Lost City of Petra

Petra has borne witness to the rise and fall of one civilisation after another. It is a historical and archaeological city in southern Jordan, famous for its rock-cut architecture and water conduit system. It was described in a poem as “a rose-red city half as old as time” due to pink toned hues of its carved stones.

A narrow passageway called Siq through the mountains as entrance to Petra © Jojie Alcantara

Petra is Jordan’s most-visited tourist attraction, created by Nabataeans (nomadic Arabs) who established it as a major trading hub. They were gifted with amazing skills in carving structures from solid rocks and constructing efficient water systems in barren deserts. Petra lies on the slope of Jebel al-Madhbah (identified as the biblical Mount Hor).

Horse carriage to the entrance of the Siq © Jojie Alcantara

In Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, the fictional doctor’s quest for the Holy Grail led him to Petra. Unknown to the Western world until 1812, it was introduced by Swiss explorer Johann Ludwig Burckhardt.

A UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1985, Petra was named among the New7Wonders of the World in 2007 and chosen by Smithsonian Magazine as one of the “28 Places to See Before You Die”.

First photo of me above was shot by a fellow Filipino tourist, Ryan Ong, with my camera.