petra

The ancient city of Petra is one of Jordan's national treasures and by far its best known tourist attraction. Located about three hours south of Amman, Petra is the legacy of the Nabatean, an industrious Arab people who settled in southern Jordan more than 2000 years ago.
Admired then for its refined culture, massive architecture and ingenious complex of dams and water channels, Petra is now a UNESCO world heritage site that enchants visitors from all corners of the globe. Much of Petra's appeal comes from its spectacular setting deep inside a narrow desert gorge. The site is accessed by walking through a kilometer long canyon (or siq), the walls of which soar 200 meters upwards. Petra's most famous monument, the Treasury, appears dramatically at the end of the siq. Used in the final sequence of the film "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade", the towering facade of the Treasury is only one of myriad archaeological wonders to be explored at Petra.
Various walks and climbs reveal literally hundreds of buildings, tombs, baths, funerary halls, temples, arched gateways, colonnaded streets and haunting rock drawings - as well as a 3000 seat open air amphitheatre circa, a gigantic first century Monastery and a modern archaeological museum, all of which can be explored at leisure.
A modest shrine commemorating the death of Aaron, brother of Moses, was built in the 13th century by the Mameluk Sultan, high on top of mount Aaron in the Sharah range. 
 Petra was the meeting centre of the Nabatean spice routes, coming in from the Persian Gulf, Western Arabia and the Red Sea. About 2000 years ago Petra became the capital of the Nabatean Empire. Petra puts your imagination to the test. It’s a mystic and glorious place, an eternal tribute to a lost civilization. The natural richness of the mountains area combines with the refined culture and massive architecture of the Nabateans. The Nabateans carved their theatre, their temples, facades, tombs, monasteries, houses and roads entirely into the natural rose-red sandstone rocks. No wonder UNESCO placed Petra on its World Heritage List. You enter Petra by passing the deep and narrow gorge called the Siq. Your efforts are rewarded by the dramatic sight of the Treasury, the most famous monument in Petra. The Treasury is also the stage of the final sequence of the film Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. But that’s ony the beginning. Various walks and climbs reveal hundreds of buildings carved in stone and eroded through the centuries into fabulous multi-colored walls. North of Amman you will find Jerash, which is sometimes called the Pompeii of the East. Jerash was part of the Roman Decapolis, the league of ten cities. Jerash is one of the best preserved Roman towns outside Italy. Its colonnaded streets, baths, theatres, plazas and arches remain in exceptional condition.