petra

I first visited Petra when I was living in Cairo in 2000 and so some of the photos are from that trip. Pre-digital camera days for me meant that the scanned photos lack the sharpness of the other photos taken on a more recent trip in April 2008.

Petra. But what an amazing place. Emerging from the canyon almost too narrow for a horse and cart and then to be confronted by the ancient treasury chiselled out of the sandstone cliff has got to be one of the most amazing sights in the world.

siq, petra

These photos were from my first trip

siq The treasury, Petra

Same treasury, just a few more tourists

treasury, petra

After visiting the treasury and surrounding monuments and buildings, the gorge opens up a bit. Here is the amphitheatre from my first trip - you can't actually climb up here anymore.

Tombs

Behind some of the tombs there is a path that leads up the mountainside which provides a great view of the amphitheatre far below (top left of the photo).

Walking further around, you get a great view of the Treasury as well.

After going through the gorge you enter a wide and hidden valley. Here are still more buildings excavated out of the soft rock.

The intrepid Indiana Jones'

In addition to the amazing tombs and buildings of the ancient Nabateans, Petra is also know as the Rose Red City after the amazing colours of the rock

There are still a few buildings surviving and amazing mosaics. After all, the Petran civilisation was of about the same time as the Romans and shared a lot of their culture.