Jordan contains Petra, the ancient city famous for monumental buildings carved into rose-colored sandstone.
Petra was established as the capital of the Nabataean Kingdom, whose people controlled important caravan routes in the deserts of present-day Jordan and nearby regions. Its most recognizable façade is Al-Khazneh, often called the Treasury, although its original function was probably a royal tomb or monumental funerary building.
The city’s location helped its inhabitants manage water in an arid environment. They built channels, cisterns, dams, and reservoirs to capture and store rainfall. Petra later became part of the Roman Empire and was gradually abandoned after changing trade routes and damaging earthquakes. Swiss explorer Johann Ludwig Burckhardt brought it to wider Western attention in 1812.