Last January I found myself in the remarkable position of standing in front of the Treasury at Petra almost completely alone. Aside from a few sleepy-looking camels and a couple of other tourists gazing at the marvels of this ancient wonder, it was just me in the Rose City.
In years gone by, the Treasury and the 1.2km Al Siq canyon leading to it would have been filled almost shoulder-to-shoulder with tourists, while other travellers across the country would have been soaking in the Dead Sea, exploring mosaics in the streets of Madaba, and camping out under the stars at Wadi Rum. Sadly, geopolitical events have deterred visitors from putting Jordan on their travel agenda. As I watched one local woman cook the traditional mansaf dish at her house on the outskirts of Petra, she told me: “Here we pray for rain … and we pray for tourists.”
