Which ancient people built the rock-cut city of Petra?

The Nabataeans built the rock-cut city of Petra in present-day Jordan.

Petra became the capital of the Nabataean Kingdom, a trading state that flourished from roughly the fourth century BCE until the second century CE. The city occupied a strategic position between Arabia, the Levant and the Mediterranean, helping the Nabataeans control routes for frankincense, spices and other valuable goods.

Many of Petra’s monuments were carved into sandstone cliffs, including the structure popularly called the Treasury. Its water-management system used channels, cisterns and dams to support settlement in a dry environment. Petra’s dramatic entrance, the Siq, is a narrow gorge leading into the city.

Rome annexed the Nabataean Kingdom in 106 CE, after which Petra remained important but gradually declined. The site is sometimes called the “Rose City” because of the colour of its sandstone, not because it was built by the Romans.