The history of Petra is much to elaborate for me to go in to but it started with the Nabataeans.  Please check out the Wikipedia site, because they are better at explaining just about everything that I try and explain, although some of their material is questionable given that it is a non-profit encyclopedia. 
I woke up yesterday at about 6:00am and was at the gate to Petra at about 6:50 when which I had to wait for the ticket counter to open at 7.  I had on about 4 layers and hat and gloves and still had to keep moving to stay warm. They say that the best time to view Petra is early in the morning or late in the afternoon because in the middle of the day all of the color from the sandstone is drowned out by the sunlight. 
Also, pictures are better at this time because the structures aren’t flooded with tourists.  I started the day off with the Treasury, just because its the first thing you see and also one of the most amazing. 

I met a girl from Japan/Boston who I explored with for a while including a 900 stair trek to the Monestary which, although exhausting, was well worth the climb for it was even more amazing than the Treasury.

Once she left, to visit the Dead Sea, I ventured off to some areas off the path because there were structures everywhere, not only where you could see or the ones that were on the map.  While venturing off the beaten path I found numerous pieces of what could be no other than ancient pottery, as well as some cool rocks.  The date from which the pottery comes is debatable because Petra was inhabited during a few different time periods. 
While climbing around on the rocks, more than once, I found myself in a bind about how I should go about getting down because I had gone far from my point of ascension. Just searching for a few more minutes would often reveal an ancient staircase that would make for an easy and safe descent.

Note: While walking around in the touristy areas, kids would come up to you on donkeys and say, “You want taxi?  I have hummer with air conditioning.”

When I went to eat lunch I asked how much and the guy said 10 dinar, which is like $14.  Super tourist prices because it was inside of Petra.  I tried to bargain him down and failed, he said “the price is set”.  Soon after, I heard a kid come in and get the meal for 5 dinar.  Intrigued by his method I sat at his table and started talking to him.  He has been studying in Turkey for a semester and is traveling in between semesters and he had told the guy he was Turkish in either Turkish or Arabic.  He is heading to Wadi Rum today, as well, so we are going to split a taxi and try and get a good deal on some kind of Dessert Safari. 

Make sure to check out all the pictures I uploaded because there is a lot of them and I wasn’t able to incoorparate all of them into this post. Will be in touch.