The Petra Horse Guides' Annual Outing to Baïda
Photos by Mehdi Hassanat (see below)

These are "thumbnail" pictures. Click on them to open a larger version.

At the moment there are some 300 horses working regularly with the tourists in Petra. Perhaps half of their riders are "farmers" from Wadi Mousa and the rest are Bedouin. Every summer they all organise an outing to Baïda nearby. This is a beautiful area of white sand and rocks and is very popular with all nearby residents as a place for a weekend campout or an evening barbecue.

Many tourists visit "Little Petra" in this area, there is a shuttle bus that leaves regularly from in front of the main mosque in Wadi Mousa. It is more difficult to get away from the road and into "the desert", but is very rewarding for those who can manage it. The various tracks are completely unsignposted and the whole region is unspoilt. Much of it is "protected" and no building is allowed - you can see a great many bedouin tents around here though.

Baïda is some ten miles or fifteen or so kilometers from Petra and the Horse Guides usually go off all together when they have finished their work in the afternoon of the day chosen for the party. The huge group of horses, all decked out in their finery, and with the riders mostly decked out in theirs, is very impressive. I imagine that the visitors seeing their departure must often have wondered just what was going on.

This is not a tourist event at all, a few tourists might perhaps be invited by their guide, but even this is rare. It is a largely male affair, women are not even invited to do the cooking, since Arab men are nearly all good cooks and are proud of it! Boys of all ages are around to serve the inevitable tea and coffee and generally do the dirty work!

The high point of the afternoon is a competition for the finest horse in Petra. Princess Alia, the eldest daughter of the late King Hussein and the Director of the Royal Stud, sometimes comes to Petra to judge this herself. She is very active in the horse world and any good mare in Jordan looking for "a husband" can be sent to the Royal Stud to find one among the lesser stallions there...

You can see here the line up for the final judging . During the previous week there have been several pre-selections and the twelve candidates here have won out over hot competition.

The horses are judged on fitness, cleanliness and general appearance, and also on their tack and "decorations". A good deal of enthusiasm is generated by this competition, especially as another requirement is the riding skill of its owner! The prize is a "Brooke" English leather saddle, and is much coveted.

The winner of the 2001 event : the finest horse in Petra!

This competition is sponsored by the Brooke Animal Hospital in Petra which provides free treatment for the horses working in Petra (see http://www.brooke-hospital.org.uk/brooke/homeframe.html). Before the establishment of this hospital, many of the horses working in Petra were in very poor condition. Nowadays, they have to undergo a regular inspection and require a veterinary certificate in order to work. They can also be called in for a further check if any of the inspectors circulating on the horse routes requires it.

If you are interested in this hospital, you can see it on the hill just opposite the entrance to Petra as you go in. They welcome visitors if you would like to see around it.

After the serious business of the day is finished, everybody gets down to the eating, drinking (of tea!) and being merry. Here is the Petra Folk Lore Band, with the traditional Bedouin dances - a very exciting dance this. Do you see the sword being held by the dance leader? This is a great silver sword nearly a meter long and takes some handling, especially in the waving in the air stages. As the dance progresses it gets more and more athletic - this is the speciality of the Hassanat tribe. Before the dance is finished most of the onlookers will be joining in themselves, either at the end of the line, or forming more lines of their own.

Many of those present will spend the night in Baïda before heading back to Petra the next day. They all love the desert and the stars as well. Until next year, guys! Unless of course, you come back sooner...

****

Mehdi Hassanat is a very nice man indeed, and speaks fluent Spanish as well as English. He is married to an American and they are both good friends of mine. I expect that their daughter will possess as much charm as her parents when she is old enough to talk properly!

He has kindly allowed me to use these photos (and others elsewhere) from his website at http://mahtours.tripod.com and I cannot thank him enough for his generosity.

He used to be a guide based at the Petra Visitors Centre, but is at present travelling abroad for a few years.

 

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©Ruth Caswell 2002