Traveling Around Jordan: Petra

For being such a small country, that is generally unknown to people who don't live here, Jordan has lots of really wonderful places to visit. So many, that I wasn't quite sure where to start. But I guess when you do have one of the 7 Wonders of the World, that's as good a place as any...

Petra is about a 3 hour drive from Amman and probably the reason for most of the tourism here. There are various ruins at Petra, carved out of solid rock, from as early as 300 BC. They were built by the Nabateans, and not much is really known about what they were doing with these monumental structures. But they must have had some important purpose since they are enormous and carved out of the cliff face, not something someone would do on a lark.

You enter through a rock canyon that is quite dramatic...

And then at the end you see this peaking through:

There are lots of other small ruins around here and lots of hikes up into the mountains.

Most people continue on and ride donkeys up the mountain.

At the top is another impressive building, called the Monastery, although its actual use is unknown. I should mention that I have no pictures of inside the buildings because a) it's really dark and b) there's nothing in there except a giant empty room.

There's also a great view at the top.

Tags:

jordan,

petra,

travel

Recent Comments

Melissa Bechtloff Mon, 02/25/2013 - 14:49

wow, it looks absolutely amazing. someday...

Erica Joy Sun, 02/10/2013 - 09:07

What am amazing place! I look forward to more travels together so that you can make them into magical scrapbook pages *heart*

Debbie Cramer Thu, 02/07/2013 - 11:21

Your pictures are beautiful. What an amazing experience. Thank you for sharing!

Cindy McWilliams Tue, 02/05/2013 - 02:24

Awesome photos...how exciting to travel around the world! I love this last beautiful photo of you the most! :)

Eileen Garrastegui Sun, 02/03/2013 - 10:50

What a wonderful trip, magnificent structures of architecture, awesome views. In my travel wish list, someday.

Andrea Krell Sat, 02/02/2013 - 00:54

Beautiful pictures! On the list of places to travel with the hubby someday.

Shawna Adkerson Thu, 01/31/2013 - 16:21

I wish I could go there! It's an absolutely gorgeous place alone, not to even mention the amazing history of the place. How very blessed you are to get to see all these wonderful different lands. What an adventure filled life! :)

Véronique Van Weddingen Thu, 01/31/2013 - 04:34

Oh quelle chance !!! Un des rêves de ma vie, merci de nous faire rêver par correspondance !

Beth Bayer Thu, 01/31/2013 - 01:12

Thank you for sharing your wonderful experience. xoxox Beth

Meridy Reeve Wed, 01/30/2013 - 18:38

Oh my gosh!!! I admit that I've wanted to go to Petra ever since watching <i>Indiana Jones</i>. Just beautiful! Thanks for sharing!

Betsy Niederer Wed, 01/30/2013 - 17:02

I've always wanted to visit Petra ~ the photos just show that one shot of the temple. It's nice to see some of the area around it. AND you get to ride on a donkey! I LOVE donkeys~thank you for posting this!!!

Sunny Faith Rush Wed, 01/30/2013 - 16:25

Stunning photos. What a magical place of awe and mystery. So glad that it still stands for future generations to see and experience.

Candy Lee Wed, 01/30/2013 - 15:06

Wow! What a great place to visit. Thanks for sharing.

Janet Hull Wed, 01/30/2013 - 13:34

It is all so beautiful! I not only love the carving of the mountains but the colorations on the "walls!" I would love to travel and see this in person but we are not fond of flying and I cannot drive from California! I will continue to enjoy these marvelous sites through your eyes Marisa! Thank you!

Elvira Ewert Wed, 01/30/2013 - 12:23

It's AMAZING!!! Beautiful pictures.

Emelyn Magpoc Wed, 01/30/2013 - 11:34

Ahhhh, I totally miss it there! When we went in 2007, my kiddos were still very small, 1, 4, and 8. We were on a tour, so everything was a rush. I would love to go back and just enjoy it, take our time, and ride on a donkey...LOL!

Heidi Shafer Wed, 01/30/2013 - 10:49

Cool pictures! The first thing that popped into my mind was "Indiana Jones". lol

Kaleena Farmer Wed, 01/30/2013 - 08:50

I have wanted to go there since I was very small. Thanks for showing us more of the ruins in the area.

Gigi Lamb Wed, 01/30/2013 - 08:35

this is so cool! thanks for posting your pictures! I wanna go! Ideally w/Harrison Ford......

Vicki Iseminger Wed, 01/30/2013 - 06:42

Beautiful! Thanks for sharing.

Lana Fischer Wed, 01/30/2013 - 05:17

Wow I would LOVE to see where they filmed Indian Jones and The Last Crusade! This place has always fascinated me...so cool to actually live close by!! Beautiful pictures!!

Lórien Rezende Wed, 01/30/2013 - 03:32

wow, its so beautiful...

Kelly Hogan Wed, 01/30/2013 - 03:31

I love these photo's problem is now l want to go there! :)

Blog By

Marisa Lerin

About Me

I love digital scrapbooking. I also love to read and bake cookies. Especially while drinking tea. I've lived around the world, and love to travel, which is usually the theme of most of my scrapping projects.