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Some journeys leave an indelible mark on our lives. One such experience was a trip Monty and I took in 2006 with about a dozen fellow explorers. Our adventure took us to the historical and religious sites of Jordan and Israel, places of profound significance for Christians, Jews, and Muslims. Among the many remarkable places we visited, two UNESCO World Heritage sites have recently resurfaced in my memories, each carrying its unique story and impact.

In Jordan, we visited Petra, the ancient capital of the Nabatean Kingdom. It’s like a lost civilization created by a nomadic desert people, the Nabateans, who lived in today’s Jordan region. Petra is famous for its hand-dug and carved caves, temples, and tombs carved out of pink/golden sandstone in the desert of Jordan some 2,000 or more years ago. It’s a magical moment when you leave the long, dark entrance passageway (Siq) and see the enormous carved-out-of-rock Treasury looking golden in the sunlight before you.

One way to describe Petra is to imagine a warm cake turned out on a table. Slap your open left hand (fingers apart) down into the middle of the warm cake so the middle of the cake has a depressed handprint in the middle. Then, take a sharp knife to cut a zig-zag narrow slice from the middle of the cake (where the thumbprint is) to the outside edge. That’s a small picture of what Petra is like on a large, mind-blowing scale that covers about 100 square miles. Mountains surround a lower, flatter, wide open valley with many carved sandstone works of art that change color according to the time of day and where the sun is. 

The narrow zig-zag “cake cut” is called the Siq and is the narrow passage through the mountains that takes 30 minutes to an hour to walk into the interior. Thus, Petra was safe and easy to defend, almost like a fortress.

Once inside Petra, the narrow Siq walls open into a magnificent open plain. After you pass the Treasury, on your left you will come to the Theatre carved into the mountain that seated more than 6,000. Off to your right will be the line of Royal Tombs (pictured). They stand, side by side, carved high up on the mountain’s rock face. (This would be along the pointer finger of the handprint in the cake example.)

I was astounded when I went into the restroom and discovered it carved into a rock with the ceiling being sandstone. The sun shining down through the colored sandstone was glorious. (see picture)

We spent the whole day hiking,  some of which was steep terrain. Sightseeing in Petra is physically exhausting because it is so big and hot, plus many stairs. For example, the path to the largest rock facade, the Monastery, is 850 steps. When you get there, it stands 160 feet tall, and the sole entry and source of light for the vast room is the 26-foot-tall door to the main chamber. (The Monastery would be at the tip of the little finger in the left handprint in the cake example.)

 As you look at and realize the fantastic planning and exactness of the Monastery and Treasury, consider how staggering it is that it had to be hand-carved from the top down because it’s on an existing rock face. The precision of doing this “by hand” over 2000 years ago amazes me. (Notice in the picture how small the two people standing in front of the door of the Monastery appear.)

Another place we visited was Masada in Israel, which is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Masada occupies the entire top of an isolated rocky mesa in the Judaea Desert southeast of Jerusalem and near the southwest coast of the Dead Sea. The Masada mountain towers 1,424 feet above the level of the Dead Sea and has a summit area of about 18 acres. (Pictures of Masade: A Model of it and a picture from the top looking down toward the Dead Sea)

Recognizing the defensive advantages of Masada, Herod the Great (reigned 37-4 BCE), king of Judaea under the Romans, built his complex there as a winter escape and haven from enemies. His constructions included:

Two ornate palaces (one of them on three levels).

Heavy walls and storerooms.

Defensive towers.

Aqueducts that brought water to cisterns holding nearly 200,000 gallons.

Masada and Petra have intricately laid out life-sustaining water systems—even in an arid place. Masada is a natural fortress built on top of an isolated barren rocky plateau with steep mountain slopes thousands of feet above the Dead Sea. Petra is a large area well protected and hidden by the mountains, making it easy to defend with the narrow entrance. It’s almost like a vast fortress.

Imagine my intrigue when I recently heard a theory that David, while evading King Saul, might have sought refuge in Masada after leaving Ein Gedi. The proximity of these two sites on the west side of the Dead Sea sparked a realization—Petra, too, is in the vicinity, albeit further south. These are not just unique geological formations but also places woven into human history for millennia and located in the general area of many authors of scripture. David and other authors of scripture likely knew about one or both locations. Could it be that Petra and Masada were the very images that these authors had in mind as they penned such phrases as:

“In you, O LORD, do I take refuge” (Psalm 31:1)

“Be a rock of refuge for me, a strong fortress to save me!” (Psalm 31:2)

“You are my rock and my fortress” (Psalm 31:3)

“You are a hiding place for me” (Psalm 32:7)

“The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.” (Psalm 18:2)

Recently, as I read scripture, I was triggered to picture Petra and Masada. The phrases about my rock, taking refuge, my stronghold, my strong tower, or my fortress seemed to come alive with new meaning as I remembered Petra and Masada. It’s a humbling thought that the writers of scripture, in their familiarity with these sites, may have drawn inspiration from them. This connection, this resonance, is a genuinely delightful discovery. I hope that by sharing it with you, you will also profit.

“Hear my cry, O God….Lead me to the rock that is higher than I, for you have been my refuge, a strong tower against the enemy.” Psalm 61:1-3 (ESV)