Middle East

Jordan

The rose-red city carved directly out of stone by the Nabataeans.

Petra is one of those places where photographs fail to prepare you. The Treasury — Al-Khazneh — emerges at the end of a 1.2-kilometer slot canyon and hits you before you're ready for it. But Petra is vast: most visitors see roughly 10% of the site in a day. The full archaeological zone covers 264 square kilometers and has barely been excavated. What's visible is extraordinary. What's underground is likely more so.

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What to See in Jordan

The places that make Jordan worth the trip — and the stories behind them.

The Siq & Al-Khazneh (The Treasury)

The 1.2-kilometer slot canyon narrows to a gap just wide enough to walk through, then opens onto the Treasury facade carved directly into rose-red sandstone. The approach makes the arrival hit harder.

The Obelisk Tomb

A Nabataean funerary monument distinguished by four obelisks carved from the cliff face above a lower funerary hall — probably first century CE. One of Petra's older and more striking tomb facades, passed by most visitors on their way to the Treasury without realizing what they're walking past.

03Annie Spratt / Unsplash

The Monastery (Ad Deir)

Larger than the Treasury and far less visited, requiring a 45-minute climb up 800 steps. At the top: a facade 45 meters wide and 50 meters tall carved into the clifftop. Worth every step.

04Dylan Shaw / Unsplash

Wadi Rum

The desert valley south of Petra used for Lawrence of Arabia and The Martian because it looks like another planet. Red sand, sandstone cliffs, Bedouin camps. Spend a night.

Jerash

One of the best-preserved Roman cities in the world outside of Italy, just 48 kilometers north of Amman. Colonnaded streets, temples, theatres — largely intact and largely ignored in favor of Petra.

Shobak Castle

A Crusader fortress built by Baldwin I of Jerusalem in 1115 CE on a hilltop commanding the ancient trade route between Egypt and Syria. Substantially intact and almost entirely unvisited — about an hour from Petra, far enough off the circuit that you'll likely have it to yourself.

07Hisham Zayadneh / Unsplash

Amman

The capital is a modern city built on top of an ancient one. The Roman amphitheater sits in the middle of downtown. The citadel above it holds remains going back to the Bronze Age.

08Tommaso Delton / Unsplash

The Dead Sea

At 430 meters below sea level, the lowest point on Earth's surface. You float without trying. The salt concentration is 34%. Bring shoes for the shore — the salt crystals cut.