Petra is one of those places I always wanted to visit. I don’t remember how long I’ve been aware of its existence, the most recurrent image when thinking about it was that of Harrison Ford and Sean Connery riding next to the imposing stone facade of The treasure, in the film “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade” that set fire to my desire to visit it one day. And here I am, finally, after many years of waiting.
The trip to Petra itself was already an adventure. Jordanian roads are a disaster: narrow and battered, with huge potholes, sharp curves and steep slopes, they are so screwed up that they made me feel like I was on my beloved little island. But the Arab drivers surpass us, they are something else, I call their style of driving “habibi mode”, that is, save yourself, they apply all the time that I am going to pass because I want to —although there is no space— and That includes buses and huge trucks that, when you least expect it, barge into your path just inches from your car. They are true terrestrial kamikazes.
To top it off, halfway down the road the brakes on our car failed and I had to drive for over an hour at 300% stress level, clutching the handbrake, with a wife who couldn’t open her eyes any longer in fright. and some guys in mode muteAlmost on the verge of heart attack. The thing, luckily, did not go beyond the scare, it remained as one more adventure to tell friends; and we arrived, stressed, but whole, at the longed-for Petra.
Petra is an amazing place and not only because The treasure, the most famous and iconic of its porticoes carved into the rock, but because of the natural environment, the colorful ocher of its mountains and the dozens of buildings that make up the place, unfortunately not all of them well preserved, but of such magnificence that in 1985 UNESCO added Petra to its list of World Heritage Sites. And for more honors in 2007 the ruins of the ancient city were chosen as one of the seven wonders of the modern world.
The city of Petra was founded with a name now forgotten in the 8th century BC by some lords called Edonites —who I had never heard of in my life— and then invaded by the Nabataeans —these are familiar to me— who were the ones who made it flourish thanks to its geographic location. Petra, the current name comes from the Greek and means stone, is located on the route of the caravans that dealt incense, spices, silk, ivory and other delicatessen between Arabia, Egypt and Syria towards the south of the Mediterranean.
By the 6th century AD Petra had been abandoned. The main reasons: the decline in economic activity as a result of the opening of new trade routes and the seismic activity of the place. The imposing and stony Petra was forgotten until it was rediscovered in 1812 by a Swiss explorer.
Now Petra has resurfaced, it is fashionable. And every day she is visited by an avalanche of influencersor aspiring to be, in search of a unique, unrepeatable and perfect photo with The treasure background. Many of them get up early to arrive before the hordes of tourists and walk down the dusty streets dressed in gala clothes, and sometimes even in heels, to get the photo that will earn them more followers on the networks. I saw all kinds of poses, from sensual and tender with The treasure as a backdrop, even those of the adventurers, strong and rough, on a camel that is holding a little farther away — lest it appear in the photo — a lackadaisical Bedouin.
Three times a week a kind of Bedouin cultural evening is organized (Cubans will understand) and the esplanade is lit up next to The treasure with hundreds of candles stuffed in paper bags while colored lights are projected on the porch. Something quite kitsch, but cute and very useful for photos of influencers and tourists. A Bedouin masterfully plays the flute and then another sings songs that guarantee a good night’s sleep to the visitor, so effective and boring that many, myself among them, fall asleep in their chairs.
In less than 48 hours we visited Petra three times. We walked through the narrow canyon and we were all surprised to see the Treasure appear between the rocky and colorful walls. But it didn’t reach me. I didn’t take all the photos I would have liked. I have to go back to Petra, but in a 100% photographic plan. To seriously portray her. I have no idea when it will be, but I am very clear about who I would like to do it with.
