How the Syrian War Has Affected This UNESCO World Heritage Site

Petra has been every neighbour's envy in the Middle East and Jordan's pride. This archaeological marvel was built in the 5th century BC, and has been a tourist delight for decades. But the conflict and violence that plague Jordan's neighbours have meant that fewer tourists are willing to risk travelling to Petra, or anywhere else in Jordan.

The tourism-dependent economy of Jordan has taken a hit for its troubled neighbourhood. Its neighbours include Syria and Iraq - the scene of not only the Syrian civil war, but also the battle against Islamic State.

According to World Bank, eight million people visited Jordan in 2010. But that was before the Arab Spring and the wave of instability it brought to the region. By 2013, two years into the Syrian conflict, the number of visitors had dropped to 5.4 million.

 These numbers reflect in Petra, the 44-acre, part-built, part rock-cut city maze located between the Red Sea and the Dead Sea.  "March is the tourist season and we see usually about 7,000 visitors a day. But on an average there are only 700 to 800 people now," says Mohammed, who has run a souvenir shop at the entrance of the UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1960.

It is not just that the falling numbers that pose a problem from those who make their living off tourism in Petra. The vast majority of the crowd that flocks to Petra, is usually European, for whom the entry fee is 50 Jordanian Dinars (JD). But now, it has become an Arab majority, for whom entry costs only 1 JD.

But that is not what causes a pinch for the Bedouins, who take visitors around Petra on the backs of decorated camels. Arabs, it seems, don't think mounting camel backs for a picture makes for an exotic postcard from Petra. Not as much as Europeans anyway.

Hotels in the area have for long benefitted from the fact that Petra cannot be seen in a day - it takes three days to visit all 19 structures, climb mountains and get an aerial view of the amphitheater. But now, they are offering heavy discounts. The perceived risk of travelling to the strife-torn region seems to be too much for an Indiana Jones-style visit to Petra.

Petra may have history. And, it may be considered among the most important archaeological sites in the world. But its old world glory seems to be getting buried in the dust rising from the unrest within the houses of Jordan's neighbours.