City of Petra - The Forgotten Lanes

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Constructed in the 3rd Centuries, it still has the Charms of a New City. I have seen a number of movies ( as per my say) on the nomadic Arabs, but as i stood in front of this one - its was as if standing in front of a gold mine - which shone more in the bright sun light.

As i put my foot ahead in the only entrance of the City of Petra, i could sense what next i am going to see will be mindblowing. The siq - a long narrow gorge took me to the lands of Petra City. The huge city has many facets in its intact forms like the Al Khanez - the treasury. This treasury is fully bathed in the sun light in the morning hours. Glowing like gold in the morning; it turns into a pink shadow in the evening. Large shells indicate sort of lockers where wealth used to be put up.

Next to it is the road which takes you to the Old Market. The huge lanes on the both sides, indicate a large no of shops and shopkeepers in it. My imagination suddenly runs what might have been the Market of City of Petra.

Long and forgotten for 300 years, the city came into picture with its rediscovery by the West. Today, the huge city is clean but with no human beings - still as you walk around you can feel the people walk.

As you roam around the city, do look out for the Place of Sacrifice, from where one can see almost the entire city at a glance. Watch the sun going down as you row up again in the thin Siq back to your hotel.

* Though the City of Petra seems deserted from the entrance, it has a number of small shops which sell eatables at moderate price. The City of Petra is open from 6 a.m. in the morning till the sunset. Passes for 2-3 days can be bought at one time. If you intend to visit City of Petra, then its better to hire a Guide to see the Huge City, lest you get forgotten in the maze.

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