Jordan's ancient city of Petra

Transcript

00:00The ancient city of Petra. Many have passed through its winding gorges and passages over

00:12the centuries. Take a walk down the Sikh, the main thoroughfare, and you'll see why

00:17this place is one of the new seven wonders of the world. It's the jewel in Jordan's tourism

00:22industry, attracting over 100,000 people a year. The ancient city was founded by the

00:28Nabataeans almost 2,000 years ago, merchants who controlled a number of trade routes in

00:33the region. Petra is half-built, half-carved into rock, and riddled with natural pathways

00:39and chasms formed over millennia. At every turn, hundreds of elaborate rock-cut tombs

00:44and engravings that have stood the test of time. And as you get down to the bottom of

00:50the Sikh, you'll catch a glimpse of the treasury, one of the engineering marvels of the site.

00:55Dwarfing everything around it, it's a first-century 40-metre-high tomb of a prominent Nabataean

01:01king, masterfully carved into a sheer rock face. The Nabataeans drew on a number of influences

01:07when building their monuments. And what makes this place unique is its mix of Eastern and

01:12Hellenistic architecture.

01:13You cannot find anywhere in the world equal to Petra, whether as artwork or history, as

01:20the combination of multiculturalism and multiculturalism are all embodied in one monument.

01:29As with every tourist site, traders are keen to sell you their wares or take you on a tour.

01:34It can get a little stressful, but as 14-year-old guide Mohamed points out, it's a long way

01:39round.

01:40I come to the treasury, to the Sikh tomb, to the Roman street, Byzantine church, church

01:45days, museum, monastery, restaurant, and I come back to here. How is it? Good?

01:53Jordan has experienced a revival in tourism since Petra joined that exclusive club of

01:58world wonders. The government says numbers have risen 48% this year compared to 2007.

02:05But there's growing concern that heritage sites here need to be protected from the large

02:08numbers pouring into the country. It's a challenge Jordan has to face, as it welcomes a growing

02:14number of tourists. Ashraf Helmi, Gulf News.