Petra, the ancient city famous for rock-cut architecture, is in modern-day Jordan.
Petra was the capital of the Nabataean Kingdom, an Arab state that controlled important trade routes across the region. It is carved and built into rose-coloured sandstone cliffs in a basin between mountains. The city’s dramatic entrance, the Siq, leads to the monument popularly known as Al-Khazneh, or the Treasury.
The Nabataeans developed sophisticated systems for collecting and managing water in the arid landscape. Petra prospered through trade in goods including incense and spices. Rome annexed the Nabataean Kingdom in 106 CE, after which the city remained important but gradually declined as trade routes changed.
Petra was rediscovered to Western audiences in 1812 through the travels of Johann Ludwig Burckhardt. It became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1985 and was named one of the New Seven Wonders of the World in 2007.