Filming locations in Petra

Some locations are so iconic that a single shot fixes them in the imagination forever, and Petra is one. When Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade reached its climax in 1989, the temple guarding the Holy Grail was the Treasury at Petra, the Nabataean city carved into the desert cliffs of southern Jordan.

The location is Al-Khazneh, the Treasury, whose towering rose-red facade rises straight from the canyon floor. In the film it is the gateway to the Grail's resting place, and in person the effect is just as theatrical, because of how you arrive at it. Petra is a vast ticketed archaeological park, and the Treasury reveals itself only after a walk of about twenty minutes through the narrow Siq, the slot canyon that funnels you toward it.

That approach is the whole experience, so plan for it. Wear good shoes, carry plenty of water, and allow a full day, because the Treasury is only the beginning of a site that spreads for miles beyond it. For the overhead angle you see in so many photographs, climb the marked trail to the high viewpoint above the facade.

Practically, the nearby town of Wadi Musa holds all the hotels and food, so base yourself there. Come early to walk the Siq before the heat and the crowds build, and you will round the final bend to the same reveal that made Petra one of cinema's great destinations.