Jordan contains the ancient ruins of Petra, the “Rose City.”
Petra was a major city of the Nabataean Kingdom, whose people controlled important trade routes across the deserts of present-day Jordan and nearby regions. Much of the city was carved directly into rose-coloured sandstone cliffs, producing the nickname “Rose City.”
The most recognizable façade is Al-Khazneh, or the Treasury, although its original purpose is uncertain and may have been a royal tomb or ceremonial building. Visitors traditionally enter Petra through the Siq, a narrow natural gorge leading toward the city.
Petra was annexed by Rome in 106 CE and later declined as trade routes changed and earthquakes damaged its structures. Western attention grew after its documentation by Johann Ludwig Burckhardt in 1812. UNESCO designated Petra a World Heritage Site in 1985, and it became one of the New Seven Wonders of the World in 2007.