Jordan is full of archaeological riches, from the Neolithic ruins to the Desert Castles of Umayyad princes. Chief among these national treasures is the soul-stirring rose-red city of Petra, now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. In order to preserve the site, all tourist facilities have been located in the town of Wadi Musa, right next to the main entrance of Petra.

Petra is the legacy of the Nabataeans, an industrious Arab people who settled in south Jordan more than 2,000 years ago. From a remote staging post, they dominated the trade routes of ancient Arabia, levying tolls and sheltering caravans laden with Indian spices and silks and African ivory and animal hides.

In addition to being accomplished traders, the Nabataeans were noted for their skill in architecture and hydraulic engineering. They carved magnificent tombs directly into the rose-colored sandstone cliffs and built thousands of other structures including temples, burial chambers, theaters, shops, and houses.

Engineers developed and maintained an elaborate network of terraces, damns, and irrigation channels that allowed the Nabataeans to cultivate the soil of the surrounding plateau and bring running water into the city. At the height of its prosperity, Petra was home to a diverse population of over 20,000 people.

During the Roman Empire, however, Emperor Trajan finally annexed the Nabataean Kingdom. By the 16th century, Petra was completely lost to the West, and so it remained for almost 300 years. Then in 1812, a Swiss traveler named Johann Ludwig Burckhardt persuaded his guide to take him to the site of the rumored lost city. Secretly making notes and sketches, he wrote, "it seems very probable that the ruins at Wadi Musa are those of the ancient Petra".