The rose-red city carved into sandstone cliffs
Petra was the capital of the Nabataeans, desert traders who carved monumental tombs and temples into the cliffs from around the first century BC. The approach through the Siq, a narrow, winding gorge, ends dramatically at the Treasury. Beyond it the site spreads across valleys: the Street of Façades, the Royal Tombs, a Roman-style theatre and, up about 800 steps, the Monastery. Allow at least two days, stay in Wadi Musa, and consider Little Petra, a smaller site just north.