Which country contains the ancient site of Petra?

The ancient archaeological city of Petra is in Jordan. Located between the Dead Sea and the Gulf of Aqaba, Petra was carved and built in a narrow desert valley surrounded by sandstone cliffs.

Petra was the capital of the Nabataean Kingdom, an Arab state that controlled important trade routes linking Arabia, the Levant, Egypt, and the Mediterranean. Its prosperity came partly from trade in incense, spices, and other goods. The Nabataeans also developed sophisticated channels, cisterns, and dams to manage scarce water.

The city is famous for the Treasury, although that monument was probably a royal tomb rather than a storehouse. Petra later became part of the Roman Empire and gradually declined after trade routes shifted and earthquakes damaged its infrastructure. It became widely known in the West after Swiss explorer Johann Ludwig Burckhardt visited in 1812. UNESCO listed Petra as a World Heritage Site in 1985.