Jordan's World Wonder

Petrafractions

It’s a picture anyone can take, but it doesn’t make the scenery any less beautiful. This is the Monastery at ancient Petra, on the edge of the Arabian desert in Jordan. Even when Petra is crowded, a lot less people make it up here. They take pictures of the treasury (that other amazing building carved into the rocks), walk a bit further until they reach the museum and then turn back. Instead, keep following the path upwards. I admit it’s a challenge in the heat, but it’s totally worth it.

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  • I literally just spoke with someone who’s just come from there. Crazy.

    For some reason I thought there was another cliff in front of it, so the entrance was in kind of a ravine? Damn you, Hollywood.

    Is it a costly admission? What’s the inside look like? Or can one even enter? I have never seen inside.

    • The one that is in the ravine with a cliff in front of it is the treasury that I mentioned: it’s the one most people want to see and it’s gorgeous indeed, but I think this monastery is worth the attention also, it’s practically at the end of the path but most people never go up! The biggest disappointment to me: you can’t get in! Not in the treasury and not in the monastery. There’s just a small dark square in the inside, all the passageways are sealed. I always thought there would be an awesome labyrinth of candlelit pathways! So yes, damn you Hollywood 🙂

      • Ah thanks for the response. Yeah, this one’s definitely worth the hike. What a crazy thing to have in a view like that!

  • now im going to search my pics and see if i have this building. great shot. I thought I covered mostly everything there was to see there. I walked like a long long ways past a lot of things.

    • 🙂 Let me know if you find it!

      • i can’t! I dont think I saw it. Where was it, right at the very end? I had two days there, but I got very sick from food poisoning and had to stay in my guesthouse the second day. Still, it’s strange because I walked a good 6-8 km on the first day, up and around rocky hills and the like.

  • Magical!!

  • travelrat

    What a lot of visitors don’t realise is that it’s a whole city, not just one building. You’ll need strong shoes, plenty of water and at least a couple of days to see it all.

    • Indeed! I spent the entire day there but I can imagine there’s much more to see if you take more time.

  • Sha

    This just made me think of Indiana Jones…haha…awesome shot…:)

  • Would LOVE to see this one day 🙂
    Simply looks amazing!