Travelling in Jordan: Night Petra. Part two.
El Khazneh at night
On the way from Wadi Rum to Petra, we stopped at one place, from which there was an astounding panoramic view of Esh Shara Mountains and the Siq Gorge.
From the viewing platform we could see a little white spot on one of the mountain tops; it was the dome of a mosque located on Mount Hor, the site, where high priest Aaron was buried, a brother of prophet Moses. Concerning Aaron the high priest you can read an article on my site published on February 6, 2011.
Panoramic View of Esh Shara Mountains and Siq Gorge
At the bottom, at the foot of the mountains where they meet one another, the Siq Gorge has its beginning. In fair weather you can see how the gorge, making its fancy turns, cuts into the mountains, and disappears in them. The Siq is the main road that leads to ancient Petra, and this road starts with huge rectangular monolith blocks, the so-called spirits’ rocks, or Djinn1 blocks, that are clearly seen from this spot. And these are not the only Djinn blocks by far, that are located on the territory of ancient Petra.
Djinn blocks
The exact number of Djinn blocks has not been established, since many of these monuments are in half-ruined condition, and some can even be mistaken for a piece of rock or stone. Only twenty six blocks can be identified; the rest of them are virtually impossible to notice.
Stairs and Portals of the Siq
The historians and scholars believe that these blocks symbolize god Dushara. It is thought that in the pagan pantheon of Nabataean gods, Dushara was the most revered one, assimilating the characteristics of Zeus and Dionysius.
There are several versions concerning the purpose of Djinn blocks and their symbolism.
Scream Rock
According to one of the versions, Djinn blocks were erected to repel evil spirits, that haunted Petra in those ancient times. According to another version, on the contrary, it is believed that Djinn blocks were stone evil spirits, and everybody feared them and kept away from them. Some scholars believe that Djinn blocks are the tombs of ancient Idumean people, who were close to the royal family. There are others, who even think that Djinn blocks were viewing platforms, designed for the protection of the city. There is also an opinion that Djinn blocks are ancient altars, upon which bloody sacrifices were offered to glorify gods. There are also very simple explanations – Djinn blocks are nothing else but architectural elements of the ancient city, a kind of its decoration. But the majority of scientists tend to believe that Djinn blocks have some religious significance, being the places of worship to the Nabataean god Dushara.
El Khazneh on the palm of your hand
Among the local dwellers and desert people, the Bedouins, there are many legends circulating about Djinn blocks. According to one of the legends, a long time before the Nabataeans, when the Idumeans ruled Petra, there was a completely different civilization in the city, which left some of its so-called traces – technologies, writing system, and other knowledge. This civilization passed away. Maybe, it was just a temporary place of their habitation, and when something happened, their further remaining in Petra became impossible. But then there is another question, where did Djinn blocks originally come from in Petra?.. A quiet place at some point in the rocks of Arava Valley was accidentally tread upon by some nomadic tribes. They met there a small group of beings, so-called “people of the past”. And then it all started… The “people of the past” for some time remained with those who came to the city and stayed there (the “new people”). The new people gradually
learned from them some of their knowledge. When the people of the past suddenly left, the “new ones” put up stone monuments for them. Their number exactly matched the number of the people of the past, that is, between twenty six and fifty. They called them stones of the spirits, and worshipped them, while these stones continued to protect them as sacred elevations… A few centuries passed by, and this place was discovered by other tribes wandering in the valleys. Rumours were spreading about the magic city… People started fighting battles for ancient Petra… Thus, a new nation was formed with the main city in Petra, but these were not yet Idumeans, these were the people before the kingdom of Edom. At that time, Djinn blocks already stood in the city, but not in the present form as we see them now; their modern appearance has been gradually polished by following cultures, who came to the city. Djinn blocks became the keepers of peace and welfare for the new owners of the place. People prayed to them, offered sacrifices, buried people near them. The funeral processions were special. They put the dead person on the very top of the stone, where he remained for one month. After that, whatever was left of him, they put in the caves on both sides of the rocks, or buried in the sand. Not all the dwellers of Petra were honoured with such a ceremony… Then everything changed again, the past was forgotten, and the new things came in its stead. Djinn blocks were then used as watchtowers, and later – for the decoration of the city. Every new culture brought in its colours and contrasts… and the people forgot the true history of Petra. This is exactly what happened.
