Jordan contains Petra, the ancient city carved into rose-coloured rock. Petra lies in the country’s southern region and was the capital of the Nabataean Kingdom, an Arab trading state that flourished from around the fourth century BCE.
The city’s position beside major caravan routes helped the Nabataeans control trade in frankincense, myrrh, spices and other valuable goods. Petra’s buildings were cut into sandstone cliffs, while sophisticated channels, cisterns and dams managed water in the dry environment.
The famous Treasury, or Al-Khazneh, is one of Petra’s best-known façades, although its exact original function remains debated. Petra was annexed by Rome in 106 CE and gradually declined after trade routes changed and earthquakes damaged the city. It became widely known in the West after Swiss explorer Johann Ludwig Burckhardt visited in 1812. Petra was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1985.