Middle East - Anthony Ham [314]
PETRA & WADI MUSA
03 / pop 15,600
If you can go to only one place in Jordan, make it Petra, the ancient rose-red city of the Nabataeans, Arabs who controlled the frankincense trade routes of the region in pre-Roman times. It was rediscovered by accident in 1812 by a Swiss explorer called Burckhardt (the same chap who stumbled on the temple at Abu Simbel in Egypt). Until his momentous journey, disguised as an Arab, the neglected city, hidden deep in the rocky valleys of Wadi Musa, had escaped the attention of the Western world for hundreds of years.
For the modern visitor, as for Burckhardt, the sublime experience of emerging from the Siq (canyon-like cleft in the rock, marking the entrance to Petra) is a hard act to follow, although there are other spectacles waiting in the wings, not least the Theatre and the imposing facades of the Royal Tombs. Magnificent as they are, these dramatic gestures of immortality may prove to be less memorable than the quiet amble through forgotten tombs, the illumination of a candy swirl of rock at sunset, the aroma from a chain of cloves, bought from a Bedouin stall holder, or the sense of sheer satisfaction, perched on top of a High Place, of energy well spent. Give it a couple of days to do this wonderful site justice!
Orientation
The village that has sprung up around Petra is Wadi Musa (Moses’ Valley), a string of hotels, restaurants and shops stretching about 5km from Ain Musa, the head of the valley, down to the entrance to Petra. The village centre is at Shaheed roundabout, with shops, restaurants and budget hotels, while midrange hotels are strung out along the main road for the remaining 2km towards the entrance to Petra.
Information
Petra visitor centre (Map ; 2156020; fax 2156060; 6am-9pm), just before the entrance to Petra, has a helpful information counter, several souvenir shops and toilets. The tourist police centre is opposite and there is a small post office behind the centre.
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ONE OF THE WORLD’S SEVEN WONDERS
So it’s official: Petra is now one of the new Seven Wonders of the World. At least, that’s according to a popularity poll organised by the privately run New 7 Wonders Foundation in Switzerland. The winners, which include Chichen Itza in Mexico, Christ the Redeemer in Brazil, the Colosseum in Italy, the Great Wall of China, Machu Picchu in Peru and the Taj Mahal in India, were selected in 2007 through a staggering 100 million votes cast by internet or telephone – the largest such poll on record.
To qualify for nomination, each wonder had to be manmade, completed before 2000 and in an ‘acceptable state of preservation’. Jordan’s nomination of Petra was a consistent favourite throughout the campaign, although it’s a mystery how 14 million votes were cast from within a country of under 7 million people.
Already a list of seven natural wonders is being compiled, and authorities in Wadi Rum are eagerly eyeing the prize. The boost the 7 Wonders project has brought to local tourism is undeniable: ‘I changed my name to Seven Wonders’, said one café owner in Petra, ‘in celebration of our success’, and he’s not the only one cashing in. Prices have risen and hotels are full, and that is at least partly thanks to Petra’s newly endorsed status as one of the world’s best-loved treasures.
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The Housing Bank (Visa; Map) and Jordan Islamic Bank (Visa and MasterCard; Map), up from the Shaheed roundabout, are good places to change money and both have ATMs. There are a couple of banks (but no ATMs) at the lower end of town near Petra. There are several internet cafés in Wadi Musa including Rum Internet (Map; per hr JD1; 10am-midnight), located downhill from Shaheed roundabout. Seven Wonders Restaurant (per hr JD3.50; 9am-11pm), near the entrance to Petra, a few doors up from the Mövenpick, serves a luxury hot chocolate (JD2.50). The Wadi Musa Pharmacy (Map) has a wide range of medications and toiletries and is located near the Shaheed roundabout.
Sights
PETRA