As I sit here watching the Suez Canal go by, high sandy stone banks, speckled by long abandoned huts, a short length of green lots, palm trees, primitive basic shelter and a central mosque, followed past that by nothing… a wasteland of dead sand, in the distance sudden steep
slops… I have come to write about Petra.
But instead I am a bit inspired to talk about Egypt. I spent two weeks in Egypt exactly ten years ago at this time. What strikes me most as I watch it travel by again, is the smell. I can only guess that what I smelling is the sand. It is distinctive, and indeed the smell of Egypt.
The middle east is a wasteland of dead land. An infinite, at least mentally, stretch of sand.
Nothing. It is like the moon and equally supportive of life.
The Egyptian Civilization that built the pyramids, is not an indication of what this land’s people is capable of. It is an indication of what this land’s people is capable of assuming water is available.
It is beyond me how the Bedouins survive. They must know of hidden water sources. The stories of biblical times are so much more inspiring when the hardship of this land is taken into account.
It is amazing to me that the Middle East exists at all. But of course, they exist because of the black gold beneath their feet. Without it, they would be little more than the roaming nomads from which they descend. The land does not really provide for anything, and survival itself is an
outstanding feat, forget innovation and artistic creation.
Artistic creation with what?
But the black gold at their feet has allowed them to enter the western world, with perfect streets, and malls, and Cadillac’s, and Starbuck’s… at least in the major lucrative cities. I think that the westernize countries, Jordon, United Arab Emirates, Oman, (these are the ones I have
visited) I think they will all play a growing influence in our culture. Not because they control oil, Jordon actually has no oil at all. They will enter our culture because their people finally, freed by the wealth of oil, can spend time on the arts and engineering that they never had time for before.
I look forward to seeing their creations. I think Dubai is a stunning example of what’s possible. Its architecture is a dazzling illustration of what the future holds.
But let me revert to the concept, artistic creation out of what? Surrounded by sand and small rocks, the rare tree, artistic creation out of what. Perhaps the people were simply not innovative enough to create from what they had. I mean after all the ancient Egyptians managed to create out of just rocks, right?
Artistic creation out of what.
And that there is the magic of Petra. In a land where all that existed was sand, rocks, and the walls of the hills, the people of ancient Jordon created functional works that catered to their need for shelter from the heat, and they created them from the walls of the hills.
OK, that sounds like they found some caves.
But no, they carved elaborate buildings into the soft sandstone of the rock like hills to form a city unlike any other in the world.
Can you believe it? Carved from the landscapes stoney walls, an elaborate building of colonnades and figures.
I think that this is proof, wherever man is found, if mere survival is supported, art will sprout, as if from a thaw.
The word “building” actually wrong. What is found in Petra is really quite the opposite. It is a deconstruction. To build is to create by assemble of parts. This is to create by disassembly of parts. So far as I can recall, it is unique in the world for this. It is a structure of shelter
by disassembly. There are a few other works by disassembly, Mount Rushmore comes to mind. But I cannot think of another elaborate work of disassembly for shelter and functional use.
This “building” is called the treasury. It is known by the western world for its cameo in one of the Indiana Jones films. (Notice the obligatory presence of a camel.)
It stands, or rather is immersed in rose-colored walls carved by annual ages of flooding rainfall, followed by eleven months of drought.
(Me in the ravine leading to the treasury.)
What shocked and thrilled me, was this building, The Treasury, was not a lone marvel in the Jordanian desert. It is one structure of an entire city carved into the gorgeous veined walls of the hills.
A city, each building ornate.
This people, with nothing, sand, rock, and dead land flourished into artistic geniuses despite only having only the walls of the hills at hand.
I think this is an apartment complex.
This, by far, is on my list of places to see. I often say, I am glad I went, but I would not make an effort to go back.
I would definitely make an effort to see Petra.
I will see Petra again. If ever you find yourself in the Middle East, see the Pyramids and see Petra. I put it above Jerusalem. I have seen many of the ancient cities, Pompeii, Herculeum, Ephasis… and I say again, see Petra. Pompeii, Herculeum and Ephasis are built cities.
Petra is a carved city.
The landscape is actually quite like Zion, in Utah. Tall, iron reddened walls, organically threaded by variations in time, shaped by rare rains.
The rock itself is awe inspiring beauty. My pictures do not do it justice.
My time is running short, and my blog is running long.
In short, unbelievably, knock-your-socks-off, strike you dead, earth shatteringly cool, the ancient city of Petra.
Absolutely nothing stupid about it.
Some more pictures...
The manditory ancient city amphitheater. (I have been to a lot of ancient cities and an amphitheater is a given.)
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