Six weeks ago as I was researching how to spend our pilgrimage in Israel, I stumbled upon a tour company offering trips to Petra. Intrigued, I studied this amazing place a little more and we then decided to rearrange our entire trip to make this journey. Not many pilgrims to Israel include Petra since it is not a religious site. But we certainly had a religious experience while we were there.
Staying on the Red Sea, we realized what a feat it was for the Israelites to cross this vast body of water. The Red Sea has four countries that border it: Israel, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and Jordan. Although coming from the Egyptian side of the sea, they crossed into Jordan just like we are doing today. After showing our passports 4 different times and security checks we finally walked into the Kingdom of Jordan. A two hour drive awaited us. During those two hours we learned about how this was the same terrain that the Israelites walked through in order to get to Mount Nebo, how Aaron (Moses' brother) died and was buried on a mountain that we passed, and how this was the land of the Edomites about 3000 years ago (descendants of Esau). So there ia much Old Testament history in the land of Jordan.
But nothing could have prepared us for Petra. No pictures do it justice. No description could be accurate. Many archeologists have named it the Eighth Wonder of the World and for good reason. The Nabatean people lived here hundreds of years and carved an entire city out of the sandstone. Since the trade route via camel caravans passed through their land, they became wealthy traders and mingled with all different cultures. Since there were natural water springs on top of the sandstone and a valley in between, it was a perfect place to create the capital of the Nabatean people. Unfortunately an earthquake destroyed the water system they had created in the 700's and it was abandoned and forgotten. It was rediscovered again in the 1800's and is now the largest tourist destination in Jordan.
Petra is hidden from view until you get to the narrow slit in the rock which provides the entrance. That's one reason it's called the Hidden City, but also has nicknames of the Pink City or the Rose City due to the color of the sandstone. Petra in Greek means "rock" which is what the city is made out of. You walk along the bottom of this narrow gorge for about 1000 meters. Visitors would have been intimidated. Enemies would not have ventured in. Then it finally opens up into a valley that has the most beautiful ornate carvings. These carvings adorn the tombs of wealthy people buried here as well as represent the many gods people honored with their offerings. Houses were carved in the sandstone and it became a naturally protected, abundant with water, beautiful capital.
God was reflected in the natural beauty of the sandstone, the trees growing out of crevices, the amazing colors that surrounded us. God was also reflected in a people who lived 2000 years ago. People who imagined a city made of stone. People who engineered and calculated how to make that dream a reality. People who created elaborate water systems, flood canals, astrological calendars, clocks, and gorgeous architecture. But maybe most importantly, a people who welcomed the diversity of other cultures. Their architecture reflects the Greeks, the Romans, the Mesopotamians, along with their own unique style. Instead of fearing those who were different, they embraced them, learned from them, and incorporated the best of other cultures into their own.
As the blessed rain falls on the drought stricken land of Jordan just after we get back on the bus for the two hour drive back, I am left with wonder of a land that was walked on by Moses, a city that took my breath away, and a people who embraced diversity and left behind their legacy for others to learn from. May God grant us an open spirit, a listening ear, and a willing heart.
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