Jordan is the country home to the ancient rock-carved city of Petra.
Petra was a major city of the Nabataean Kingdom, whose merchants controlled important trade routes across the deserts of the Middle East. Many of its monuments were carved directly into rose-coloured sandstone cliffs, giving Petra its famous nickname, the “Rose City.”
The site is especially known for Al-Khazneh, or the Treasury, whose elaborate façade was carved into a cliff. Despite its name, the building was probably a royal tomb rather than a treasury. Other major features include the Monastery, a theatre, tombs, temples, and water-management systems.
Petra declined after changing trade routes and damaging earthquakes, and it became less prominent during the Byzantine period. Swiss traveller Johann Ludwig Burckhardt brought it to wider Western attention in 1812. UNESCO listed Petra as a World Heritage Site in 1985.