Day 13 – Sunday, September 15: Wadi Rum, Petra
Today was an incredible day! We had Petra all by ourselves almost! Sleeping here at Wadi Rum was unique for sure. Following a light breakfast, we loaded up the mini-bus and left at 7:55. We read from Obadiah 1 and Psalm 2 as we drove west first and then north.
Petra
The drive to Petra took about two hours. We also stopped on the way twice for a great view of the Seir Moutains. Once we entered Wadi Musa, we checked in early into our hotel and then walked at to the entrance of Petra. We arrived at the entrance of the site at 11 a.m.
This ancient Nabatean city was built within the Seir Mountains, the land of the Edomites (Deuteronomy 2, 33; Ezekiel 35). We all thoroughly enjoyed the spectacular scenery and tombs/ruins of this red-rose ancient city that is one of the 7 Wonders of the World. Once we entered the site, we all walked through the Siq (canyon) which brought us to the first monument, “The Treasury” (“Al-Khazneh”). This well-preserved monumental tomb appeared in the movie “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.” It was the tomb of the Nabatean King named Aretas III (Paul mentions his son, Aretas IV in 2 Cor. 11:32). His daughter (or granddaughter – depending on dating) was the former wife of Herod Antipas, see Matthew 14).
“What an incredible day it was! We drove north to Petra from Wadi Rum and spent a good portion of the day at Petra. This was the red-rock city of the Nabateans. We all hiked, enjoyed the beauty of the sandstone, and enjoyed the ambiance of this ancient site. Hardly anyone was here too!”
From the Treasury we now began our walk into the city. Besides passing by many of the Nabatean tombs, we walked by a 3,000-seat theater carved into the sandstone, one of the largest theaters in Jordan. From here, some in the group walked to the Monastery Tomb at the far west side of Petra, while others explored on their own (e.g. the Royal Tombs). The Aravah and Negev of Israel could be seen to the west from the area of the Monastery. It was quite clear today! As an extra adventure, John and John hiked all the way up to Mt. Hor, the location where Aaron died (Numbers 20). We all made it back to the hotel on our own time for a wonderful dinner on the rooftop of the hotel.
Day 14 – Monday, September 16: Machareus, Mt. Nebo, Amman
