Story behind the shot: Petra, Jordan

Photo by author.

After a long day of getting repeatedly lost, we arrived at Petra’s largest monument, The Monastery. It was already getting dark and we had been warned to exit the park before sundown. A Bedouin man approached us, and pointed to a higher mound in the distance.

“It is the best view in the world,” the Bedouin man said. Entranced by his factual tone, we believed him in that instant. The sky began to turn orange as he led us up to the mound with a couple other Bedouin men. He was right. It was too spectacular for words to describe.

As we excitedly took photos and shot video, my gaze turned for a second to one of the Bedouin men who sat down and stared at the sunset. For a second I thought I could see in his expression the same wonderment we were feeling — as if he was seeing it for the first time like us. Whilst we were astounded, he was tranquil. Perhaps he was looking further than we were. Then he stood up and turned to one of their camels, stroking it gently.The sun set gloriously behind them, leaving the Rose City and its surrounding empire black, silent, and still.