Suez

31/04/08

- Suez -
This is a small city with a peaceful centre; Egypt is famous for its coffee place Suez is enjoyable for it.
If you look with attention the picture (on the picasa album) of the church you will notice that it is abandoned.

- Suez – Cairo -
The trip between Suez and Cairo is just in the middle of a sand desert with mountains.

Sinaï

30/04/08

- From Aqaba to Nuweibaa -

From Jordan (Aqaba) to Egypt (Nuweibaa), we took the boat after many time lost in Aqaba, changing money and asking for Visa in the Egyptian consulate. This day was only a long trip, so you know now that, with some chance, you can make Wadi Musa (Petra) to Suez (Egypt) from 6 a.m. until midnight by bus / boat / microbus… But don’t remember something that nobody will tell you: You have to stamp your passport for the Egyptian border entry at board!

- Sinaï -

From the east sea-side of Egypt to west cost of the Sinai, a bewitched and silent desert seems to be lived only by Egyptian army checkpoints, I strained my eyes but I did not see any animals! It’s a kind of black hole by night, you feel on the moon, losing human life from the last summer camp on the east sea-side: Suez city and border coast appear as the first human lights after all of this black out! I love Sinai by night. I was thinking a lot about all guys travelling in this little service, running as fast as it could to reach Cairo as soon as possible, on this Wednesday evening many of them was surely going back from their work – on the luxury summer camps or on the Nuweiba harbour – to their home…On that thoughts, I already figurate out that Egypt is third world…

PETRA in deep

29/04/08
- Al-Siq -
Al-Siq is 1207m long and 3 to 16m wide. It is a natural gorge of spectacular geological formation, which the Nabataeans widened in parts by carving out the rock. Paved in 1st century BC, the siq served as the Nabataeans religious processional passageway into Petra. Ancient remains in situ at the entrance signify that there once stood a monumental arch. Excavations have uncovered relief sculptures of a camel caravan and numerous niches with baetyls carved in relief and sculpted monolithic stones dedicated to Nabataeans gods, in particular al-Uzza, the goddess of fertility. The Nabataeans and Romans sustained their sophisticated civilisation through skilful water management that included advanced hydraulic systems to control the flow of water. On either side of the Siq are water channels with basins. The southern channel is hollowed out of the rock and was originally covered by sandstone and limestone slabs to prevent evaporation and contamination. The northern channel was made interlocking terracotta pipes, parts of which can still be seen in situ.

- Al-Khazna -
(Pharaoh's Treasury)
It is the most perfect façade in Petra. It is situated at the end of the Siq, with a height of 39.5m. The lower level is decorated with 6 Corinthian capitals that are spanned by a frieze of griffins and vases among scrolls. A vegetation goddess is carved in the central tympanum. The upper order consists of a central kiosk decorated with the relief of Isis and flanked by dancing Amazons and Victories. The kiosk is crowned by a capital supporting a funerary urn that was supposed to conceal Pharaoh's treasures according to local tradition. Although the original function is still a mystery, the Khazna is believed by many Archaeologists to be the mausoleum of King Aretas IV (9BC-AD40). Recently, three Nabataeans tombs were uncovered below the Khazna. They belong to the end of the first century BC. The original ground floor is under the present floor.

- Al-Dayr -
It is one the largest monuments in Petra, measuring 47m wide by 48,3m high. It was built on the model of Khazna but here the bas-reliefs are replaced by niches to house sculptures. A columned portico extends in front of the facade. The interior is occupied by two side benches and an altar against the rear wall. It was used as a biclinium for the meetings of religious associations, and dates to the early 2nd century AD, during the reign of King Rabel II. In the Byzantine period, the hall was reused as a Christian chapel and crosses were carved in the rear wall, thus the name "Monastery" (Dayr in Arabic).

- The Lion Biclinium -
It is located on the way to al-Dayr, and is so-called because of 2 lions carved on both sides of the entrance. The facade is decorated with a frieze of triglyphs and metopes, with the head of Medusa at each end. There are 2 benches inside and a baetyl in a niche is carved to the left of the doorway.





Click Here for the complete album of Petra

Jordan

Only one objective for this first 2 days (29th and 30th of April 08) trip to Jordan: PETRA. This is a wonderful place but you have to get to the site at the opening time (6 a.m.) if you want to enjoy the real Petra, I mean without all the stupid tourists (the worst type I saw in my life: they did not have any respect for the beauty of the place, they don’t care about the country – I don’t understand when people walk half naked in the middle of a desert? Are we in a Mediterranean club? – and there are extremely noisy for a natural place like Petra).

What about Jordanians? so short time to make a point of view! But I felt a stronger ‘desert’ temperament, at least from the appearance. Accent is deeper and people seems to be more stressed (time is money; our taxi driver was kissing money when I gave him back some too much change by mistake). I had a different feeling with Bedouins, they seems to me quiet as the desert. About the language, I did not have any specific problem to understand Jordanians, the dialect is the ‘chamy*’ one with a deeper accent and some different expressions. Bedouins from Petra have a different dialect than people I met in Amman. I was just a bit sad when I notice that the Bedouins prefer to speak to me in English with a perfect American accent than listening to my Fushra**. But it is also true that they speak a hardly understandable Arabic for a novice in dialects like me…

In 1985, Petra was inscribed on the World Heritage List of the Convention concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage. Inscription on this list confirms the exceptional universal value of a cultural or natural site that deserves protection for the benefit of all humanity. Petra, as the capital of the Nabataean Kingdom, thrived as an important trading post on the international Spice Route, serving a crossroad between Arabia, Egypt, Palestine, Syria-Phoenicia, India, China and the Mediterranean Basin. Nestled within intricate geological formations of mountains and gorges are the impressive tombs that the Nabataean carved out of the sandstone rock faces. Nabataean, Romans and Byzantines built the city of Petra from the 2nd century BC to the 5th century AD. Whilst the architectural façades of the tombs are a harmonious blend of ancient Assyrian, Egyptian, Hellenistic and Roman styles, archaeological excavations in Petra have brought to light that the city itself survived well into the Byzantine period.

*From Cham: approx. between Palestine and Iraq, with south Syria and north Jordan.
**classic Arabic

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