Located just 7 kilometers north of the Petra Visitor Center, Bayda Neolithic Village is one of the oldest settlements in Jordan, dating back to the early Neolithic Period (8500-5500 B.C). Excavated by D. Kirkbride from the British School of Archaeology in Jerusalem, the site was explored over seven seasons between 1957 and 1968, with a final season in 1983.

 In the period from the 10th to the 9th millennia BC, the Natufian people established a seasonal camp as a base for hunting, and used weapons and tools made of local flint. 

The village of Bayda was occupied during the early Neolithic Period. Six stages of architectural development have been identified at the site. The earliest structures of houses were circular, with stone walls and an inner framework of wooden posts, including a central post supporting a roof made of wood, reeds, and clay (the post holes and grooves are still visible). The latest constructions at the village were rectangular houses with plastered interiors. Furthermore, there is a small area nearby containing basins, standing stones, and paved enclosures believed to have served as a sanctuary. The Neolithic people who settled in the site hunted animals and gathered wild plants, but they also cultivated barley and wheat and kept goats and sheep.