To Petra & Back

Do you remember that scene from Indiana Jones III, you know, the one where he's at the Treasury in Jordan?

Let me refresh your memory, at first you see a simple community of houses carved out of solid red canyon rock. This leads to a winding way to a large temple embossed into the canyon walls.

My experience was a little different than Indy's. Riding on a white stallion through the canyon cut by nature itself provided a space to be curious, and skeptical. I had no idea what was ahead, and I had not seen the movie. The cliffs edging in and out high above our heads canopied the sun and granted us cool shade. 

Moments prior to heading on this expedition I was sitting in a souvenir shack. This was basically a hut stationed out of reach from the bolstering sun. I was craving cold water, or even a warm coca cola. Instead, I reluctantly thanked the shop owner for the scolding Turkish coffee we were drinking. This thick as mud brew was paired with the aroma of apricot hookah.

There is an odd sensation when anticipating something greater than what you end up finding.

Reaching the "Khazneh" (Treasury) which was a canyon-high, carved temple, prompted you to want to enter. It called your eyes to it, and invited you to engage in its narrative. But upon entering, you see only the facade in which it beckoned. Nothing more past the entrance. Void.

Al-Khazneh was originally built as a mausoleum and crypt at the beginning of the 1st century AD during the reign of Aretas IV Philopatris. A crypt! Technically speaking, you could say I was walking toward death itself. Which is ironic due to what archaeologists found later in 2016 (keep reading to find out).

The Arabic name Treasury derives from legends that bandits hid their loot in an urn high on the second level, but the decorative urn is in fact solid sandstone. Another legend is that it functioned as a treasury of the Egyptian Pharaoh at the time of Moses.  

With all that said, I was not privy to any of this information at the time. Thus, walking up to a dead end carved doorway of a centuries old ruin provided me nothing. Void!

That void, however, is what opened up more dialogue. It made me realize that many times in life the answer to ones journey, or the end of ones path isn't given with any promise or steps to security. We can be left with questions. We can be left with void. And it’s OK.

It had been thousands of years since it was carved and sculpted from the cliff. The sculptures were those of various mythological figures associated with the afterlife. Figures of eagles that would carry away souls. Dancing Amazons with double-axes. Statues of the twins Castor and Pollux who spent their time between Olympus and the Underworld.

This was the work of the Nabatean civilization!

But the Nabatean civilization was known for more than just their ability to carve rock! Petra was a trading route hub, and their capitol! They controlled the trade routes from Yemen in the east to Gaza and from Egypt, north to Syria and beyond. Not only that, three of their main cash crop commodities were gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Sound familiar?

When Jesus was born, Nabateans dominated the Arabian peninsula. This area was famed in ancient times for its gold mines. It was the one place where shrubs grew whose sap was used to make incense and myrrh. These were diplomatic gifts, sufficient for a King!

Not too long ago (2016), archaeologists found carved hanging gardens in Petra which led to underground water systems and cisterns, confirming the site to have been a major watering spot for travelers in that time. Looks like its home to more than just death as originally thought.

I recall as I was riding that horse toward the treasury, I felt some fear. I didn't know where I was going. It didn’t seem the path would lead to anything. My anticipation was desiring something grand but logically deducing that nothing major would be at the end. 

I remember when I saw the treasury I was shocked by its presence and its beauty, but then disappointed by its void (in retrospect: my own void) Not knowing it’s history, I left that void and was more enthralled with the aesthetics.

I learned something from the experience. Void is not nothing. It is something that we don’t understand yet.

With that mentality, fear goes away. Confusion becomes null. Anticipation becomes more defined. 

With this mentality, it means the path, the journey will never have a dead end. It will never end in nothing, but rather something that you just don’t understand yet. 

Geries Shaheen is a Licensed Professional Counselor and Nationally Certified Counselor operating in and around St. Louis Missouri. Former psych professor at Saint Louis Christian College. Program Director at Preferred Family Healthcare. Geries holds his MA in Professional Counseling from Lindenwood University, BA in Intercultural Studies from Lincoln Christian University, and holds a certificate in Life Coaching, Geries provides life coaching services to clients online globally.