Ken had a cool drink, rested for a few minutes and then decided that we'd head up the slopes to visit a new area where the Royal Tombs stood overlooking the valley floor where we were resting. I looked up, judged the distance and saw the shimmering heat glaze dancing about in the air and thought " no way!"
Ken said," you don,t have to come. You 
can just rest in the shade here and I'll come back down afterwards and get you!" Well that was a nice idea but I felt a bit challenged. So just after Ken had began walking I decided to follow after him, to my surprise and Ken's when he looked back and saw me slogging it up the slope.
can just rest in the shade here and I'll come back down afterwards and get you!" Well that was a nice idea but I felt a bit challenged. So just after Ken had began walking I decided to follow after him, to my surprise and Ken's when he looked back and saw me slogging it up the slope.
I was also further surprised to discover that my energy levels had risen and as long as I put one foot in front of the other I was able to keep plodding UP the slope and it was even 'enjoyable'. Probably because Ken was SO proud of me and told me so. What an encourager he is. I thank God for such a loving and caring husband he has given me.
If you look at the 2 photos of me climbing the slope way down in the middle of the picture on the left is a white roof. That's the tented shelter we had just left.
Now was it worth the climb. Yes it sure was. We were so high up above many of the Petra archaeological sites and the overview was amazing. Ken was able to point out most of the area that I had missed and we maevelled at the grandeur of it all. There are 4 Royal Tombs which are adjacent to one another. Each tomb has been hewn out of the massive mountain sandstone and ironstone outcrops. We visited all four of the tomb structures. Each had huge entrances, a super large main room with 10-12 cubic metres capacity, smaller rooms with arched doorways and window openings to let in light.
The Corinthian Tombs' upper facade is similar to that of the Treasury, but it is severely eroded. The tomb contains various elements of both Nabataean and classical architectural styles.
The Urn Tomb named after the jar that adorns the pediment, was constructed around 70 AD. It also has a deep courtyard outside its' entrance with colonnade's on two sides.
The Silk Tomb is remarkable for the swirls of different coloured rock that make up its facade. The fourth tomp is named The Palace Tomb which dates back to the 2nd century AD. A dam and water reservoir located behind the monument drain rainwater to a pool cut along one side of the podium. It was probably used for banqueting.
We really enjoyed these grand edifices which must have given much respite from the desert heat to its earlier inhabitants. Today bedouins sleep, rest and relax in these large cool recesses. Even animals like donkeys and camels are housed within these abodes.
Just before we began the descent down to the valley floor Ken was invited by a group of Jordanian soldiers, to join them for lunch. We felt honoured. They opened cans of sardines and tuna and tipped it out onto a black plastic bag (serving plate) They sliced tomatoes, carrots and onions, had a plastic bowl of hummus and Lebanese bread. They had a pot of tea which they'd heated on an open fire and Ken sat and ate and "talked" with them . They only had broken English but they were welcoming and able to communicate with gesters and nods. They farewelled us as we left . What a lovely memory to take with us!
As we descended the stairs we looked across to the opposite vista and we had a clear view it The Theatre which we had passed as we walked down the main trail to the rest spot. We had not really noticed it as the whole valley had opened up in front of us and we'd been over overawed with the high rock monoliths which we'd just visited.
The Theatre is the only theatre in the world that has been carved into the side a mountain of rock. It has three tiers of seats separated by passageways, seven stairways and the auditorium can seat 4000 spectators. The back wall of the theatre was rebuilt by the Romans and it is an impressive stadium.
After looking back down the valley with its many layers of tomb caves - some which we did not visit we headed back up to retrace our hike out via the Treasury, which would now be in afternoon sunlight ( we'd seen it in the morning light 5 hours earlier) and then the up the 1.2 km walk through the Siq with its snake-like trail and bustling donkey carts thundering through.
More on this in our final Petra blog (part 4)
