In the early 1800s, a Swiss explorer tricked his way into Petra, the ancient oasis whose location had been a closely guarded secret for centuries. Known as Ed Deir—the Monastery—this building ...

Since then, Petra’s fame has grown. UNESCO inscribed the city’s ruins as a World Heritage site in 1985, and the 1989 film Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade used Petra as a stage for some scenes.

As one of the oldest cities in the world, Petra has attracted over a million visitors in recent years. As one seven wonders of the modern world, it is a must for any trip to Jordan. Carved into ...