Built over 2,000 years ago, the iconic desert city continues to mesmerize tourists ... As visitors enter Petra from the winding gorge known as the Siq, they first behold the towering edifice ...

High walls and surrounding mountains served as intimidating defenses against raiders tempted to plunder the city's wealth. The main entrance, the Siq, is a twisting gorge so narrow in some places ...

Such wealth would have attracted raiders, but Petra's mountains and high walls protected the traders once they arrived in the city. The Siq, a twisting 1,000-yard-long canyon that in places is ...