Pétra

Ancient relics in Petra, Jordan Petra is also called the Rose-Red City due to the colour of its stones: it is located in a gorge in the Wadi Rum desert. © Ariel Fuchs

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Situated 173 miles south-west of Amman along the road of Kings, Petra is undoubtedly the most grandiose site in the entire Middle East. Here, you are in the former capital and necropolis of the Nabataeans, nomads from Northern Arabia who grew rich through trading in incense and spices. This town which boasts no less than 800 monuments spreads out in a gigantic rocky corrie.
Carved out and sculpted on dizzy cliffs of red sandstone, the monumental façades of the tombs and sepulchral monuments seem to defy eternity. This rock architecture, where eastern, Egyptian and Greco-Roman influences converge with local traditions is an enthralling lesson of art history.
Since the site is open from sunrise to sunset (from 6:00 am in the summer), there are three good reasons to start visiting at dawn: you will avoid the scorching heat and the swarms of tourist, and above all, you will discover the monuments under their very best lighting. Put aside at least two days for a complete tour. The highlights are Siq and Khazneh. The narrow red sandstone gorge whose cliffs often rise up to 330 ft is the only access route to the site. This meandering gorge leads to the most famous monument in Petra: el Khazneh, otherwise known as the "Treasury", a commemorative monument certainly to a Nabatean ruler. The dignified façade of this Greco-Roman style "temple-tomb" will be the most remarkable memory of a visit to Jordan. The interior of the monument is of an amazing simplicity: three doors open into the cells formerly used to display the sepulchres.
In the heart of the ancient city, there is the theatre, the Cardo Maximus and the Qasr el Bint, the largest temple in Petra. At the foot of the Khubta cliff, you can see some of the masterpieces in Petra: do not miss the immense Urn Tomb that was transformed into a church in the 5th century AD, and the multilayered tomb whose 150 ft façade is a record-breaker.

The higher part of the settlement, Zibb Attuf is located on a rocky peak; it was open air place of worship where sacrifices were made, offering fantastic panoramas after a 40 minute climb. After the cultural installations of the Nabataeans, take the path to return down the valley, which passes through numerous tombs and tricliniums (funeral banquet halls), some of which are the most intriguing in Petra (see especially the tomb of the Roman soldier and the triclinium opposite).
The Deir: At the end of a 45 minute ascension through sublime gorges and ravines, you will get to the Deir (monastery), one of the most famous edifices in Petra. Carved in a yellow sandstone, this cultural monument built at the beginning of the 2nd century AD displays a massive façade (138 ft high, 148 ft wide) topped by a gigantic funeral urn rising to a height of up to 30 ft. With its shattered pediment surrounding the tholos (a circular temple), it is reminiscent the Khazneh façade, although its decor is simpler. Ten minutes from the Deir, at the edge of the mountainous massif, you will arrive at Araba, a rocky promontory offering a breathtaking view of the Araba valley and further away, the Negev; it is an unbeatable panorama.