Several years ago, I saw a program on public television about an amazing city carved into rock. I was intrigued and wondered if I would ever get to see this place: Petra, in Jordan.

For a long time, however, I was wary of traveling to Jordan, especially because I’m a Jew. The first time I was in Israel, almost 60 years ago, when I looked over the border to Jordan there were guns pointed at us.  Now there is a peace agreement between Israel and Jordan—good for both countries. Israeli engineers and researchers provide advice and help to Jordanians, and Jordan gets 30% of its water from Israel’s waters. This is a way to keep peace.

So, Mark and I went to Jordan and had the good fortune to spend two days in Petra—one of the Seven Wonders of the World.  It is magnificent and also huge—both in area and in height.  We were filled with wonder. 

The Nabataean people inhabited Petra 2000 years ago. They had discovered not only to carve buildings out of rock, but also to develop a clever system for managing water in this desert community. Lines of stone troughs weave around the site, so that water would flow throughout the city. Petra became rich by trading with peoples all over the region.

Eventually, the Romans took over Petra. So, the buildings also reflect Roman architecture and religion.

Touring Petra was like walking through a giant wonderland. We had two days—which seemed like a lot. But it wasn’t.  We couldn’t see everything. 

We had hired a company to transport us, and on our first day, we had a guided tour. We were on our own on the second day—which was fine; there was so much to see and wander through.

Petra is spectacular for its combination of human ingenuity and natural beauty. The rocks are enormous, taller than skyscrapers, massive with undulating shapes. And the colors – reds, purples, yellow ochre, burnt umber—all from chemicals imbedded in the rocks. Sometimes it’s hard to distinguish man-made caves and caverns from the natural shapes made by water and wind.

We had not quite expected how touristy it would be.  Everywhere, we were greeted with invitations to ride a camel, horse or mule. We turned down all such offers. We did a lot of walking—lots of hills. There are also tents with all sorts of wares for sale and children peddling postcards. And there are dogs and cats, wandering freely. There were also men with brooms and buckets—their job was to pick up after the animals, including the human animals.

For many generations, no one in the outside world knew about this special place in the middle of a desert—only the local villagers knew.

I’m filled with awe and grateful to have made this visit.