Dana Museum

Dana

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Spare some time for the Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature's (RSCN) wonderful little museum. It illustrates the various wildlife at 1500m on the King’s Highway, at 1100m at Dana Village and 50m below sea level in Wadi Araba. It also explains the particular ecological challenges in a reserve that experiences 350mm of rain per year in winter on the mountaintops, and soaring desert temperatures and 10mm of rain per year at sea level.

This is a good place to begin an exploration of the area, providing context for the various treasures to look out for during a hike.

Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

  • Jordan has so many amazing sights like Petra, wadi rum, jerash and the dead sea 1368437783

    Petra

    25.59 MILES

    The spectacular sandstone city of Petra was built in the 3rd century BC by the Nabataeans, who carved palaces, temples, tombs, storerooms and stables from…

  • Bedouin camels resting near the treasury of Al Khazneh in Petra. 1085537554 Jordan, Entrance, Construction Industry, Jordan - Middle East, M, Mountain, Nature, Animal, Tourist, Arabic Style, Outdoors, Religion, Ravine, Monastery, Arabia, Cultures, Petra, UNESCO, UNESCO World Heritage Site, Wealth, Architecture, Petra - Jordan, Ancient Civilization, Built Structure, The Siq, Arts Culture and Entertainment, Camel, Travel, Exploration, Palace Tomb, Facade, Canyon, Adventure, Famous Place, Midsection, Transportation, Photography, Old, No People, Color Image, Travel Destinations, Horizontal, Cliff, Ancient, Contemplation, Tomb, Tourism, Stone Material, Bedouin, Sand, Khaznet, Sandstone, Treasury

    Siq

    25.84 MILES

    The 1.2km Siq, or canyon, with its narrow, vertical walls, is undeniably one of the highlights of Petra. The walk through this magical corridor, as it…

  • Sacrifice place in ancient Petra, Jordan; Shutterstock ID 19855075; your: Sloane Tucker; gl: 65050; netsuite: Online Editorial; full: POI 19855075

    High Place of Sacrifice

    26.08 MILES

    The most accessible of Petra’s High Places, this well-preserved site was built atop Jebel Madbah with drains to channel the blood of sacrificial animals…

  • There is a person by the doorway to get a scale of the size. A classic view of El Deir, The Monastery in Petra. Shown in the context of the mountain that the facade was carved out of by the Nabataeans in the 1st century. The facade measures 50 metres wide by approximately 45 meters high.

    Monastery

    25.47 MILES

    Hidden high in the hills, the Monastery is one of the legendary monuments of Petra. Similar in design to the Treasury but far bigger (50m wide and 45m…

  • Lonely Planet Traveller Magazine, Issue 71, Jordan Petra Theatre

    Theatre

    25.94 MILES

    Originally built by the Nabataeans (not the Romans) more than 2000 years ago, the Theatre was chiselled out of rock, slicing through many caves and tombs…

  • Dana Biosphere Reserve landscape at sunset from Dana historical village; Shutterstock ID 474783019; Your name (First / Last): Lauren Keith; GL account no.: 65050; Netsuite department name: Content Asset; Full Product or Project name including edition: Jordan 2017 adventure, arabic, arid, asia, biosphere, colored, dana, dry, east, explore, islamic, jordan, middle, mountain, natural, park, path, reserve, rock, sunset, travel, trekking, wild

    Dana Biosphere Reserve

    0.49 MILES

    The Dana Biosphere Reserve is the largest in Jordan and includes a variety of terrain, from sandstone cliffs more than 1700m high near Dana to a low point…

  • Petra - Nabataeans capital city (Al Khazneh) , Jordan. The Corinthian, Silk and Urn tomb. Roman Empire period. 30434515 day, dig, hill, tomb, cave, rock, asia, hole, stone, roman, crypt, petra, empire, jordan, column, period, remain, sacred, mystic, arabic, shrine, facade, outdoor, history, khazneh, arabian, antique, ancient, cemetery, landmark, historic, nabatean, monastery, graveyard, nabataeans, monumental, corinthian, archaeological

    Urn Tomb

    25.8 MILES

    The most distinctive of the Royal Tombs is the Urn Tomb, recognisable by the enormous urn on top of the pediment. It was built in about AD 70 for King…

  • Palace Tomb facade in Petra, Jordan.

    Royal Tombs

    25.89 MILES

    Downhill from the Theatre, the wadi widens to create a larger thoroughfare. To the right, the great massif of Jebel Al Khubtha looms over the valley…

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Nearby Dana attractions

1. Dana Biosphere Reserve

0.49 MILES

The Dana Biosphere Reserve is the largest in Jordan and includes a variety of terrain, from sandstone cliffs more than 1700m high near Dana to a low point…

2. Shobak Castle

10.26 MILES

Perched in a wild, remote landscape, Shobak Castle wins over even the most castle-weary visitor, despite being less complete than its sister fortification…

3. Khirbet Tannour Temple

21.05 MILES

The neglected ruins of the 2000-year-old Nabataean temple of Khirbet Tannour are worth the hike up the hill for the view, if nothing else. A famous statue…

4. Little Petra Siq

22.8 MILES

An obvious path leads through the 400m-long Siq Al Barid, opening out into flat, sandy areas. The first open area boasts a temple while four triclinia –…

5. Al Beidha

23 MILES

The neolithic ruins of Al Beidha date back 9000 years and, along with Jericho, constitute one of the oldest archaeological sites in the Middle East. The…

6. Al Wu’ira

24.97 MILES

Built by the Crusaders in AD 1116, Al Wu’ira was overrun by Muslim forces 73 years after construction. An impressive old bridge (previously a drawbridge)…

7. Christian Tombs

24.98 MILES

Many of these caves are marked with crosses, leading to the assumption that they may have been used for Christian burial.

8. Moses' Spring

25.05 MILES

Moses' Spring is one of two possible locations in Jordan for the site where Moses supposedly struck the rock with his staff and water gushed forth to the…