bank for a trading empire stretching from China in the east to Rome in the west. Today, the Petra treasury is worth more to modern civilisation than all the gold, silver and precious jewels ever stored in its coffers.
It was the first building seen by foreign silk and spice merchants 2,000 years ago when they arrived in Petra to trade with the Nabateans. Nothing could have prepared these early travellers for the sight of Al Khazneh, towering 43 metres high and hewn out of bare, pink rock. The impact is just as powerful today.
The sense of theatre builds as you enter Petra through the kilometre-long Al Siq, a dark and narrow gorge dwarfed by 80 metre high cliffs. You find yourself in an astonishingly well-preserved city with tombs and temples, obelisks and colonnaded streets. Petra is the greatest archaeological site in Jordan, an opened history book tracing 2,600 years from the Nabateans to the Romans, Byzantines and medieval Moslems.
How you can help
DO keep to the main paths to avoid wear and tear on the ancient city. And that way you won’t get lost (Petra sprawls 264 square kilometres).
DO use two feet . Donkey hooves damage the steps so explore the monuments under your own steam.
DON’T buy sand bottles. The bottles are made by breaking apart sandstone within the archaeological park. Likewise, avoid buying rock fragments from hawkers.
DON’T take helicopter daytrips to Petra. Not only do they release masses carbon but vibrations are damaging the sandstone.
DON’T pick plants. The biodiversity of Petra is fragile
DO support the Petra National Trust, a non-profit conservation organisation dedicated to the preservation of the archaeological, cultural and natural heritage of Petra and its region. Latest projects include restoration of the Nabeatean water system and a sustainable income project with the local Amarin tribes people, including water harvesting and irrigation.
About this holiday
In ancient times Al Khazneh was the central bank for a trading empire stretching from China in the east to Rome in the west. Today, the Petra treasury is worth more to modern civilisation than all the gold, silver and precious jewels ever stored in its coffers.
It was the first building seen by foreign silk and spice merchants 2,000 years ago when they arrived in Petra to trade with the Nabateans. Nothing could have prepared these early travellers for the sight of Al Khazneh, towering 43 metres high and hewn out of bare, pink rock. The impact is just as powerful today.
The sense of theatre builds as you enter Petra through the kilometre-long Al Siq, a dark and narrow gorge dwarfed by 80 metre high cliffs. You find yourself in an astonishingly well-preserved city with tombs and temples, obelisks and colonnaded streets. Petra is the greatest archaeological site in Jordan, an opened history book tracing 2,600 years from the Nabateans to the Romans, Byzantines and medieval Moslems.
How you can help
DO keep to the main paths to avoid wear and tear on the ancient city. And that way you won’t get lost (Petra sprawls 264 square kilometres).
DO use two feet . Donkey hooves damage the steps so explore the monuments under your own steam.
DON’T buy sand bottles. The bottles are made by breaking apart sandstone within the archaeological park. Likewise, avoid buying rock fragments from hawkers.
DON’T take helicopter daytrips to Petra. Not only do they release masses carbon but vibrations are damaging the sandstone.
DON’T pick plants. The biodiversity of Petra is fragile
DO support the Petra National Trust, a non-profit conservation organisation dedicated to the preservation of the archaeological, cultural and natural heritage of Petra and its region. Latest projects include restoration of the Nabeatean water system and a sustainable income project with the local Amarin tribes people, including water harvesting and irrigation.
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You’ll need at least four days to make the most of Petra, exploring beyond the confines of the original city (Petra sprawls more than 200 square kilometres). Start with a visit to the Petra Archeological Museum inside the city which explains the history of the site and houses a huge number of finds (open 08:00-16:00). There’s another smaller museum set into the hillside of Al-Habees (open 08:00-16:00).
Allow time to climb the 800 steps to the Ad-Deir Monastery explore the city after dark on the Petra by Night candlit tour, which begins at the visitor centre at around 20.30.
Petra is protected as a UNESCO World Heritage Site yet it’s still under threat. Twice in recent years Petra has been listed on the World Monuments Watch List of the 100 most endangered sites. Tourists are needed to fund conservation projects and to provide a living to the Amarin people. There are plenty of ways to help the local villagers, from shopping to unwinding in an Ottoman hammam.
Go for a soak at the Taybet Zaman Hotel, a restored Bedouin stone village near Petra run by local villagers (shrinking violets beware – massaging is done by men so it may not only be the steam bath that turns faces beetroot red).
Shop for handicrafts made by Bedouin women working through a co-operative set up by former Queen Noor. The women make jewellery and accessories that would not look out of place on a Paris catwalk. And join the Amarin tribesmen on an expedition into the desert to stay in a traditional Bedoin camp with the Amarin tribespeople.
