How can one describe the experience of first arriving at the Khazneh in Petra? Like a photograph, words cannot possibly describe what I saw in clarity equivalent to the true sight and experience. Let me say this, Petra is one of the most amazing places I've ever seen.
To get to the Khazneh (also called the Treasury, but it's really a tomb of sorts) you hike nearly a mile through a deep, twisting, narrow siq (or canyon) carved into Petra's red sandstone cliffs by thousands of years of erosion. The colors are amazing, around every corner your breath is taken away by yet another view of the siq, the cliffs, the colors. The siq alone is worth the visit, but after hiking to the end you emerge into the light and are rewarded with a stunning view of the Khazneh, probably one of the most beautiful and most well preserved ruins anywhere in the world. The Khazneh is around 2000 years old, but it looks like it was carved into the mountain yesterday. Not only is it impossible to describe Petra, but it's difficult to describe the mystery it evokes. Thanks to Steven Spielberg and hundreds of years of protection by generations of secretive Bedouins, Petra maintains a mystical and mysterious presence. The story of how it was rediscovered in 1812 by a Swiss explorer is fascinating... After converting to Islam and staging a sacrifice to honor Haroun, Johann Ludwig Burckhardt was led to Petra. I can only imagine his elation upon seeing Khazneh after emerging from the siq. Five hundred years prior the crusaders probably felt the same way before they start pillaging. Absolutely stunning!
I have another day to explore Petra. I can hardly contain myself. If it wasn't for the difficult hikes I don't think I'd sleep. It feels like I've hiked a hundred miles today. Realistically it was more like three or four miles, including 900-some steps up to Wadi al-Deir (or the monastery). Wadi al-Deir is another tomb, but much larger and nearly as stunning as the Khazneh. The views of the Wadi Araba desert and the tomb were amazing. Well worth the hike up and well worth the arduous one-hour hike back to the hotel. My legs are pleasantly aching and my mind is understandably reeling...
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