Fifth Journey Day 102: The Dust Listens

Date: August 18, 2025
Location: Petra, Jordan

This morning, I went into Petra through the Siq. The path was narrow and shady, and the air felt cooler than I expected. Each step made a soft sound against the stone, and I felt the walls drawing me in. Their height made me feel safe and amazed at the same time. The light changed with every turn — sometimes a thin ribbon of sunlight on the ground, sometimes a sudden flare against the rock's rose-red surface.

I walked slowly, not to arrive quickly, but to enjoy the journey. The silence was not empty; it was filled with the sound of sandals and the quiet voices of guides. Every so often, a bird fluttered between hidden crevices. I kept touching the stone as I moved. Its surface was rough in some places and smooth in others. It had been touched by many hands over the centuries.

The first view of the Treasury appeared abruptly, through a narrow opening in the wall. It felt less like discovery and more like the unveiling of something that had always been waiting. I stood at the edge and watched, letting the building's exterior keep its distance. The sandstone's color changed constantly. It was rose, ochre, and gold, depending on the angle of the sunlight. I tried sketching in my notebook, not the monument itself, but the shadow lines that fell across its columns. The drawing isn't finished, but maybe it's better to leave it that way.

By afternoon, the heat was even stronger. I found a shady spot with a little wind, sat down with some water, and relaxed. What I remember most was not the grandeur of the Treasury, but the Siq — the narrowing, the anticipation, the feeling of being carried by stone toward an opening.

Tonight, I feel calm. It was a little dusty and a little tired, but it was still in a way that was almost ceremonial. Petra has been introduced to us slowly, as a shadow before it becomes light.