Jordan contains the ancient city of Petra, carved into rose-colored sandstone cliffs.
Petra was the capital of the Nabataean Kingdom, an ancient Arab state that controlled important trade routes across the deserts of the Middle East. Its builders cut monumental tombs, temples, and public buildings directly into sandstone. The famous Siq, a narrow natural gorge, forms the dramatic approach to the city and leads to Al-Khazneh, commonly called the Treasury.
The Nabataeans established Petra as a major commercial center by managing caravan routes linking Arabia, the Levant, Egypt, and the Mediterranean. Rome annexed the Nabataean Kingdom in AD 106, after which Petra gradually declined as trade routes changed and earthquakes damaged the city. It was later largely unknown to Western audiences until Swiss explorer Johann Ludwig Burckhardt visited in 1812.
Petra is sometimes mistakenly called an Egyptian site because of its monumental appearance, but it lies in modern-day Jordan. UNESCO listed it as a World Heritage Site in 1985, and it became one of the New Seven Wonders of the World in a 2007 public vote.