Petra, founded by Nabataeans around 300 BC, is located in southern Jordan. It was unknown in the west until "re-discovered" by Swiss explorer, Johann Ludwig Burkhardt, in 1812. The city is entered by a mile-long track through a narrow gorge that emerges with a view of the famous "Treasury", a Hellenistic facade carved in colorful limestone. The way then opens into a spectacular valley filled with temples, royal tombs, a Roman theatre, and numerous caves, many still inhabited.

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Wadi Rum is a desert valley framed by imposing sandstone mountains in southern Jordan not far from Petra. Much of Lawrence of Arabia was filmed here and one imposing mountain is now called "Seven Pillars of Wisdom" after T.E. Lawrence's famous book.

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