The ancient Nabataean city of Petra is a world wonder. The city lay forgotten for centuries, known only to the Bedouin who made it their home until it a Swiss explorer happened upon it in 1812. Built partly in honour of the dead, Petra necropolis retains much of its sense of mystery thanks to its inaccessible location in the heart of a wind-eroded landscape. (thanks Lonely Planet!) In 1985 Petra was designated a World Heritage site by UNESCO. At this time the Bedouin were relocated to a new town just outside of Petra.

Our hotel in Wadi Musa is closer to the entrance to Petra than the Petra visitor centre is. Once you go through the entrance to Petra you walk 15 minutes to the Siq, the stunning 2 km canyon that you through to get to the city of Petra.

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It was mostly cloudy and about 1 C when we walked in.

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As you near the end of the Siq you start to see the Treasury (the icon of Petra) and then you see it.

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As we wandered through the site the weather cleared. Even though the temperature didn't get above 5 C it was quite warm when you were in the sun. As the day went on we kept taking layers of clothing off.

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We did a hike that involved a lot of stairs. The stairs are carved out of the rock --- in some places they were like regular stairs in other places the stairs were not as defined so a little harder to navigate. The donkeys didn't have any problems climbing the stairs.

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Sometimes a little scrambling was involved.

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The views from the ridge are incredible. Looking down on the theatre.

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At the end of the trail was a little hut that sold drinks and had an incredible view of the Treasury.

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Donkey's are the main transport especially for going up and down the hills. In the background is the town that the Bedouin were moved to. This photo doesn't show it but when you are on the trail you can see the caves the Bedouin use to live in and the houses they now live in --- interesting contrast.

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There are a lot of dogs running around loose in Petra. We came upon a herd of goats and this dog.

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The siq again, this time as we are walking out. The sun brought out all the colours in the rock.

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All I can say is WOW!