An Oasis in the Desert

Commended Entry: "An Oasis in the Desert" by Yunwoo Kwak

Entry in the Essay Competition 2026 - Senior Category

An Oasis in the Desert

To those who are reading my story, you may expect it to be another one of those typical travel essays with long descriptions and fancy words. But no. This goes deeper than that.

So, for a moment, put yourself in my shoes. Imagine yourself in southern Jordan in the spring of 2024. Petra – the famous 'Rose City' – to be exact. You and your family walk under the bright spring sunlight, between the red and brown stone walls of the long, narrow gorge. Every footstep you take feels like slowly turning a golden key toward a door. A door that, when opened, would reveal just how extraordinary human creation can be. Then, once you get to the end of the passage, you are greeted by the grandeur of intricate structures carved out of the rocky cliffs.

A fascinating scene, really, except something seems off. You sense that something is missing. That’s when you begin to notice the silence—not just around you, but throughout the ancient city. You wonder for a few moments. And finally, one question rises above the rest. It says: ‘Where are all the people?’ Restaurants had empty seats waiting for guests. Handmade crafts in souvenir shops sat lonely at their stands. The colorful flags of tour groups were nowhere to be seen. Petra was once a thriving caravan city, built directly into sandstone cliffs by the Nabataean people more than 2,000 years ago.

Tourism plays a prominent role in the country’s economy, accounting for about 12 to 15 percent of its GDP. However, on October 7th of 2023, the ongoing Israel-Hamas war began. Although the fighting did not reach Jordan, fear did. Spring is usually one of Petra’s busiest seasons bustling with throngs of people, but when I visited, the ancient city felt loudly quiet.

When I stood there, it had become the oasis of a desert. A magical oasis, but with no one visiting to drink from its glistening lake or taste the savory dates hanging fresh on the branches of its palm trees. The water could remain clear and the dates could continue growing, yet without travelers to discover the oasis, its beauty would exist in silence, its stories carried no further than the surrounding desert.

The true heart of a landmark is not only the stone, glass, or steel it is built from. It is the people who bring it to life. A landmark’s physical existence is only one part of its legacy; people visiting it, learning its history, supporting the communities around it, and carrying its stories home help keep its cultural significance alive, preventing its stories from becoming forever bound to the Rose City.

From this, I realized that every journey matters. Petra may stand still, an oasis in the desert, but as long as its stories continue traveling beyond it, it will never be forgotten. Today, as conflict once again casts a shadow over the Middle East and keeps travelers away, I hope that these troubled times will soon come to an end, filling the region’s wondrous landmarks once again with the footsteps, voices, and laughter of travelers from around the world.

Congratulations on another inspiring essay, Yunwoo! This is one of our highly commended entries, combining your travel memories with a powerful message! Well done and Thank you for sharing your lovely work with us - again! Bravo!

Yunwoo's note: "My trip to Jordan, specifically Petra, has completely reshaped the way I think about landmarks and their significance. Witnessing the substantial effects of the loss of tourists in Petra, I came to believe that it is not only vital to preserve the precious landmarks of our world but also to always remember and share their legacies to truly keep them alive."

Yunwoo, 14 years, attends GEMS Dubai American Academy in the UAE. English and Korean as home languages. He was the winner in our competition in 2021 in the junior category with his essay: "Only Hope"