Road Book ‖ Petra, Jordan

When I first entered Jordan, I couldn’t wait to go to Petra. Petra is in the south-central part of Jordan. The story here is fascinating. Just look at the Al-Kazni Temple on the cover of LP Jordan, which looks like a Roman-style building. It also resembles the legendary treasure house-shaped building, which is enough to arouse people's curiosity.

When we arrived in Petra, it was already past 9 pm. We departed from Jerusalem Central Station in Israel at 8 am and made a large circle to enter the country at the Jordan River. After traveling all day on the road, I was shocked when I saw the night view of the small town of Petra. It’s more beautiful than I imagined. There are few cities in the Near East that have such a beautiful night view, and only the salads in Ilang and Mardin in Turkey are comparable. The stone buildings stacked on top of each other, reflecting each other in the night, look like a city of nightingales.

I was exhausted when I arrived, so I hurriedly scanned a picture with my camera, but the effect was not as impactful as what I saw with my eyes. People who often walk outside can tell which places are beautiful to take pictures but look average when viewed, and which places are average to take pictures but are amazing in reality. The picture was taken in the room. After taking the picture, I went out to enjoy the night seriously (I have lived in modern cities for a long time, and the night has long been dominated by light pollution. It is difficult to experience it like this. The warm and friendly light is like candlelight, illuminating Lit everyone). We stayed at a youth hostel so we could go to Petra together the next day.

Jordan begins to observe daylight saving time, and it gets bright very early. There is no need to worry about the opening time of the scenic spots. Petra is open 24 hours a day. You can enter at any time. At about 6 o'clock the next morning, after washing up, we met a French couple at the door of the youth hostel. Facts have proved that it is best to walk together when entering Petra. The directions in the scenic area are not clear and it is easy to lose energy. Get lost.

If you buy a two-day ticket for Petra, you can complete it in one day, so it is best not to split it into two days. After the first day of the trip, my muscles are sore. The hiking route here is very difficult to walk. Going up and down not only wears your shoes, but also consumes three to four times the physical strength of regular walking. People who have not usually practiced hiking will feel uncomfortable here. The next day, it was difficult to have the energy to continue walking.

The canyon is a shocking effect formed by the impact of long years of rain in ancient times, traveling through the canyons. Thinking about how the Nabataeans thought of building a great building at the end of this canyon, the workload of logistical supplies alone (water sources, food, a large group of workers digging here in the desert) is beyond imagination. .

From the entrance, about 1.5 kilometers past the end of the snake road, you can see the Kazni Temple.

I walked to the Khazni Temple around seven in the morning, and the sun was just right. To see the most beautiful side, you must get up early, get up early, get up early. Different colors are printed together during this time period. Finally arrived!

Legends, myths, history, and facts are mixed in my mind. Is this really the source of the story of Alibaba and the forty thieves in One Thousand and One Nights? It seems to be in line with my inner imagination. It has long been Regardless of what history is like, the brain can no longer be rational. It was originally because of this story that the flames of Jordan were ignited. Thanks to legends and myths, it made me feel distant and explore the distant places.

After long-term research by archaeologists and civil engineering experts, the construction of the Kazni Temple, a magnificent and precision-engineered building in the desolate desert, was built by the Nabataeans from top to bottom. Unlike conventional buildings, the foundation is laid from the ground and then carved and carved layer by layer. In other words, the topmost column capitals were completed first. There are no decorations on the two floors that ordinary people can see. There are neither religious altars nor tombs. It is impossible to verify why so much effort was spent on building this temple in the desert. What is the use. After investigation, archaeologists found that there is another layer underground that has been covered by sand for a long time. In the archaeological discovery in 2003, several corpses were excavated from the first layer. From this, the long-term question about the attributes and functions of the Khazni Temple was answered. .

With its Scrinian capitals, friezes and figures, and the Roman columns on the lower level, it is engraved with the pattern of the Egyptian Isis statue. The appearance of this temple is a mixture of various elements of architecture from the classical world. According to Archaeologists speculate that it was built during the period of the Nabataean king Aridas IV.

Those who thought that their trip to Petra would be over when they reached the Al-Kazni Temple, raise your hands.

In fact, this is not the case. Generally, the tour guide will just take you to the temple and the Roman theater and end it. Because of the tight schedule, there are only a few hours here. It's different for individual tourists. I've met Chinese people who stayed here for two days and three days. Petra is very big. It takes 2 hours to walk quickly from the farthest line back to the door. If you are familiar with the route, it will take 2 hours. If you are not familiar with it, you may get lost.

Some of the temples at the back can be visited directly, so you can guess the interior decoration of the Kazni Temple. All the same, natural rock texture without any artificial decorations.

See the Temple of Khazni here, the end of the third line.

The third sub-line is the easiest, just climb a dozen steps to get there

The end of the fourth line, Dyer Monastery, is also a building similar to the one in Kazni. The architecture of the temple, and the carvings of this building are relatively simple. I originally thought that I could only see one temple, but unexpectedly, I insisted on walking down and saw several. This is the benefit of exploring the unknown. There are always surprises waiting for you, which makes people full of expectations.

The integrity of the sculptures has fallen off and lost its color under the baptism of time and light. In the eyes of archaeologists and cultural conservation and scientific and technological workers, this kind of sculpture needs to be repaired and protected. These traces of brilliance and vicissitudes prompt tourists from all over the world to stop here every year. Cultural heritage cannot be regenerated, nor can it last forever. I hope that everyone who can travel here will not destroy any grass or stone inside. This is the greatest protection that you can do as a viewer.

Walking here is already a very niche route. After watching the sunset, we walked down at 19:30. From here to the exit of the scenic spot, it took about an hour and a half to see the stars and the moon. The scenic spot There were no lights inside, and it was around 9pm when I walked out. I was quite tired, having walked almost 30 kilometers of hiking routes in one day.

The beauty of Petra requires physical strength and eyesight to be appreciated. Standing here, the heart-wrenching scenes in the movie will automatically pop up at the moment you arrive. Needless to say, all the sweat and fatigue are behind you.

I hope you will always remember the beauty of this world!

Send a gift to Tracy who loves me, ak who is always by my side, and summer.