The Nabataeans built Petra, the ancient rock-cut city in modern-day Jordan.
Petra became the capital of the Nabataean Kingdom, whose wealth grew from controlling caravan routes between Arabia, the Levant and the Mediterranean. The city’s most recognizable monument, Al-Khazneh, or the Treasury, was carved into a sandstone cliff. Despite its name, it was probably a monumental tomb rather than a storehouse for treasure.
The Nabataeans developed sophisticated systems to collect, store and channel scarce water. Petra’s location in a naturally sheltered valley helped protect it, while its trade connections brought incense, spices and other valuable goods. Greek and Roman artistic influences appear in the city’s architecture, but the settlement has distinctly Nabataean origins.
Rome annexed the Nabataean Kingdom in 106 CE, incorporating Petra into the province of Arabia. Earthquakes and changing trade routes later contributed to its decline. Petra is sometimes called the “Lost City,” although local communities continued to know the site. It became widely known in the West after European exploration in the 19th century.