Hiking Trails » Jordan Trails

The Deir

Khan — Sun, 12 Oct 2008 09:28:18 +0000

Petra, South Jordan

Trail Name:
The Deir

Summary:
Climb through a narrow gorge to a huge monastery cut into the cliff.

Trail Description

Petra is renowned for the delightful Treasury at the end of the Siq. Its exquisitely carved façade was known throughout the ancient world, as well as the modern one. The other significant monument in Petra is the Deir, or monastery. Its simpler façade is compensated by its sheer scale. At 47 m wide by 48 m high, it looks like a monument built for a giant. But you only really appreciate the colossal size of this building when you see tourists at its base, looking like Lilliputians scurrying around a house.

The first part of the trail follows the first 3.5 miles of the hike to High Place via Wadi Farasa. Instead of turning off the main track at the Qasr al-Bint in the Temenos, continue straight on, heading past the museum and the Forum Basin Restaurant.

Follow the path along a sandy valley, passing various monuments and carved chambers in the cliff. A series of stone steps are now visible, the first of several hundred. Not long after you start the climb, a short trail to the left leads through a side valley to the Lion Triclinium, a monument guarded by lions carved on either side of the entrance.

Back on the steps, you soon come to an open area. Here you can detour right into a second side valley, Wadi Kharruba, where you will find another Nabatean monument after a few minutes.

A level stretch breaks the climb, only for the steps to start again. Be sure to take the side path to the right that heads up to the Lower Qattar ad-Deir, a weeping rock considered a sacred place by the ancient Nabateans. Here they carved water tanks, niches and inscriptions into the rock.

Back on the main trail, the way winds ever upwards to an open area, with views over a deep gorge and, in the distance, the Umm al-Biyara massif. Continue climbing the steps and soon you glimpse the vast urn that adorns the top of the Deir. The path passes below caves known as the Hermitage, and then the last section of steps takes you to the rugged Deir plateau.

Look right. There, the Deir towers above you, its enormous doorway gaping like a chasm in the center. The monument dates back to the 1st century BC, when Petra was at its zenith, and gets its name from the crosses inside, scratched into the rock. You will get an even better view if you climb the outcrop opposite, which has a cave cut into the rock.

Further north along the plateau are more tombs, carved reliefs and remains of buildings. Less then 100 yards to the left of the Deir, for instance, is a gully in the rock face. It contains a small cave, with a carving at the entrance of two men and camels. The gully has unsurprisingly been christened ‘Camel Gorge’.

Even with all the possibilities for exploring, you will be drawn back to the Deir. For nothing compares to its grandeur and the views of the surrounding mountains beyond it. When you are ready to leave, return to Petra’s city center by retracing your steps, and those of the ancient builders who walked this way 2,000 years ago.

FACT FILE

Location: In the Shara mountains, south-west Jordan. Entrance fee charged.

Directions: From Ma’an, about 125 miles south of Amman and 70 miles north of Aqaba, continue south on the Amman-Aqaba highway for 20 miles, then turn north along the main road for 20 miles to Wadi Musa, the small town just outside the Petra entrance.

Trailhead: Petra entrance gate and ticket office, adjacent to the Resthouse Hotel and the visitor center.

Length: 7.2 miles / 11.5 km

Trail Type: Out and back

Elevation Change: N/A

Duration: 4 hours

Trail Condition: Clearly defined, with stone steps in Wadi Kharruba.

Features: Narrow canyon, sandstone cliffs, carved rock buildings, mountains.

Climate: The valleys of Petra can be very hot in summer. Best in late spring and early autumn. Expect rain during winter, November to April.

Accommodation: The closest hotels to the site entrance are the Petra Resthouse and Petra Forum, with other hotels also within walking distance. Reservations are advised.

Trail Notes: The site opens from 7am (or earlier) until sunset. An early start is advised, as Petra is crowded during peak hours, especially in the Siq and by the Treasury.

High Place via Wadi Farasa – Jordan

Khan — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 21:37:16 +0000

Petra, South Jordan

Trail Name:
High Place via Wadi Farasa

Summary:
A magical walk around an ancient city carved out of red rock.

Outstanding One Day Hike of the World

Trail Description

Petra had its heyday in the 1st century BC, when it was the capital of the Nabatean state. A cosmopolitan city, it thrived on trade, particularly in metals, dyes, bitumen, silks and spices. However, it started its gradual decline a century or so later, when the Romans built a new capital for the Arabian province. It was still an important stop on caravan routes for another millennium – but after that Petra was forgotten and lost to the west. It was rediscovered in 1812 by Swiss explorer Johann Burckhardt.

This unique city, with its exquisite facades carved out of the red sandstone, is today full of tourists. But on this hike you see a different side of Petra, where it is easy to imagine a valley of traders and travelers as it was in the ancient world. The duration given in the Fact File is for the hike only – you will need to put aside plenty more hours, if not days, to explore the buildings and tombs you encounter along the way.

