A middle-eastern man, dressed in purple garments, treks on his camel leisurely oblivious to the ancient wonders surrounding him. To his side stand derelict columns, which are mostly toppled leaving only half of their original structure protruding into the sky. Of the several columns remaining only one remains erect in its original form waiting to greet travelers of every nation once again as they enter the rock born city. Those days of such prosperity are over and now that remains are the indestructible bones of a once lavish city. An ancient stone road holds firmly onto the earth it was originally laid as the man on the camel continues his lethargic trek. The desert air preserves the stones of Petra and remains a reminder of time's prevalence.

Behind the man on his camel loom the rock-hewn buildings of ancient Petra that were carved directly from a massive stone edifice. The buildings hide so completely within the rust-red rock that they are dissolved by the mountainous landscape. At first glance it could be mistaken as a mirage. These auburn monoliths hold both ancient Greek, Roman and Indian influence which is most pronounced in their arches, ornate pillars and elephant reliefs. Like a layered cake Petra's rock fortress has layers of red, orange, vermillion, culminating with tinges of brown. The hillside surrounding the manmade structures texture is rough dominated with divergent crags with crags and menacing triangular protrusions; while the texture of Petra's palatial stone structures are as smooth as any other megalith erected during ancient times.

Although the city has long been dead and the air is stagnant you can still imagine the pungent smell of foreign spices that filled the air when the bustle of trade was still present within the city walls. Life still does litter of Petra in sparse bursts, evident by the numerous olive shaded shrubs that surround the area. Indigenous people also occupy the city of Petra but have forgotten the city's importance it once played in the world. They live off the land as nomads, a thousand years behind the advancement of their ancient ancestors.

An airy breeze blows through the area and disturbs the sand. The sand is time constantly falling. What also is profuse in Petra is the presence of history that is present in the architecture of Petra and the mystery its structures espouse. Today the enigma of Petra is a fantastic story half comprehended and completely forgotten in time.