Petra is the ancient city famous for the rock-cut monument called the Treasury.
Located in modern-day Jordan, Petra was the capital of the Nabataean Kingdom. Visitors reach its central monuments through the Siq, a narrow sandstone gorge. The Treasury, or Al-Khazneh, was carved directly into a cliff face and has a richly decorated classical-style façade.
Despite its name, the Treasury was probably a royal tomb or ceremonial monument rather than a storehouse for treasure. Its popular name arose from later legends, including stories that a stone urn at the top concealed riches. Bullet marks on the urn reflect attempts to test that belief.
Petra prospered because the Nabataeans controlled caravan routes linking Arabia, the Levant, and the Mediterranean. Rome annexed the Nabataean kingdom in 106 CE. Earthquakes, changing trade routes, and water-management challenges contributed to Petra’s later decline, although local communities never entirely vanished.