Pétra

The Nabatean city of Petra is undoubtedly Jordan’s most illustrious historical sight. The 2,000-year-old rock-carved city is surrounded by hundreds of breathtaking structures including soaring temples, elaborate royal tombs, a carved Roman-style theater, burial chambers, and funerary banqueting halls. Other well-preserved relics include baths, staircases, markets, arched gates, and paved streets, in addition to hidden treasures such as the sprawling monastery (Al-Deir), and the High Place of Sacrifice. Petra is in south Jordan, a few miles west of Wadi Musa, about a three-and-a-half-hour drive from Amman.