Travel to Petra

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Petra, Jordan

Petra is a magical place and Jordan's must-see site. You must take the time to explore the ancient city of the Nabateans, one of the Unesco World Heritage Sites. The site was kept secret by the Bedouin until 1812. A Swiss explorer discovered it during one of his expeditions to the Orient. It took a long time though (up until 1929) for the excavating works to uncover numerous treasures and hidden relics. In the 1980's, the Bedouin people still lived in the troglodytic sites. Petra now attracts many visitors and it has become a museum-town: indeed, a visit to this site during a trip to Jordan is inevitable and you won't be disappointed.

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Visit Petra

To see

You just HAVE to see the Siq and the Treasure and do not hesitate to go up to the monastery; the view is magnificent, there aren't so many tourists and the façade is very beautiful. Going up means a 45-minute hike, but if you can't bear the idea, you can always go on the back of a donkey. You should also visit the High Place of Sacrifice and the countless façades, including royal façades, to be found here and there.

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To do

Set a whole day aside to walk throughout the entire site. Stay as long as possible in the evening so that you can see Petra without any tourists. On some week nights, the site is open and lit up with candles along the Siq and all the way to the Treasure. A little live music show is even performed in front of the Treasure.

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To think about

Do not forget to take comfortable shoes with you, especially if you are planning to go up to the monastery and the High Place of Sacrifice.

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To avoid

Avoid making a rushed visit of the site: you may pass some beautiful relics without even realising it.

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To try

If you want to learn how to cook Jordanian dishes, go to the Petra Kitchen restaurant - Ali and his team will introduce you to Jordanian cuisine and then you will taste the dishes that you have prepared yourself. This is a very enjoyable experience to be shared with your family or friends.Enjoy the mezzes of hummus, mutabal, ful medames and baba ghanoush served up with bread and olives. Also, try the lamb or chicken with rice or vegetable stew. At the end of the meal, there is a choice between mint tea flavoured with sage or thyme, or Turkish coffee with cardamon.

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To bring back

An inevitable souvenir of Petra: the little bottles of coloured sand. What else? How about a red and white keffiyeh, the colours worn by the desert Bedouins, a rug, a copper or brass coffee-maker, spices, Tahini sesame paste, a hookah pipe and some hookah tobacco to get you started! Good value jewels.

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