Location: Wadi Musa
Phone: +962 3 215 6020
Open:
Oct-Apr: 6:30 am - 5 pm
May-Sep: 6am - 5:30 pm
These are ticket sales hours. Some people stay long after sunset.
Petra or Rekem as is it was known to the ancients is a former capital of the Nabateaeans who rules these lands in the third century BC. It is the pearl of Jordan that is located just one kilometer from the city of Eilat. Today about half a million tourists visit Petra annually. Petra was establishing in an artificial oasis on a site of crossroads of the trade routes in the 8th century BC. Their strategic location made this city into a prosperous settlement. Flash floods that are quiet common in the area were controlled by a series of dams, cisterns water channel that diverted the water from the human settlement. During dry season water used by the residents of Petra.
Opening of new sea trade routes meant that land routes were largely unnecessary. Petra lost much of its business and its residents began to flee the area. After its abandonment Petra lay unvisited for a millennia until it was not rediscovered in 1812 Swiss explorer Johann Ludwig Burckhardt. It became famous after appearance of Treasury in the movie Indiana Jones and the last Crusade.
A narrow canyon or the Siq leads to a complex of ancient buildings. Its walls reach a height of 200 meters (650 feet) and length of 1.5 km that ends at Al Khazneh (The Treasury). It served the main entrance to the ancient city. In the entrance to Siq bears remains of stone gates. It was built by the Ancient Roman legions that could shut the doors and protect the whole settlement with minimal forces.
The best time to visit Petra is in the early hours of the day. During the day temperatures here can easily reach 100 F (40 C). A temperature between March and May is usually most comfortable ranging between 70- 85 F (18- 25 C).
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Al Khazneh (The Treasury) of Petra
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