Jordan contains the ancient city of Petra, famous for its rock-cut Treasury.
Petra lies in southern Jordan between the Dead Sea and the Gulf of Aqaba. The Nabataeans, an Arab people, established it as a major settlement and trading centre, probably in the fourth century BCE. Its position near routes linking Arabia, the Levant and the Mediterranean helped Petra prosper through trade in items such as spices and incense.
The city is carved into rose-coloured sandstone cliffs, giving rise to its nickname, the “Rose City.” The Treasury, or Al-Khazneh, is one of Petra’s most recognizable façades, but it was probably a monumental tomb rather than a storehouse of treasure. Petra also includes the Siq entrance gorge, the Monastery, tombs and remains of a central city. The site was largely abandoned after changing trade routes and earthquakes, and it became widely known in the West after its recorded rediscovery by Johann Ludwig Burckhardt in 1812.