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Petra

Petra is the legacy of the Nabateans, and the jewel of the desert, where you can see the Rose-Red beauty carved in rock. Petra's main claim to fame was as the capital of the Nabatean Empire from the 4th Century BC to its absorption by Rome in 68 AD. It is a terrible waste to come from a long distance and then just visit certain sites, some of the other areas of Petra you should visit are: Ad-Deir (the Monastery)--the largest carved facade, it is basically a whole mountainside carved into a temple overlooking Wadi Araba and (on a clear day) the Sinai. The High Place of Sacrifice--the altar and worship areas are carved from the top of this mountain, which is centrally located to give you a wonderful panoramic view of the Petra center

Set in a deep canyon and only accessible through a narrow winding cliff (or siq) in the rock, Petra is carved from sandstone that takes on deep rusty hues interlaced with bands of grey and yellow. The most famous ruin is the Khazneh, or treasury, whose beautifully carved facade is the first thing you'll see when you enter from the siq. The monastery is equally imposing, and if you climb to the top
you'll get stunning views. Other ruins include an 8000-seat amphitheatre and the Temple of the Winged Lions, still in the process of excavation.

The area surrounding Petra is on a very steep development curve. Petra itself and the neighbouring village of Wadi Musa are crawling with hotels and there are plenty more underway. There are also many of places to eat, ranging from markets through street stalls to expensive restaurants. If you don't want to stay over, you can do the 250 km day trip from Amman, but this option is definitely only for those with very limited time.

It's hard to overrate Petra. There is no other sight in Jordan, or perhaps the whole Middle East, as compelling. Once the capital of the Nabateaeans, a 3rd century BC Arab dynasty, Petra is a stunning city carved from a cliff face. Forgotten for 1000 years and only rediscovered in 1812, Petra raised its public profile with an appearance in the movie Indiana Jones & the Last Crusade. up to 3000 people come here every day

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AL DEIR (THE MONASTERY): The largest carved facade, it is basically a whole mountainside carved into a temple overlooking Wadi Araba and (on a clear day) the Sinai. The largest of Petra's monuments the Deir reached after a strenuous but well rewarded trek. A flight of 800 steps cut into the rock takes you up to the 45x50 meter structure.

Jordan Wonder Tours and Travel for your Jordan tours, Jordan travel and tour programs

Jordan Wonder Tours and Travel for your Jordan tours, Jordan travel and tour programs

EL-SIQ(The SIQ):

A narrow 1.2km long gorge hemmed in by 100m cliffs is the main entrance into Petra. The entrance used to be marked by a Roman archway of which only the vertical ruins are visible.

THE TREASURY:
The first glimpse of the Khazneh as you abruptly reach the end of the Siq is truly breath taking, so much so, that no amount of descriptive prose does it justice, it is better experienced first-hand. The urn perched at the top of the monument was believed to hold countless treasures, gold and precious jewels, hence the monument's name.