Petra - The Rose Red City of Jordan

Petra (from "petra", rock in Greek; Arabic: Al-Batr??) is an archaeological site in Arabah, Maan Governorate, Jordan, lying on the slope of Mount HorMish, Frederick C., Editor in Chief. ?Petra.? Webster's Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary. 9th ed. Springfield, MA: Merriam-Webster Inc., 1985. ISBN 0-87779-508-8, ISBN 0-87779-509-6 (indexed), and ISBN 0-87779-510-X (deluxe). in a basin among the mountains which form the eastern flank of Arabah (Wadi Araba), the large valley running from the Dead Sea to the Gulf of Aqaba. It is renowned for its rock-cut architecture. Petra is also one of the new wonders of the world.

The site remained unknown to the Western world until 1812, when it was discovered by Swiss explorer Johann Ludwig Burckhardt. It was famously described as "a rose-red city half as old as time" in a Newdigate prize-winning sonnet by John William Burgon. UNESCO has described it as "one of the most precious cultural properties of mans cultural heritage."UNESCO advisory body evaluation In 1985, Petra was designated a World Heritage Site.

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Modern technology has allowed us to visit many places that were once off limits, but technology still hasn't totally beaten the desert. The desert traps cars and trucks in its ever moving sands and travellers can easily lose their way with no roads or landmarks, so the best way to embark on desert adventures is on the 'ships of the desert' -camels - guided across the expanses of sand by both a GPS and the stars. That's what makes the desert one of the few places to embark on a journey with the gung ho attitude of explorer heroes like Lawrence of Arabia.

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