US President Barack Obama on Saturday 23/3/2013 visited the ancient city of Petra as he wrapped up a four-day Middle East tour by setting aside weighty diplomatic matters and playing tourist for a day.
He arrived in Jordan on Friday where he held talks with His Majesty King Abdullah on bilateral ties and regional issues, particularly the Syrian crisis.
"This is pretty spectacular," he said, craning his neck to gaze up at the rock faces after emerging from a narrow pathway into a sun-splashed plaza in front of the grand Treasury. The soaring facade is considered the masterpiece of the ancient city carved into the rose-red stone by the Nabataeans more than 2,000 years ago.
The Nabataeans established Petra as a crucial junction for trade routes linking China, India and southern Arabia with Egypt, Syria, Greece and Rome. The city flourished until trade routes were redirected in the seventh century, leading to Petra's demise.
Petra is Jordan's most popular tourist attraction, drawing more than a half million visitors yearly since 2007. It may be familiar to many people who saw the 1989 movie, "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade." Some scenes were filmed in the ancient city.