Petra By Night: My Moment of Peace
The Siq
My moment of peace came at the end of a rushed day of sight seeing in Jordan this summer. “Captain”, my traveling friend, and I purchased bread and cheese at a small grocery store, and set off, separate from our tour group. We ate our dinner on the walk, listening to the call to prayer echo from the near by mosques. The sun had set, and dusk was upon us. We met up with around 100 people all eager to enter the Siq (the high walled canyon) that led to the ancient Nabatean city carved into the rock.
Petra by Night is intended to be a silent candlelit walk through the canyon, however many tourists either didn’t understand those directions, or didn’t care to follow them. Hanging back at the very end of the group, walking very slowly, we allowed everyone to pass us. “Captain” and I walked together along the trail. We could see the high canyon walls rise upward, framing a ribbon of star studded sky. The warmth of the day was radiating outward from the rock, while a cooling breeze blew past us. We were walking on ancient stones, on a path that was once lost to all but the bedouin, to a city that was written about in ancient Greek and Roman texts. The history contained within those rocks, the people who had walked along that path, from ancient incense traders, to the film crew of Indiana Jones, and now us. Our story seemed insignificant in the grand scheme of things, but those moments in the Siq have left a lasting impression on me.
The path was dimly lit, and the cobble stones uneven, which forced us to take our time and walk with deliberate steps. I was glad to walk slowly, to savour the sights and sensations of this mystical place, knowing that there is only one first time to see Petra. Each step was bringing us closer to the Treasury building, something that we were eager to see, but something that would bring this magnificent walk to an end. Almost scared to break the silence, “Captain” and I would stop, and point out different things to each other without speaking.
I have heard of people being moved to tears, but I never thought I would experience that for myself. I don’t cry easily, but found myself welling up because of the majesty of my surroundings. “Captain” and I agreed that this could easily become a place of quiet and calm that we could close our eyes and return to at moments of stress in the “real world”; it is a place that I have returned to in my mind several times in the past few months.
in front of the Treasury
As the Siq opened out in front of the Treasury we could hear the music of a bedouin flute echoing against the surrounding high walls. We sat, in silence, surrounded by candles and silent tourists, listening to the unusual music, staring at the Treasury that was illuminated by the flashes of neighbouring cameras. We drank hot sweet mint tea, and lay down to watched the stars shoot across the sky.
None of my pictures of the Siq or the Treasury by night actually turned out. I am ok with that. The best pictures are in my mind.
Tags: best of 2009, travel
