Our trip to Petra starts off with an hour drive from Dahab to the Port city of Taba. We will board the ferry early morning and make our way to the Port City of Jordan, Aqaba. From there we drive to the treasured city of Petra. Each visitor is required to purchase an entrance ticket to enter the city of Petra.

As we enter the Al Madras route we walk through the Street of Facades that is lined with tombs carved into the mountainside.
As one walks on, it is not difficult to imagine being Indiana Jones through the high and narrow canyon-like rock formations.

And there it is – the Siq – the somewhat 30-meter high rock formation that attempts to hide a rose pink, about 40 meter high, completely carved in the rock, most impressive building of Petra. Locally called Al-Kazneh, which means treasure, it was not a temple but simply a tomb.

The decoration is inspired from Greek, Egyptian and Assyrian architecture. The stunning part is that most probably the sculptors had never seen these foreign countries. They took their ideas from the tales told by the numerous merchants passing by.
A little further from the Treasury, at the foot of the mountain called en-Nejr is a massive theatre, so placed as to bring the greatest number of tombs within view. The amphitheatre has actually been cut into the hillside and into several of the tombs during its construction. Rectangular gaps in the seating are still visible.

We will have lunch at a restaurant that is half way between where we entered the Al Madras route and the Monastery.
A challenging, but worthwhile trek takes you to this spectacular monastery, the largest monument in Petra. The Monastery is a calm, tranquil place where only the song and music (oud) from locals can be heard.