Volume 17 Issue 1 » 25 beyond the snoozing camels , 800 challenging stone steps ascend to Ad Deir monastery , one of Petra ’ s largest buildings .
Upon our return to Al-Khazneh ’ s courtyard , we negotiate a ride back to the Visitor Centre , climb into a waiting two-wheeled buggy and settle on cushions . The driver balances on an outside rail urging his filly onward . She briskly trots through the Siq , shoes echoing sharply off canyon walls . Minutes later , we arrive swinging out below its canopy onto the ground … feeling like Indiana Jones !
In New Petra Museum we immerse ourselves in the earliest Nabataean settlement . This was the flourishing Kingdom that was captured by Romans in 106 CE . Maps show how major trade routes shifted seaward , gradually ending Petra ’ s mercantile society . In the 4th century earthquakes demolished numerous structures , while drifting sands buried those remaining . Only a few Bedouins knew of
Petra ’ s location . In 1812 , Swiss explorer Johann Ludwig persuaded his guide to lead him to the fabled site where his excavations ultimately revealed this wondrous lost city .
We continue our journey south to Wadi Rum , commonly known as Valley of the Moon . Movie producers have utilized the desert ’ s extraterrestrial nature in countless science fiction movies , including the 2015 film , The Martian , featuring its striking red sands , arches and mountains .
Rolling into one of many desert holiday camps , we choose Sun City ’ s space-age dining dome . Jordan ’ s national dish is part of a sumptuous dinner buffet , where our favourite becomes Mansaf ’ s succulent yogurt-spiced lamb on rice pilaf .
Under star-studded and black velvet skies , the solar-lit boardwalks