Jordan: Petra, Wadi Rum & the Ancient Kingdom at the Heart of the Middle East

Jordan is the most accessible and most rewarding of the Middle Eastern countries for the international traveller — a small, stable, historically rich Hashemite Kingdom that contains, within its relatively modest geographic footprint, an extraordinary concentration of the world's most important archaeological sites: Petra, Jerash, Madaba, the Dead Sea, and the extraordinary desert landscape of Wadi Rum. The Jordanian people are among the most hospitable in the Arab world; the food — mezze-based, olive oil-rich, heavily inflected with herbs and pomegranate — is among the finest in the Levant.

Petra: The Rose-Red City

Petra — the capital of the Nabataean Kingdom from the 4th century BC to the 1st century AD — is one of the most spectacular archaeological sites in the world and a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1985. The Nabataeans — an Arab trading people who controlled the ancient spice and incense routes from Arabia to the Mediterranean — carved their city directly from the rose-red sandstone of the Edomite Mountains, creating temples, tombs, colonnaded streets, and water systems of extraordinary sophistication. The Treasury (Al-Khazneh) — a 40-metre-tall Hellenistic facade carved from a single sandstone face — is the most photographed archaeological monument in the Middle East and remains genuinely overwhelming on arrival after the 1.2km Siq (narrow gorge) approach.

The full Petra Archaeological Park (visitpetra.jo) encompasses 264 square kilometres and requires a minimum of two full days to appreciate: the Street of Facades, the Royal Tombs, the Colonnaded Street, the Byzantine Church (with its extraordinary intact mosaic floors), and the high-place sacrificial altars are among the sites the Treasury-only visitor misses. The Monastery (Ad-Deir) — a structure of comparable scale to the Treasury, reached by 800 rock-cut steps — offers the finest views in Petra from the terrace in front.

Petra by Night — offered Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday evenings (visitpetra.jo/petra-by-night) — transforms the Siq and Treasury with 1,500 candles, creating one of the most atmospheric experiences in all of travel.

Where to Stay Near Petra

The Petra Marriott Hotel (marriott.com) on the rim of the Petra basin, with panoramic canyon views, is the most reliable international-standard property. Rooms from $200/night. The Movenpick Resort Petra (movenpick.com) — directly adjacent to the visitor entrance — combines convenience and comfort. For the most atmospheric stay, the Petra Guest House Hotel occupies a converted cave complex adjacent to the visitor centre entrance.

Wadi Rum: The Valley of the Moon

Wadi Rum — the vast desert valley of towering red and orange sandstone and granite mountains 90km south of Petra — is the most cinematically spectacular desert landscape in the Middle East: the setting for T.E. Lawrence's Desert Operations of World War I, for David Lean's Lawrence of Arabia (1962), and for Ridley Scott's The Martian (2015). The landscape's scale and silence are extraordinary — monolithic sandstone massifs rising 600m from a flat, rust-red sand floor, with Bedouin heritage and traditional camel caravan routes still followed by local guides.

Luxury tented camps provide the definitive Wadi Rum overnight experience. Memories Aicha Luxury Camp (memoriesaicha.com) and Wadi Rum Night Luxury Camp (wadirum-night.com) are among the finest — bubble tents with transparent domes for stargazing, Bedouin cuisine cooked over open fire, and camel sunrise treks across the desert floor. Rates from $350/night.

Amman and the Dead Sea

Amman — Jordan's capital — is a modern, cosmopolitan city of significant historical depth: the Roman theatre (2nd century AD), the Amman Citadel with the Temple of Hercules, and the Jordan Museum (jordanmuseum.jo) housing the Dead Sea Scrolls facsimiles are essential sites. The Faqra and Jabal Amman restaurant and café districts reflect a sophisticated contemporary Jordanian culinary culture.

The Dead Sea — 430 metres below sea level, the lowest point on earth's surface, the saltiest large body of water in the world (34% salinity) — is 50km west of Amman. Kempinski Hotel Ishtar Dead Sea (kempinski.com/deadsea) is the finest resort on the Jordanian shore. Floating in the Dead Sea's mineral-dense water — reading a newspaper, famously — is a genuinely remarkable physical experience that no description fully prepares the visitor for.

Getting There

Queen Alia International Airport (AMM) in Amman is served by Royal Jordanian (rj.com) with direct flights from New York (JFK), Chicago, and Detroit, and by all major European and Middle Eastern carriers from London (British Airways, Royal Jordanian), Paris (Air France), Frankfurt (Lufthansa), and all Gulf hubs.

Reference Links:

- Jordan Tourism Board: visitjordan.com

- Petra Archaeological Park: visitpetra.jo

- Memories Aicha Luxury Camp Wadi Rum: memoriesaicha.com

- Jordan Museum Amman: jordanmuseum.jo

- Kempinski Dead Sea: kempinski.com/deadsea

- Royal Jordanian Airlines: rj.com

- UNESCO Petra World Heritage: whc.unesco.org/en/list/326