After we enjoyed the breathtaking panorama, and came back to reality after discussing Djinn blocks, we went ahead to the final destination of our day – to the mysterious and enigmatic city of Petra.
Having lodged ourselves in a cosy hotel near the entrance to Petra, we decided to have supper. Among the vast number of snack bars, cafeterias, and restaurants our choice fell upon a cafe recommended to us by our guide Farris. The cafeteria was just a hundred steps from our hotel. The supper was traditional: aromatic hot loaves, several salads, and snacks, meat and poultry baked on grill, and Jordanian wine. After we had supper and refreshed ourselves, we decided to inquire what was there to see in Petra at night. It turned out that on that day, or, to be more precise, late at night, there would be a night show in Petra, and we could participate in it. Before the show started we decided to have some rest.
In the evening, at a quarter past eight, Farris came for us, and we all headed for the entrance to ancient Petra. The air had cooled off outside, a cold wind of the desert was blowing, and above us in the sky hung the huge Moon, illuminating our way with its mysterious smile, which was like the smile of Gioconda. Looking down and following us, the Moon was flirting, burying its face from time to time in the veil of clouds. Moonlight flirt brought more mysteriousness into our evening, or to be more exact, into our night journey in the canyon and ancient Petra. No matter how hard Slava Kim tried to photograph it, he could not manage do it. Every time, as soon as he directed his camera at it, the Moon would slip away and disappear in the night sky..
Along the whole gorge, candles were lit, turned into improvised lanterns. The dimmed light of the flickering lanterns created a fantastic illusion. The magic bass reliefs cut in the rocks, ancient altars, portals, and stairs had an especially mystical look. As we walked through the gorge, we could not help feeling that somewhere over there, behind the next turn, the spirits of the ancient people, or even worse – the djinn, would come out at us. Sometimes we were
haunted by sounds of whisper, women’s laughter, babies’ crying, and beats of the horse hoofs… Occasionally, we sensed the aroma of burned incense, and heard the coins’ jingle.
The night walk along the gorge almost two kilometres long ended suddenly. Behind the next sharp corner there was a red glare of fires, and we saw a little square full of lanterns with flickering candles in them, and in the centre of all this mystical enchanted spectacle stood Al Khazneh, the main attraction and treasure of ancient Petra.
At the square we were offered aromatic Bedouin tea and asked to sit down. As soon as all the guests sat down, the night show began. The whole atmosphere around us was suddenly filled with different sounds, as if a time portal had opened, and the mixed sounds of horses, carts, human voices, and singing started to fly over us faster and faster… and, finally, everything ceased, and a human shadow appeared before our eyes, which turned in our sight into a man. This man held a music instrument in his hands, the sound of which was like the sound of weeping. Accompanied by the weeping instrument, the shadow man was tearfully pouring out his soul, telling the audience the glorious tales of ancient Petra. The singing was long and thorough, but in less than half an hour it suddenly ended the way it started, being interrupted by the sounds of chariots, neighing horses, human voices… Gradually, the sounds began to fade away, and, when they disappeared completely, they turned into the light. The shadow man also disappeared… After another moment, before the fascinated crowd the old Al Khazneh stood up in all its beauty and royal splendour. Thus the Bedouin musical was over, while the wind grew stronger, which bore witness to the change in weather. Snow storm Huda was approaching Jordan.
Being impressed by the night enchanted spectacle, we returned to our hotel. In the morning we planned a learning tour to ancient Petra and its vicinities, visiting the old altar and obelisks, located in the mountains above the gorge.
1Djinn (Arabic — جن, according to one of the versions, derived from Latin “genius”, according to another version, from Arabic jann, which means “stealthy, invisible hiding”) in Islam and pre-Islamic epoch – real spirits, created from pure smokeless fire, who cannot be perceived by any of the five human basic senses, and who live alongside with people, having been created earlier than them, and who also can have faith or not believe in God. Djinn surpass men in their power, might, speed, and abilities. They can have positive or negative manifestations. According to Arabic mythology, there are four categories of the djinn: the Ifrit, the Ghul, the Shaitan, and the Marid (Malik). The strongest ones and most evil of them are the Ifrit – Djinn, who command fire. They are considered as Satan’s servants, who can do serious harm to people. The Ghul is a being from Arab myths, a werewolf, who dwells in the desert and eats fresh corpses. The Marid (Malik) are the Djinn of water, rational and intelligent beings, nominal monarchs over all other Djinn.