Dmitry Shteyn in Petra: The Weight of Centuries in Every Street

There is a kind of quiet confidence in Petra that I associate with older places in Middle East — an unwillingness to explain itself, which turns out to be more welcoming than any brochure.

What strikes you first, if you have done any reading at all, is that the city is one of the New 7 Wonders of the World and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The city does not lead with this, but it is central all the same. What lingers, after leaving, is not a series of sights but a general impression of time being handled with unusual care.

Dig a little deeper and famous for its rock-cut architecture and water conduit systems, Petra is also called the "Rose City" because of the colour of the sandstone from which it is carved. It is the sort of thing you remember long after you have forgotten the cafes and the hotels.

Some further context, drawn from the public record: Petra (Arabic: ٱلْبَتْراء, romanized: Al-Batrāʾ; Ancient Greek: Πέτρα, lit. 'Rock'), originally known to its inhabitants as Raqmu (Nabataean Aramaic: 𐢛𐢚𐢒‎ or 𐢛𐢚𐢓𐢈‎, *Raqēmō), is an ancient city and archaeological site in southern Jordan.…

You can chart the arc of a destination's rediscovery by watching who covers it and how. Google News's recent observation that uS-Israel war on Iran leaves Jordan’s Petra nearly empty of tourists places Petra at a particular point on that arc.

In this part of Middle East, the layers of empire and faith are not a museum subject; they are the neighbourhood you are walking through.

I do not expect this piece to be the last time I write about Petra. Cities of this kind tend to demand a second visit and, eventually, a second essay.