An old Israeli song speaks of Petra, Hasela Ha'adom, the red rock. Years ago, long before peace made travelling easy, the fashion was to visit Petra under cover of the night, stealing across the border to admire the ancient Nabatean city and sneaking back. Many were shot there by guards, and they often took photos of themselves there; young kids in shorts and a rifle posing in front of a tomb carved in the rock. The pictures were taken at the break of day, before it got too dangerous to walk around there. The song was banned, since it made the trip sound all together too romantic. The call of the Red Rock was irresistible.
Now I understand why.

Friends, An injustice has been done to one of the fine citizens of Petra. His name is Ali Twaissi and he is a veterinarian living there and his life has been sadly affected by the confusion there may be between his good name and the article I wrote about a certain sex fiend named Ali who worked at the Twaissi hotel. So, to set the record straight: My article was not about a veterinarian named Ali Twaissi and, I apologise to Dr. Twaissi for any negative impact this has had on his life. Mair

If you want to visit Petra and you are a man, then why not stay at the Twaissi? It's a nice enough hotel where you can watch The Last Crusade, the Indiana Jones flick with the Petra scene. If you are a woman, even travelling with a man, avoid the Twaissi. No matter who you are, avoid Ali. He's a scum-bag. Let him sue me.

Entrance to the site costs a fortune, 20 dinar a day, or 30 dinar for a 4 day pass. But it's worth every penny, and the longer you stay there, the more Petra gets into your skin and you begin to live in the rhythm of the ancient place. Petra is thousands of years old, and completely carved into the rock. The Nabateans had elaborate death rites, and the vast majority of the buildings are tombs or funeral parlours. Archaeologists claim that the people lived in free standing stone structures. Until recently the place was inhabited by the Bedouin, until the government, realising it was sitting on a gold mine, displaced them.

Go early in the morning, before the tourist busses arrive. Once they do arrive, there are places to climb to so you can avoid them. Groups of forty tend to detract from the magic, but nothing can break the spell.

Even after a month, the triangular roofs and graceful colonnades haunt me. The sight of the Treasury from a distance as you make your way through the Siq to find yourself confronted with this marvel of architecture and craftsmanship. It is the only building on earth which you always see for the first time, no matter how many times you have seen it, peeking from between the cracks in the Siq wall.

Inside the tombs reigns an eerie red emptiness; some have carved gates leading to smaller chambers, others have gaping holes, like wounds. In many ways, these stark interiors are even more beautiful than the majestic facades, and in them you can almost hear the ancient priests intoning their forgotten hymns and singing to their dead gods.