What to Wear in Petra, Jordan — The Complete PP Wardrobe
What to Wear in Petra, Jordan — The Complete PP Wardrobe
Petra, Jordan — the Siq, the Treasury, the Monastery, significant walking in heat — the PP linen wardrobe.
Petra is the most visited archaeological site in Jordan and one of the most extraordinary experiences available to any traveller — the ancient Nabataean city carved into the rose-red sandstone of the Wadi Rum region, the kilometre-long Siq gorge that conceals the Treasury until the final moment of its reveal, the Monastery at the top of 800 carved steps, and the colours of the stone that shift from ochre to pink to deep red with the movement of the sun. The wardrobe that carries Petra correctly must manage significant walking, significant heat, and the specific cultural context of a significant historic site in Jordan.
The practical wardrobe requirements. Petra involves considerable walking — the Siq approach is 1.2 kilometres, the full site covers many kilometres more if the outlying sites (the Monastery, the High Place of Sacrifice) are included. Footwear is the first consideration: leather shoes or walking shoes rather than sandals for the uneven rock surfaces. A PP linen shirt in a warm earth tone or natural with linen trousers and leather shoes is the correct practical and cultural combination.
“Petra is the most extraordinary archaeological experience available to any traveller. The Siq, the Treasury, the 800 steps to the Monastery — significant walking in significant heat. Natural linen breathes where synthetic does not.”
— Pieter Petros, founderThe heat management. Petra's temperature — significant heat from April through October, extreme heat from June through August — makes the breathability of certified Belgian linen a practical advantage. The natural linen breathes in the heat of the Siq and the open site in a way that synthetic fabrics do not. Earth tones and warm naturals absorb less solar radiation than dark colourways in the direct sun of the open areas.
The cultural context. Petra is a sacred Nabataean and later Islamic site in a Muslim-majority country. Covered shoulders and modest dress — a PP linen shirt fully buttoned with linen trousers — is both respectful and appropriate.
The evening at Petra. The Petra by Night experience — the Siq lit by candles, the Treasury illuminated, the Bedouin music — takes place after sunset when the temperature drops significantly. The same PP linen shirt and trousers worn for the day visit carries the evening experience correctly.
What to Wear in Amman Jordan · What to Wear in Aqaba Jordan · Men's Linen Collection
