A day in Petra

Petra, Jordan

Dawn - Rose-red sandstone cliffs

Rose-red sandstone takes the first light above my head. I move small beneath the cliffs as the city wakes around me. Petra is an ancient city carved deep into southern Jordan's sandstone cliffs, blending monumental architecture with ingenious desert water systems.

Morning - The Siq

Cool shadow fills the long canyon between the towering sandstone walls. I follow the winding fissure for about two kilometres toward the city. Rare ancient carvings, niches, and water channels cut directly into the rock walls appear before the gorge opens out.

Morning - The Treasury

The rose-tinted rock face rises where the narrow gorge ends. I pause, small, before the intricate columns and the mysterious stone urn. This masterpiece is believed to have served as a royal mausoleum, and its Hellenistic columns still draw wide acclaim.

Midday - Street of Facades

Monumental rock-cut tomb facades line this broad avenue just past the Treasury. I pass their dense sequence of burial sites along the cliff edges. These tombs display varied architectural influences and rise in tiered rows where the canyon widens.

Midday - Nabataean Theatre

The great stone theatre is hewn directly into the hillside where the valley opens out. I cross this massive stone theatre cut deeply into the rock. It was originally carved by the Nabataeans, later expanded in the Roman period, and could hold thousands of spectators.

Afternoon - The Royal Tombs

The eastern cliff face opposite the theatre holds a grand collection of soaring mausoleum facades. I climb the rock toward the richly decorated burial chambers above the city. From here the climb rewards visitors with panoramic views across the ancient city centre.

Afternoon - Monastery stone steps

Long stone steps rise through the hills above the main site. I climb the long series toward the largest carved monument in Petra. March and November offer the most pleasant daytime temperatures for extensive walking, while June to September is intensely hot.

Golden Hour - The Monastery

The immense carved facade rises high in the hills, austere in its scale. I come to a stop, small, before a monument that rivals the Treasury. This is the largest carved monument in Petra, reached by a long series of stone steps.

Golden Hour - Desert water channels

Ancient channels cut directly into the rock still mark how water once moved through this rose-red desert city. I follow those old cuts along the sandstone walls of the site. Petra blends monumental architecture with these ingenious desert water systems.

Night - Wadi Musa at night

The town night cools as tender lamb cooked in fermented dried yoghurt arrives. I eat mansaf served over a large bed of turmeric-infused rice and flatbread, topped with almonds and pine nuts. Mansaf is Jordan's national dish and is traditionally shared.