Jordan contains the ancient rock-hewn city of Petra.
Petra lies in southern Jordan, between the Dead Sea and the Gulf of Aqaba. The Nabataeans developed it as a major caravan centre and made use of its sheltered location, water systems, and position along trade routes linking Arabia, the Levant, and the Mediterranean world.
The city is famous for monuments carved into rose-coloured sandstone, especially Al-Khazneh, commonly called the Treasury. Other major features include the Siq entrance gorge, the Monastery, tombs, temples, and a Roman-style colonnaded street. Al-Khazneh was probably a royal tomb or memorial rather than a storehouse of treasure.
Petra came under Roman control in AD 106 and later declined as trade patterns changed and earthquakes damaged its infrastructure. Local Bedouin communities continued to know the site, while it became widely known in the West after Johann Ludwig Burckhardt visited in 1812. UNESCO listed Petra as a World Heritage Site in 1985.