Steven Sklifas - Writer Photographer

The majestic rose-red city of Petra, the remarkable ancient carved rock capital of the Kingdom of the Nabataeans. Hidden in the mountains between the Red Sea and the Dead Sea, Petra is a distinctive city, carved into the sheer rock face by the Nabataeans, a productive Arab people who settled here over 2200 thousand years ago, turning it into an important trade crossroad that linked the near East, Africa, India, with the Mediterranean.  Rediscovered in 1812 after being lost for hundreds of years, Petra -which means "stone" in Greek - is nestled away in the mountains south of the Dead Sea and is the most famous attraction in Jordan and Middle East.  The splendours of its architecture are a fusion of Greek, Syrian, Arabian and Roman elements and a walk through the city will reveal of hundreds of rock carved tombs, elegant Hellenistic temple facades, funerary halls and rock reliefs and even a theatre.  It is an UNSECO world heritage listed site and UNESCO has described it as one of the most precious cultural properties of man's cultural heritage.