Jordan (Page 2: Petra)

Part of the Wadi Musa, which stretches nearly 1km from the entrance to the area of the ruins.

The Treasury, at the end of Wadi Musa. carved out of the side of a cliff, the building towers nearly 40m high.  It was probably built during the reign of the Nabatean King Aretas IV in the 1C BC.

Another view of the Treasury.  Although its exact use is not known, many speculate it was a temple to the Nabatean goddess Al Uzza.

Passing from the Treasury to the Street of Facades through a continuation of the Wadi Musa.  This is typical of the many rock faces throughout the Nabatean part of the Petra ruins.

Example of Nabatean tombs carved into the stone cliff face.

Roman Theater, built in the 1C AD by the Nabateans but extended in the 2C by the Romans.

Even beasts of burden need a rest from carrying all those tourists!

View of Colonnade Street, the main road through the Roman city, built in the 2C AD, when Petra was incorporated into the Roman Empire.

Qasr al-Bint, or Great Temple.  Built between 30BC - 40AD, it may also have been a royal palace for the local Nabatean rulers.

The Monastery (Ed Deir).  A strenuous 1hr hike above the Roman city, this structure is almost as impressive as the Treasury, not least for its setting on a high plateau with a view of the surrounding desert mountains. Dating from 40-70 AD, it may have been an unfinished royal tomb.

View of a Nabatean tomb complex near the Roman theater.

Looking down at the Colonnade Street and the Roman city from above.

Looking down at the Roman Theater from the same location as the previous photo.

Entrance to one of the Royal Tombs, a series of rock-cut tombs carved into cliffs opposite the Roman Theater.

View from inside the same tomb as the previous photo.

View of the Royal Tombs, with the Roman Theater in the background.

Another view of the Royal Tombs and the Wadi Musa, this time from the side of the Roman Theater.

This view is again looking at the Royal Tombs, from the peak of Sabrah.  The high points of many peaks surrounding Petra are believed to have been used for animal sacrifice by the Nabateans.

At day's end, heading back to the hotel (although I went on foot).

Map courtesy of Lonely Planet.