We spent this whole day at the ruins at Petra. Lots of walking and climbing in the hot, desert sun. According to my iPhone, I walked over 11 miles and climbed over 40 stories.

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Petra is located in Jordan. Fears of Islamic extremists have really cut into tourism, despite the safety of Jordan (and Israel, for that matter). There were extremely few people visiting Petra that day. The Bedouins that live in the area and depend on tourism have suffered greatly. They were very anxious to bargain with us and make a sale or two.

Petra is an ancient oasis and fortress. It was possibly used by the Edomites, definitely by the Nabateans. It’s highly defensible and has an excellent water supply. Because of this, many dwellings were made in the caves and carved into the rocks.

For years, the Bedouins hid the existence of Petra from outsiders. Eventually it was discovered, and the Bedouins were relocated to nearby encampments so that the area could be preserved as an historic site.

You may remember Petra from the third Indiana Jones movie. They used the façade of the treasury in Petra as the outside of the building where the Holy Grail was stored. Unlike the movie, the treasury doesn’t have cavernous rooms inside nor does it hold any treasure. But it’s an impressive sight.

About half of our group made the trek all the way up to the monastery at Petra. Lots of climbing. Vendors along the way would call out encouragement: “You’re almost there; then come back and by from me.” Of course later, they would accuse you of having promised to buy from them.

The monastery’s not that different from the buildings down below. I’m glad I went up once; don’t know that I’d take the time to do it again.

It was an interesting place, but its lack of biblical significance left me anxious to move on to other sites that lay ahead.