Pass through the entrance gate and you leave the modern world behind. Follow the broad path through the Wadi Musa (‘Moses Valley’), the main Petra valley (not to be confused with the town of the same name). Sandstone formations rise on either side, with monuments and tombs cut into the rock. The Djinn blocks, several memorial obelisks and the Obelisk Tomb are among the stone monuments and caves you pass.

After 0.5 mile/0.8 km, you reach the Siq, a natural fault that has resulted in a spectacular gorge 0.75 mile/1.2 km long. The entrance to the Siq was once crowned by a magnificent arch, still standing when the artist David Roberts painted his famous set of Petra pictures in 1839. Now only the supports on each side remain. As you make your way down the narrow gorge, you will mostly be in the shade, the high walls blotting out the sun. Several sections of the original road that ran through the Siq are still visible, along with reliefs, inscriptions and niches carved into the rock walls.

At the end of the Siq, you have your first glimpse of the exquisitely carved pink faade of the Treasury – the classic view of Jordan. Framed by sheer rock walls, it is truly unforgettable. (Film buffs will recognize it instantly from Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade)

Follow the main path to the right of the Treasury, through what is generally known as the Outer Siq. Pass the Streets of Facades and the Theater, and continue to the ancient city center. Head down the Colonnaded Street, through the Temenos Gate (it originally had wooden doors) and into the Temenos, or temple courtyard. Continue until you reach the Qasr al-Bint, the Palace of the Pharaoh’s Daughter.

Behind the Qasr al-Bint, take the clear track that leads south-east up the hillside to the solitary Pharaoh’s Column. Ignoring the path that heads south-west from here, continue on the track in the same general direction, past an excavated Nabatean villa to the left and across the floor of the Wadi (valley) Farasa.

You pass the Tomb of the Broken Pediment and Tomb 229 and, just after this, you can turn right for a brief detour to more tombs, including Tomb 258. Back on the main track, it is only a short distance to the first steps, which lead up to the Roman Solider Tomb and Triclinium. This is considered the best example in Petra of a Nabatean tomb complex and well worth exploring. The track continues to the Garden Temple, a monument with two free-standing columns and open area to the front, believed to have been a garden.

Soon the climb to the High Place begins, up a steep, winding stone staircase carved into the colorful rock. Beyond the Lion Fountain is an altar cut into the rock, and soon after that a rock outcrop on the left. Take it slowly, as along the way there are good views over the valley, the Garden Temple and the Roman Soldier Tomb.

Head up the next set of steps, and quickly the steady climb begins again, broken only by a level section as the track veers left. The final ascent is via steps by a ruined wall. At the top, a rock-cut passage leads to the last few steps (the original Nabatean steps) up to the High Place, the site of important religious rituals and ceremonies. From the north edge of the promontory there are great views of the center of Petra.

To return to the Outer Siq, head down the steps by the ruined wall and turn left (it is clearly signed). Descend down a long series of steps, which emerge onto the main path through Petra, near to the Streets of Facades. To leave the site, turn right – you will soon be back in the natural courtyard by the Treasury, filled with tourists and traders.

We started this hike early, just as the site opened. The Siq was very cool in the early morning and totally deserted. The sun was only just hitting the top-most parts of the Treasury, and it looked ghostly in the pale light and silence. The trading stalls were covered and dormant. The climb through the Wadi Farasa to the High Place was also deserted, the only person we encountered was an old Bdul lady selling jewelry and brewing sweet tea. The High Place however was much busier, with most tourists opting to reach it via the steps from the Outer Siq.

This is an outstanding hike. You are immersed within one of the key cities of the ancient world. You will be treated to tombs and temples, objects carved into the rock, and great views of the gorge and arid mountain scenery. You will be taken back in time, to a different place and culture, and walk the lonely cliff tops of the Nabateans, as they did in Petra’s heyday during the time of Christ.

FACT FILE

Location: In the Shara mountains, south-west Jordan. Entrance fee charged.

Trailhead: Petra entrance gate and ticket office, adjacent to the Resthouse and the visitor center.

Length: 6 miles / 9.6 km

Trail Type: Loop

Elevation Change: N/A

Duration: 3 hours

Trail Condition: Clear track, with flights of steep stone steps in several places.

Features: Narrow canyon, sandstone cliffs, carved rock buildings, mountains.

Climate: The valleys of Petra can be very hot in summer. Best in late spring and early autumn. Expect rain during winter, November to April.

Accommodation: The closest hotels to the site entrance are the Petra Resthouse and Petra Forum, with other hotels also within walking distance. Reservations advised.

Trail Notes: The site opens from 7am (or earlier) until sunset. An early start is recommended, as Petra is crowded during peak hours, especially in the Siq and by the Treasury.