Unique in the extreme, the lost city of Petra remains one of the most-visited and photographed ancient wonders in the whole world, and without question the premier ‘must see’ of Jordan as a whole.
Thought to have been carved from the “rose red” sandstone cliffs of the Jebel al-Madhbah Mount as early as 312BC, this astounding feat of engineering has been identified as the onetime capital of Nabataeans, an ancient trading people who spread out across the northern Arabian Peninsula. Today, the agglomeration of ruins and archaeological hotspots attracts thousands of visitors each year; people who come to wonder at the elaborate frontispieces of the Athenian-influenced Al Khazneh (Treasury), or the multi-tiered Urn Tomb complex on the cliff.
For the truly historically interested traveller though there can be no substitution for enlisting the aid of an expert Petra tourist guide, one who can help unveil the hidden mysteries and lost truths of this UNESCO World Heritage site, found hidden at the end of the dramatic al-Siq tunnels.