Petra's eastern entrance leads steeply down through a dark, narrow gorge (in places only 3 - 4 m (9.8 - 13 ft) wide) called the Siq ("the shaft"), a natural geological feature formed from a deep split in the sandstone rocks and serving as a waterway flowing into Wadi Musa. - Footprints in Paradise: Photos of Maui & the Hawaiian Islands

Photos of a week-long drive from Aqaba to the Syrian border via the Kings Highway.

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One of the towers guarding the walls of Montreal Castle. The castle was built in 1115 by Baldwin I of Jerusalem during his expedition to the area where he captured Aqaba on the Red Sea in 1116. Originally called 'Krak de Montreal' or 'Mons Regalis', it was named in honour of the king's own contribution to its construction (Mont Royal). After capturing Jerusalem in 1187, Saladin besieged Montreal. Because of the steepness of the hill site, Saladin was unable to use siege engines, but after almost two years the castle finally fell to his troops in May 1189. The ruins, called Shoubak or Shawbak in Arabic, are located in modern town of Shoubak in Jordan.

A gate penetrating one of innermost of the three walls of the ruins of Montreal Castle (Shoubak).

Petra's eastern entrance leads steeply down through a dark, narrow gorge (in places only 3 - 4 m (9.8 - 13 ft) wide) called the Siq ("the shaft"), a natural geological feature formed from a deep split in the sandstone rocks and serving as a waterway flowing into Wadi Musa.

Petra's most elaborate ruin, Al Khazneh (popularly known as "the Treasury"), is hewn into the vividly-colored sandstone cliff. Note the Greek and Roman architectural influence in the colonnade of the façade. This structure served as a backdrop for the final scenes of "Indian Jones and the Last Crusade."

Close-up of the façade of Al Khazneh (popularly known as "the Treasury").

The Monastery, Petra's largest monument, dates from the 1st century BC. It was dedicated to Obodas I and is believed to be the symposium of Obodas the god. This information is inscribed on the ruins of the Monastery (the name is the translation of the Arabic "Ad Deir").

Close-up of the façade of the Monastery.

Close-up of the lower third of the façade of the Monastery, showing the effects of wind-blown sand that abraded the soft sandstone into which the structure was carved. My fellow geologist Walt Venum gives a good idea of the monumental scale of the building.

Petra's eastern entrance leads steeply down through a dark, narrow gorge (in places only 3 - 4 m (9.8 - 13 ft) wide) called the Siq ("the shaft"), a natural geological feature formed from a deep split in the sandstone rocks and serving as a waterway flowing into Wadi Musa.