Latest Posts — Sarah Clews Photography

Mar 29

Mar 29 Hiking the Jordan Trail: Trekking into Petra: Day 5

For so long I’ve dreamed about visiting Petra- the site has become very popular with tourists in recent years and rightly so as it was designated a UNESCO world heritage site and heralded as one of the new 7 wonders of the world..

What the pictures and the instagram stories don’t show you though is that Petra is so much more than just the Monastery or the Treasury. These are the defining images of the site and in some ways understandably as they mark the exit and entrance to the city and are monumental in scale. But just as wonderful if not more so is the stuff inbetween and the walk up through the mountains to the Monastery- a particular highlight for me.

We hadn’t even entered the main Petra site and I was already amazed by the mountain views- the Sharah mountain ridge which runs through South Jordan provided some really striking shots.

As we climbed then dropped down many steps we finally reached the Monastery- the back gate into Petra. Advancing out the wall of sandstone, richly carved with huge ornate pillars, the monastery is a sight to behold. We were able to wander into a little cave and take photos peering out at the monastery.

Don’t be fooled by the photos though, the entrance is busy and humming with people but I try and remember this shouldn’t spoil the experience.

Petra was once the centre of the Nabatean empire, bustling with traders on foot, camel and donkey-in many ways, it’s fitting that it should be the same now with people travelling from all over the world perhaps not to trade frankincense or spices but instead to marvel at this monumental city which is a feast for the eyes..Petra remains a magnet for people but for different reasons.