One of the most famous sites in the Middle East is Petra, a city that the Nabateans carved out of rose-red rock in southern Jordan about 2000 years ago. For centuries this trade crossroads flourished, then with the help of earthquakes and shifts in trade routes it faded into obscurity, staying there for more than 1500 years. In the late 1980s many Westerners caught their first glimpse of Petra on the big screen, when it featured in one of the final scenes of Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. In 1989, the year the film was released, Petra saw 120,000 visitors. By 2009 that number had climbed to 728,000.

The ancient city -- its beauty and architecture, its context of desert mountains and rugged terrain -- is what most people travel here for and what they best remember when they leave. Not to be overlooked, however, are the Bedouin who call Petra home.

The pictures that follow are dedicated to these men, women, and children.

Roda, age 24

A child on a donkey, royal tombs in the background

This is also Roda but without the veil. She's looking at some of the hundreds of visitors who hike past her souvenir booth each day.

This is 7-year-old Fatima; her 36-year-old mother Rakia is in the background checking out a slideshow I carry on my i-touch.

Fatima and Rakia again. We drank tea together and the pair, who sell souvenirs for a living but had to hear me say that I don't buy souveniers, gave me two free "Jordan" refrigerator magnets anyway.

A teenage boy, who asked if I was married. I said no and he said, "This is better. Freedom is good. I too am free and want to always be free." I said he might change his mind after a while.

This is six-week-old Ahmed; he and I didn't talk much.

Muhammed, 49 years old, here sitting on a cliff edge at day's end. He sells books and drinks and other items outside one of Petra's biggest tombs. If he's not here, one of his sons will be.

Siblings, one with an Indiana Jones hat

The hat again, and a pose

And while temporary, the tourists of Petra, such as these French visitors, usually call the place home for a day or two. A one-day pass costs about $70 USD; a two day-pass about $77 USD.

The place isn't cheap, but most visitors leaving Petra -- even if they had grumbled upon entering -- will say it was worth it. For more information, visit the Petra National Trust.

Joel Carillet, chief editor of Wandering Educators for years, is a freelance writer and photographer based in Tennessee. He is the author of 30 Reasons to Travel: Photographs and Reflections from Southeast Asia. To learn more about him, follow his regular photoblog, or purchase prints or his book (for a better price than Amazon!), visit www.joelcarillet.com.