Jordan is the country home to Petra, the ancient city carved into rose-red sandstone cliffs.
Petra lies in southern Jordan, between the Dead Sea and the Gulf of Aqaba. The Nabataeans established it as their capital, probably in the 4th century BCE, and its position helped it control caravan routes carrying incense, spices, and other valuable goods.
The city is famous for the Siq, a narrow natural gorge leading to the Treasury, one of its most recognizable façades. Petra contains tombs, temples, a theater, colonnaded streets, and water-management systems that supported life in the dry landscape.
Petra was annexed by Rome in 106 CE and later declined as trade routes changed. It became widely known in the modern West after Swiss explorer Johann Ludwig Burckhardt visited it in 1812. Petra is often called the “Rose City” and became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1985.