Petra

    Jordan’s most visited site, Petra (Greek for “rock”) is an ancient settlement in the Ma’an Governorate famous for being carved directly into rock. Apparently, a sanctuary existed in the area long before the 16th century BC, but the actual city was founded around the 6th century BC and became the capital of the Nabataeansa, ancient people from that part of Asia. Benefiting from an advanced water management system, the city quickly flourished and became one of the most important trade centers in the area. In 106 AD, Petra became the capital of the Roman Empire province Arabia Petraea. It was then when the city started to decline, mostly because Romans reorganized trade routes and Petra lost its importance, the final kick being the 363 AD earthquake that destroyed a lot of buildings and seriously damaged the water conduits system.




     Petra came back into popular culture after Swiss explorer Johann Ludwig Burckhardt visited the ruins in 1812. But it was only a century later that proper archaeological work started on the site, in 1929, with local tourism exploding after the site was featured in the Steven Spielberg’s 1989 movie “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade”, after in 1985 it was declared a World Heritage Site. Today, according to reports, more than 400,000 tourists visit Petra every year.

      How to get to Petra: For about $35 you can take the bus from Amman, Aqaba or Eilat or you can choose the taxi, which costs around $70 (round trip) if you take it from Amma.