There are places that need no marketing to take your breath away - you simply stand before them and fall silent. Petra, the ancient city carved into the pink rock of southern Jordan, is exactly such a place. Built more than 2,000 years ago by the Nabataeans, it stayed hidden for centuries until it was rediscovered in the 19th century. Today it's one of the new seven wonders of the world - and one of those destinations worth putting on the "before I die" list.

The journey to the heart of Petra is part of the magic. The entrance leads through the Siq - a narrow canyon over a kilometre long, whose rocky walls rise tens of metres high, narrowing the view until suddenly the most famous sight opens before you: the facade of Al-Khazneh, the so-called Treasury, carved directly into the stone. It's an image the whole world recognises, even those who have never heard of the Nabataeans.

But Petra is much more than a single facade. There's a Roman theatre with around 5,000 seats, monumental tombs, temples and altars. For the most persistent, 850 steps lead to the Al-Deir monastery, with a sight many describe as even more impressive than the Treasury. And in the evening, when hundreds of candles light the path to the Treasury under a starry sky and to Bedouin music, the place turns into something hard to put into words.

Advice for those setting out: set aside at least two full days, because Petra is enormous and can't be seen in a hurry. Come at dawn and at dusk - the light changes the sandstone throughout the day, from pale pink to fiery red. And if you're already there, nearby is Jerash with its 1,200 Roman columns and the desert valley of Wadi Rum. For a Balkan traveller used to overcrowded European destinations, the Jordanian desert offers something rare these days - space, silence and the feeling that you've arrived somewhere real.