American shuns money offers and returns Petra antiques

The red rose city of Petra has been reunited with two Nabatiyan pieces 50 years after they were sold to an American tourist.

Franchesco Paulo Vana, an American living in Italy, handed over the two pottery pieces which date back to the first century A.D. to be placed in their rightful place in Petra Museum.

Jordan's Minister of Tourism, Aqil Biltaji, received the two antiques.

"I took the decision to restore the two pieces despite the numerous offers I received to sell them," Vana said. "I bought them in 1948. I believed that they were imitation pottery pieces but not genuine ones."

The value of the two antiques is estimated at hundreds of thousands of dollars.