{"id":346299,"date":"2025-12-16T02:51:27","date_gmt":"2025-12-16T02:51:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/peraltafinancing.com\/uncategorized\/visiting-jordans-amazing-petra-why-its-a-new-wonder-of-the-world\/"},"modified":"2025-12-16T02:51:27","modified_gmt":"2025-12-16T02:51:27","slug":"visiting-jordans-amazing-petra-why-its-a-new-wonder-of-the-world","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=346299","title":{"rendered":"Visiting Jordan\u2019s Amazing Petra \u2013 Why It\u2019s A New Wonder of the World!"},"content":{"rendered":"


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Petra\u2019s Famed Treasury \/ Photo Credit: DepositPhotos \/ Click on all photos to enlarge<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

The fabled \u201cRose-Red City\u201d of Petra was most-deservedly named as one of the new \u201cSeven Wonders of the World<\/em>\u201d in 2007! This ancient city in southern Jordan was skillfully carved into mountainous rock by the Nabateans over 2,000 years ago. Yet, the \u201cLost City\u201d of Petra remained unknown to the West until 1812.<\/p>\n

That has certainly changed! In 1985, Petra was designated as a UNESCO World Heritage site. Soon after, the 1989 Hollywood movie \u2013 Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade<\/em> (with Harrison Ford & Sean Connery) \u2013 introduced many of us to Petra & its beautiful rose-colored \u201cTreasury\u201d monument.<\/p>\n

My Recent Petra Visit \/ Purpose of Blog Post<\/h2>\n
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Wadi Rum Desert Camp \u2013 Jordan \/ Click photos to enlarge<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

A visit to Jordan\u2019s magical Petra was near the top of my Bucket List. For years, I had seen photos of the Treasury\u2019s awe-inspiring rock-carved fa\u00e7ade, often with a camel lounging in front. Plus, the long slot canyon (the Siq) that leads to the Treasury looked amazing!<\/p>\n

I finally booked & took a 2-week trip to Egypt with friends, followed by a 6-day tour of Jordan in March\/April 2025. My Jordan visit \u2013 expertly arranged by Petra Moon Tourism Services<\/a> \u2013 included 2 nights, 1 \u00bd days in Petra with our local guide.<\/p>\n

In this blog post, I will share the wonderful things we experienced while in Petra \u2013 all of which I highly recommend for your visit. This includes a full day tour of the ancient Petra site, a Jordanian cooking class (with dinner) at Petra Kitchen, and a magical evening at Petra By Night.<\/p>\n

Petra \u2013 An Ancient Site<\/h2>\n
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Map Credit \u2013 Google<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Petra is a vast archeological site covering roughly 100 square miles (264 square kilometers). Jordanians like to say it\u2019s the size of 50,000 football fields!<\/p>\n

Luckily, a large proportion of its best-loved monuments (like the Treasury) line the Main Trail. Regardless, a Petra visit involves a lot of walking!<\/p>\n

Active ongoing excavations by teams from multiple countries continue to make exciting discoveries every year. It\u2019s estimated that only about 20% of Petra\u2019s sprawling site has been explored archaeologically to date.<\/p>\n

Petra History \/ The Nabateans<\/h2>\n

First a little history about Petra and the remarkable Nabateans, to better appreciate what we\u2019ll be seeing as we tour the site together<\/em>.<\/p>\n

It is believed that the Nabateans (a nomadic Arab tribe) moved into Petra sometime during the 4th Century BC. And until the end of the 1st Century AD, Petra was the capital of the independent Nabatean Empire. At its peak, Petra was home to almost 35,000 residents.<\/p>\n

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Ancient City of Petra \/ Click to enlarge<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

The Nabateans were skilled traders & expert engineers. They were also geniuses in hydrology. Their remarkable skills in locating, trapping and storing water in a desert climate gave them a monopoly over the item most essential to the caravan trade.<\/p>\n

As \u201cQueen of the Caravan Cities,\u201d Petra was a key resting stop for trade caravans laden with valuable goods like frankincense & myrrh, spices and silk. Petra \u201cwas admired for its refined culture, massive architecture and ingenious complex of dams and water channels<\/em>,\u201d according to Visit Jordan<\/a>.<\/p>\n

As a result of tolls & services provided to the traders, Petra became a very wealthy society. Using the caravan wealth and drawing upon artistic influences from throughout the ancient world, the Nabateans literally carved out an amazing city from the rosy sandstone mountains that surround the ancient city center.<\/p>\n

Petra\u2019s History \u2013 continued at bottom of the Blog Post<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Petra\u2019s Bedouin People<\/h2>\n
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Bedouin men inside Petra \/ Click to enlarge<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

When Petra was abandoned, descendants of the Nabateans \u2013 the B\u2019doul Bedouin \u2013 became the site\u2019s custodians. They maintained their semi-nomadic lifestyle well into the 20th century \u2013 and made a living from farming, herding, and offering lodging to tourists.<\/p>\n

As a result of the 1985 UNESCO World Heritage designation, the Bedouin people were moved out of the ancient site (where many had lived in the caves). They were relocated to a nearby village (Umm Sayhoun). They still have their own special back entrance into Petra.<\/p>\n

Many Bedouins still maintain strong ties to Petra \u2013 working as guides, shopkeepers, and in other tourism-related roles. So, you\u2019ll likely have the opportunity to meet some of them.<\/p>\n

Arrival in Petra & Wadi Musa<\/h2>\n

My group arrived in Wadi Musa, the town adjacent to Petra\u2019s ancient site. We had driven from Amman (Jordan\u2019s capital) that morning with our excellent Petra Moon guide Ghadain (nicknamed \u201cG\u201d). We did a lot of sightseeing along the way, arriving around 6:15pm.<\/p>\n

We quickly checked into our lovely hotel \u2013 Petra Moon Guest House \u2013 and headed off for our 6:30pm cooking class at Petra Kitchen (more on that in a later section<\/em>).<\/p>\n

Tomorrow was our full-day walking tour of Petra with \u201cG\u201d\u2013 and we couldn\u2019t wait! We were meeting him at 7am so we could get an early start. Luckily, our hotel was right by the Petra Visitor Center & Petra site entrance.<\/p>\n

OUR FULL DAY VISIT TO PETRA<\/h2>\n

Entry into Petra \/ Our Horse Ride<\/h3>\n

At the main entry gate, we showed our Petra tickets & passports \u2013 entering the site at 7:30am. At the start of this Main Trail, there is a long gravel path (approx. 800 meters long) that takes you to the entrance of the Siq (slot canyon).<\/p>\n