Petra in Jordan (#Crusader)
🇯🇴-1.1
Finally, we arrived at the highlight of #Petra in #Jordan. This was the place I was most looking forward to on the entire #trip (because after visiting the neighboring countries, I liked them all).
Ever since I watched Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade released in 1989, my childhood dream has been to become an archaeologist (of course, I didn’t become one later 🤷🏽♂️), but the magnificent scenery has always been deeply imprinted in my heart. Little Kerry hoped that one day he would be able to see this historic site, which was designated as a World Heritage Site in 1985, with his own eyes. Finally, 34 years later, I fulfilled a distant wish.
For me, Petra is divided into Petra with Al-Khazneh and Petra without Al-Khazneh. The reason is that most people only walk to the temple and then turn back, but in fact, the monastery (Ad-deir / Monastery) at the very end is actually much larger and more stunning. Khazneh is also known as the "Treasure" ( #Treasury ). Legend has it that the urn atop the building contains heirloom jewels, and still bears the marks of bullets fired by Nabataeans’ guns. Looking at those bullet marks not only reminded me of the plot of the Indiana Jones movie, but also immersed me in the memories of my youth.
Passing through the winding #SnakePath (Al-Siq), which seems to be a road carved out of the towering rock wall, it coils like a snake on the way to the Khazneh Temple. Looking at the strange rocks on both sides, my heart is filled with admiration for the Bedouins.
As we walked along the road, a ray of light shone on the ground in the distance ahead, and the magnificent building that came into view was the "Temple of Khazneh" that I had been dreaming of. That's exactly where they chose the Holy Grail in "Independence Day"🤩! The 39.5-meter-high Khazneh was built during the Nabataeans period between 60 BC and 50 AD. It is carved into the cliff, and many of the architectural details have been eroded over the past two thousand years. These sculptures are believed to be figures from various myths related to the afterlife. Walking along the ancient Bedouin roads under the scorching sun, I felt as if I had traveled back to Greece two thousand years ago, exploring this ancient rose city along the land trade route.
The rest of Petra is... to be continued!