As the plane landed the lights of Amman, a city built on seven hills, greeted us. Across the street from the airport people slept on the street, their belongings close by. Our hotel was nice and the people were friendly. he following morning we boarded a bus to go to Petra, 180 miles south of Amman. I knew nothing about Petra. Little did I know that I would be so fascinated with this enchanting City in the tall mountains of Jordan that now 20 years later I still thrill at the memory of the salmon colored city of caves and majestic stone palaces.

We passed fields of small black stones. Biblical scholars believe that this brimstone was the result of Sodom and Gomorrah.

The only other scenery in that barren country was an occasional sprawling tent, the home of Bedouin families who move often as they graze their camels and sheep. A box lunch of sandwiches, hard-boiled eggs and candy was served to us as the bus drove down the long, lonely highway.

We made a stop at a place called Newresthouse and there we were finally allowed to drink pop that hadn't been imported. Many of the Arabs wore headdresses to protect them from the sun.

We arrived at the small adobe building called Wadi Musa at noon. The countryside was rocky and flat with only meager hills; small green bushes dotted the landscape. There is no road into the enormous ghost town of Petra. A narrow opening in a rock led us to a fascinating and never-to-be-forgotten adventure.

Petra means rock and the city of Petra in the Bible was called Sela. It was the home of the King of Edom who refused to let Moses lead his people through their country. Petra was described by the prophets as the rocky nest of the Eagle, City of Esau and stronghold of the Edomites. Surrounded by almost impassable mountains and cliffs the only entrance is a narrow gorge that can be defended against attack with only a few hundred men. It is believed that the Nabateans occupied Petra in the 6th century B.C. They raised cattle, planted palm trees, herbs, incense and myrrh. Caravan merchants traded their goods and the city flourished. The Romans made Petra an important trade center but it became a ghost town by the year A.D. 625. Historians believe that an earthquake caused its destruction.

The beautiful rose-red city of Petra was lost for over 1,000 years. The Arabs knew of the city, but fearful that outsiders would try to steal treasure hidden there, watchmen guarded the rock passage so no one could find it. In 1812 a Swiss adventurer John Burckhardt set out from Cairo, Egypt to try to find the glorious City. Informed that he would be killed by the Arabs, Burckhardt learned Arabic and the rituals of the Moslem religion. He disguised himself as a Moslem to offer sacrifice at the tomb of Aaron on Mount Hor overlooking Petra and a guide led him into the city.

Archaeologists first came to Petra in 1929 and began to restore the monuments. It takes 45 minutes to walk into Petra. At one time the British government wanted to build a road into the City, but the Arab people protested. Jordan is a small country and Petra has been one of their biggest tourist attractions. They get paid well to take travelers into the city.

We rode horses as Arab guides walked beside us. The path we were on was known as the inner Siq. The Siq is 6,000 feet long and ranges from 30 to 12 feet wide. As the path curved downhill, rocky cliffs towered overhead, nearly touching each other and we descended into a valley. Water is scarce in this desert land. Drainage cuts in the rock following the path bring water to Petra.

After a dark, narrow stretch of tall rocks suddenly the path widened and there carved into the rock cliff and illuminated by the sun was an immense salmon two story Roman temple with huge pillars. The suddenness and beauty of this palace called the Kazneh or the Treasury overwhelmed me. At the top is an urn where legend says that Pharaoh once hid his treasure. Bullet holes tell of the many riflemen who have tried to break the urn so they can get the treasure but no one has succeeded.

The outer siq was wider than the first passageway and as we entered it we saw black holes in the rock countryside. Some were tombs, others were caves where people once lived. Suddenly in the widened space there stood before us a giant amphitheater, cut into the salmon colored rock. In front there was a stage. Probably built by the Romans when they took over Petra in 106 A.D. the theater has 35 tiers and seats 4,000 people. In 32 B.C. Marc Antony gave Petra to Cleopatra of Egypt as a gift. It is believed that Marc Antony built the theatre to please her. The senate stripped Antony of authority and ordered him back to Rome.

The flat country was surrounded by hills with open caves. Many Bible scholars believe that Petra is the place spoken of in Matthew 24:16 when Jesus was foretelling the seven years of tribulations, "Let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains." The highest mountains in Jordan are in the Petra area. Christians have brought Bibles and supplies and hid them in the caves for those future Jewish people who will escape from the Anti-Christ. Some dwellings in Petra will hold 1,000 people but the City is practically empty now. The Bedouins have lived and raised their sheep in Petra. The country of Jordan built apartments but the Bedouins put their livestock in the apartments and lived in tents.

We spent the afternoon in Petra. Tall temples dotted the landscape. Small green bushes were the only vegetation in view. There are more than 1,000 monuments and temples in Petra. As I rode the horse through the Siq back to our bus I knew that I would never forget that magnificent city of caves and salmon colored temples.