Barack Obama tours ancient city of Petra On Friday, high winds in Israel forced Mr Obama to take his motorcade instead of his Marine One chopper to visit the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, on the West Bank on the last day of his trip to Israel. Petra was carved into the red stone by the Nabataeans more than 2,000 years ago. The ancient Arabs turned the city into a critical junction for the silk, spice and other trade routes that linked China, India and southern Arabia with Egypt, Syria, Greece and Rome. Mr Obama arrived in Jordan on Friday and had talks with King Abdullah II on the Syria refugee crisis in the country, on his new Middle East peace efforts and on other regional issues. He spent the bulk of his trip in Israel, where held several meetings with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and sought through a speech and other public remarks to reassure an anxious public that he is committed to the country's security. He also made a brief stop in the West Bank city of Ramallah for meetings with Palestinian leaders. The president was due to leave Amman for Washington later Saturday.