Tales from the travelling soul

The muted voices echoing faintly off the rocks and the scrunch of footsteps over the sand and gravel are the only sounds to be heard as candles light the 1.2 km path down the canyon called the Siq. Rock on both sides towers up above and I catch glimpses of the stars through the narrow openings where the canyon opens up to the night sky.
Suddenly, the passage opens up and there on the sand, lighting up the sandstone structure in the darkness, are 500 candles yet even their combined glow fails to illuminate the whole building as tall as it is. It is a building so familiar to me, yet I am seeing it for the first time; the Treasury of Petra.
Sitting on the ground, looking up at this wonder that has survived the ravages of Nature for centuries and is still in excellent condition, I marvel at the expertise used for constructing it at the time. Even in the shadowy light cast by the candles, one can still appreciate the skill required to complete such a structure, carved entirely out of the rock face. A hush falls over the crowd as a lone Bedouin starts to play traditional music on his rebab, a Bedouin violin. The haunting sounds echo from the rocks around and a sense of awe from all sat there permeates the darkness, as we listen to music that has been played by these people for centuries. For me, there truly is magic here.
On my second day in Petra I return to view the Siq and the Treasury for the first time in the daylight hours. In the early morning stillness the magical feeling from the previous evening still pervades the atmosphere. There is a beautiful silence and tranquility as I walk down the Siq, this time taking time to appreciate the colours and formations of the rocks. The waters of time have created a meandering route that is so narrow at points that no more than 2 men at a time could have passed through side by side. At the beginning of the canyon there is no clue as to the wondrous spectacle that will greet you at the end.
Glimpses of the Treasury are visible as the Siq curves around to the end until finally it stands before me. At first the Treasury is still in shadow, the sun not having risen high enough above the cliffs to light up the rocks. As I sit and watch, gradually the sun rises above the canyon and lights up the Treasury bit by bit until the true colour of the stone can be seen in the morning light. I could sit for hours, admiring the natural and man-made beauty of the place, but I know other wonders within Petra await me.