Movimiento Travel

The city of Petra is one of the most famous cities in Jordan. The city of Petra, founded centuries ago, is known for its incredible buildings and tombs carved directly from stone.

Petra is considered one of the wonders of the world. The city was known as a lost city in the western world, until it was rediscovered in 1812. Petra is located near the town of Wadi Musa in the desert where the sand creates a contrast with traces of red rocks. The city is known for its natural geological structures, and the distinctive red color of the stone.

The historic archaeological VI century BC, and is considered the symbol of Jordan. The town is considered World Heritage by UNESCO. In the West, no one knew anything about this city until a Swiss explorer; Johann Ludwig Burckhardt discovered the great city of mysterious red stone.

Al-Siq is the main gateway to the ancient city, a corridor formed naturally due to water erosion. The entrance is very narrow and the hallway, about 1.6 kilometers long, reaches Al Khazneh and cash flow. Near the entrance is a reservoir, which looks much like another dam built centuries ago by the Nabataeans. Even today some old ruins are preserved in a huge arc that was in this place. Formerly, caravans used this post to enter Petra, and have found two huge sculptures of two merchants carrying a camel each.

Al Khazneh is the treasury, one of the most elaborate buildings of the ancient city. The structure is carved directly from the rock of the mountain. A curious aspect of the building is its architectural style, reminiscent of the buildings of ancient Greece. This building, over 2000 years old, also has its own legend that many centuries ago; pirates hid their treasure on the second floor of Al Khazneh. There are still more elaborate sculptures of human beings in the local mythology figures representing life after death. Inside the building there are several tombs.

Qasr al Bint is a temple dating from the time of the Nabataeans, dedicated to his God Dushara. The temple has three parts, and the roof is accessible by a staircase in the back of the building. The building is the best preserved in the city of Petra.

There is also a former theater carved directly into the mountain, which was rebuilt by the Roman and could hold more than 7,000 people. Al Deir, the monastery is located in the western part of the city. To reach the building you have to climb 800 steps, but the effort is worthwhile. From the top we can see magnificent views across the ancient city, including the Lions Triclinium and Wadi Araba.

In the Deir Qattan the remains of water pipes. The walls are full of Nabataean inscriptions. Still kept what appeared to be remains of an old bathroom. The Triclinium of the Lions is another smaller temple with an elaborate facade decorated with two enormous statues of two lions. Inside the temple there are two graves.

In Petra there are several museums dedicated to history and archeology. Highlights include the Museum Al Habees and Petra Archaeological Museum. There are also a large number of tombs, though some are only ruins. Some of the tombs include the Obelisk Tomb, near the Siq and the Tomb of the Palace.

The city, located in the desert and near several settlements of the Bedouin, was the intersection of several trade routes in the time of the Nabataeans. The place, full of history, has several buildings of historical interest that were carved from the mountains directly. Near the city there are several settlements of the Bedouin. From the other side of Petra magnificent open views towards the mountains.

In this area are often organized excursions by camel. About Petra there are other places like Jerash, an ancient Roman city that was built in 300 AD. Amra Cheese is a castle built in the desert, dating from the eighteenth century and still retains its beautiful murals and an old hammam.

Turkey is one of those destinations that have been chosen for a short vacation, a destination is usually quite affordable at the same time unknown, and provides for much more than a short vacation.

We can find many ruins of ancient temples, castles and fortresses of ancient settlements and remains of the walls of such cities or amphitheaters in the west of Turkey. Those who like archeology found here with the story at his feet. The area is very hot and dry, but once, in time of the Greeks was ancient port, now all dry.

We can travel from city to city with buses arriving and finding a place to sleep is not complicated, so that we can go a little adventure and explore the region without ties or problems.

One of the places to visit is the site of ancient Troy, which is only part of the wall, and you need an expert to distinguish the different layers of debris.

The Acropolis and strength in Bergamo (Pergamon), pyrene, Didymea, Ephesus … the list of places to visit is extensive, many of them only a pile of rocks and difficult to distinguish from other archaeological sites have fared better and are preserved and restored, but it is not usual. What we find in this part of Turkey is a journey through Greek and Roman culture.

In some places the sensation is of having made a journey through time as you can be in the same theater that did the Romans or walk down the same roads on which they went.

Sometime during the trip, we had to take a bus to take us to some secluded place, only bad thing about transportation here is that maybe we left somewhere for an afternoon while visiting the ruins we only was an hour and a half as much, which we had to wait long until the next bus to pass. Sometimes when this happened close to where we could find a service area or a cafe where old men played cards and drank tea … an opportunity to observe the locals. It is also common to find in stores these sites handmade carpets, in which we can pass the time.

Many times during these visits, we have found to be the only tourists in the place, and go on a bus full of locals we stopped anywhere, but the landscapes were great and you could see things like that here, the farmers still on mules and horses to their workplace.

In recent years Turkey has been sold as a popular tourist site and exotic, it is … but its charm can be found in other less crowded places and we will remember forever. It is a good opportunity if you enjoy visiting historical sites, you just have to prepare a little trip to organize and know the places to go, and otherwise find accommodation here without prior reservation is not usually a problem.