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Photo: Bernard Gagnon, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
This is the city next to Petra, doesn't have any big touristic attraction except for a great panorama from uphill.
Wadi Musa is a town located in the Ma'an Governorate in southern Jordan. It is the administrative center of the Petra Department and the nearest town to the archaeological site of Petra, being only 3.5 km away. Most of the locals belong to the Liyathnah tribe. It hosts many hotels and restaurants for tourists, and the important B'doul settlement of Umm Seyhoun, created after the community's forced displacement in 1985, is approximately 2 kilometres (1 mi) from the town.
© OpenStreetMap contributors
The entrance to Petra is a long, winding sandstone canyon (about 2 km). There are minor carvings spotted here and there throughout the Siq, but the most impressive sights are the colorful and unusual sandstone patterns in the rock walls. There are also remains of terracotta pipes built into the sides of the canyon that were used in Roman times to carry water.
Al-Khazneh in Arabic
Upon exiting the Siq, visitors can view this jaw-dropping grandeur. Be sure to note the urn atop the Treasury structure, it has been rumored that the urn contained a Pharaoh's hidden treasure, and the urn bears the bullet pock marks where Bedouin travellers throughout the years have tested the theory. Get there when the park opens at 06:00 or 06:30 (depending on the season) and you may have the Treasury all to yourself or with fewer than 5-10 people around and no vendors.
Past the next bend is this part also sometimes called outer Siq, a large canyon lined with the facades of various tombs.
Just after the last tomb on the side of the Royal Tombs, there leads a staircase up the mountain which gives a good view of the Petra area. At the very end of this track there is a camp giving a great view from above the Treasury.
On the side of the valley opposite the Roman Theater and a short walk up the hill, are the tombs. The name was given because they are quite grand in scale compared to the others in the area, but it is unclear for whom the tombs were built.
The site at the top of the mountain contains elaborate rock altars used for sacrifices. From the High Place, one can view much of Petra from above. Beautiful scenery. It can get cold and windy up there. The trek down the back side of the mountain reveals many interesting tombs and carvings that might be missed by the average tourist. The round trip generally takes 1.5-2.5 hr. Not many people go through the back route as it's not always clear where it starts - ask or use OpenStreetMap to identify the track. You might even try to use the direct track to the Treasury, which is even harder to find and not official, even though the staircases are clearly visible from down the Treasury.