The Experience
Step back into a time of lost cities and mystical pasts when you visit Petra. This surreal city is housed in southwestern Jordan, in a valley amongst mountains that run from the Dead Sea to the Gulf of Aqaba. Discovered in 1812 by a Swiss traveler, Johann Ludwig Burckhardt, Petra was later declared a World Heritage site in 1985. The history of Petra is somewhat ill-defined, passed from its original creators 6th century Nabataean Arabs , down through to Romans and later to Crusaders, it was eventually left to locals.
The entry way to this amazing archeological site is a stretch of narrow gorge that is called a Siq, created by a natural geographical fault. This passage measures over a mile in length, towers over 600 feet high in some section and can be as narrow as 3 meters wide in places. As the Lost City of Petra gradually appears through the last corners of the Siq, a feeling of the purest and unmatched awe overcomes visitors lucky enough to grab this experience. Passed over by time, this city carved into the rock face is testament to a time of the silk trade, connecting routes that linked China and India with places like Egypt, Rome and Greece.
When to Go to Petra Jordan
Odds n' Ends
To take in all of Petra you should plan a minimum stay of two days for touring around the different parts. Some things to keep in mind before you head into Petra is to prepare for a lot of walking, you can see a lot of it by horse and cart, but the hikes are well worth the effort for those that can hack it. Stock up on good socks and band aids for those tricky blisters. Be sure to have cash, as you will pay top dollar for beverages on site, which might be a blessing in disguise as toilet facilities are at a premium. Other sites to consider visiting if you are in the area is Lawrence of Arabia's Wadi Rum, south of Petra, or the Roman ruins of Jerash, north of Amman.
Want a Guide?
- Egypt & Jordan Adventure - GAP Adventures
- Get a true taste of Egypt and the Middle East. Travel on a Felucca down the Nile, rub shoulders with Nubian villagers in Egypt and Bedouin people in Jordan, and take in the ancient sites of Petra, Luxor and the most famous of the all, the Great Pyramids of Giza!
Places to Stay Nearby
Search over 900,000 global hotel deals from over 30 merchants. Book via Expedia, Travelocity, Hotels.com, Booking.com, Priceline and the websites of popular hotel chains.
The Petra Palace Hotel is strategically located less than 300m from the entrance to the UNESCO World Heritage site of Petra in Jordan. Located in ... 0 miles away
$85 JOD+
Hidab Hotel Petra rests in the beautifully restored historic city of Wadi Musa, close to the entrance to the amazing rose-red city of Petra carved ... 0 miles away
$28 JOD+
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Books and DVDs
- Petra and the Lost Kingdom of the Nabataeans (Paperback)
- Petra The Rose-Red City
- Jordan Travel Guide - LonelyPlanet.com
- Ancient cities, desert landscapes and the most intriguing sea in the world: Lonely Planet's Jordan covers them all. But venture beyond Petra, Wadi Rum and the Dead Sea for activities coverage you won't find in any other guidebook. Hiking, scrambling, rock climbing, camel trekking, 4WD excursions - there's more adventure here than Lawrence of Arabia had time for.
Elsewhere on the Web
- Petra - Wikipedia.org
- It was famously described as "a rose-red city half as old as time" ...
- Petra - UNESCO.org
- Inhabited since prehistoric times, this Nabataean caravan-city, situated between the Red Sea and the Dead Sea, was an important crossroads between Arabia, Egypt and Syria-Phoenicia
- 360 degree virtual tour of Petra.
- Petra - New 7 Wonders.com
- On the edge of the Arabian Desert, Petra was the glittering capital of the Nabataean empire of King Aretas IV (9 B.C. to 40 A.D.).
Media References
- In Historic Petra, Dazzling Sights for a Small Audience - NY Times.com (newspaper)
- There is no other way to say it: Petra is dazzling.
- Through the Gorge to Petra - NY Times.com (newspaper)
- DON'T rush to reach Petra. The approach is what establishes the mystery of the city carved from rose-red rock: the endless, winding, sometimes eerie passage.
- Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (movie)
- Coming Alive - Time.com (magazine)
- Wedged precariously between Israel and Iraq, and lacking the oil riches of other countries in the region, the desert nation of Jordan appears to have received a raw deal.
- "Lost City" of Petra Still Has Secrets to Reveal - NationalGeographic.com (magazine)
- Literally carved directly into vibrant red, white, pink, and sandstone cliff faces, the prehistoric Jordanian city of Petra was "lost" to the Western world for hundreds of years.
- Jordan - NationalGeographic.com (magazine)
- The ancient city is one of the world's great archaeological sites.
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Language Guides
Arabic 
is one of the languages spoken in Jordan. If you know of a freely available phrase book or podcast for one of the missing languages, let us know!
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