Shobak Castle and Petra by Night


Shobak Castle was the first to be built by the Crusaders in 1115 and originally known as the "Krak de Montreal."  The walls are imposing and have been restored.  There are some Arabic inscriptions carved into the walls that date from 1290. The inside of the castle is a jumble of ruins, tunnels, and half buried room and passageways. One tunnel leads to a water source about two football fields down below ground level. 
Our introduction to Petra was by participating in a "Petra by Night" program.  This after dark excursion is done a few nights each week.  Basically, you get to walk by candlelight from the site entrance down through the narrow walls of the gorge or "Siq" passage to the first major building carved into the stone known as the Treasury. We had a great walk there and back and listened to some flute music after we arrived. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Crusader Fortress and the Biosphere Reserve

Image
Our destination for tonight was the Dana Biosphere Reserve. On the way we visited the Karak Crusader Castle. In 1812 the ruins of this fortress were described as "shattered but imposing" by a traveler.  That could apply today because there was little inside the collapsed fortress to see but it's looming walls are noticeable from a great distance. During the Crusades, the castle played a strategic role in the region. It is located on ancient caravan routes between Egypt and Syria, and the site was used by the Greeks and Romans. The castle remained in control of Muslim armies after Saladin conquered it in 1138. The Dana Biosphere Reserve campsite we stayed at is managed by the Jordanian Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature.  We spent the night in a tent and walked some of the trails.  Madeleine and Melissa walked a trail to a viewpoint and I took one around the campsite area.  ...
Read more

Petra by Day

Image
Here are pictures from some of the highlights of our two days in the Petra ruins.  One day we climbed to the "High Place of Sacrifice" and the next day to the "Monastery."  The Monastery structure (above) is perhaps the best preserved in the entire site.  Above are two pictures of the Treasury structure at the entrance to the main ruins.  A (once) colonnaded Roman road.  Mosaic from a Byzantine church. More Roman road with the Nabetean era "Great Temple" in the background.  Path on the way to the High Place of Sacrifice (above and below).  Resting along the Roman road.  Resting at the Monastery.  Back down the path from the High Place of Sacrifice.  Somewhere among the ruins.  Path to Monastery (above). In the Siq entrance (above). 
Read more