Welcome to the ancient Nabataean city of Petra. Petra was built in the 6th CenturyBCE and was a major traffic stop for caravans going to and from Saudi, Gaza, Egypt, Damascus, and Persia. Petra was inhabited by the Nabataean, Egyptian, Roman, Byzantine, and Ottoman Empires. It was a major caravan and traffic route because of its large water cisterns that sustained the city. After the Romans moved their traffic station to Kerak and Shobak, Petra was abandoned. It was re-inhabited by the Byzantines who built churches and had a small congregation in Petra. A large earthquake in 363 crippled the city and it had been abandoned for decades. Bedouin continued life inside Petra for centuries, living in the caves and shepherding their goats and sheep. Swiss explorer Johann Ludwig Burckhardt introduced and revealed Petra to the Western world.
Since then, Petra is the number one attraction of Jordan and excavations have been initiated by international universities and museums to unearth this vast ancient wonderland. It was designated as a World Heritage Site in 1985 and was made one of the Seven Wonders of the World in 2007. Carved out of the sandstone rock, the city is naturally fortified by the traitorous cliffs that surround Petra. Hundreds of tombs and caves speckle the city beyond the mountain ranges. Only 17 percent of the city has been unearthed and yet we are dazzled by what we do see. In Petra the most notable sites are the Siq, the Treasury, the Royal Tombs, the High Place of Sacrifice, the Roman Theater, the Roman Street, the Monastery, the Snake Monument, the Byzantine Church, and the museum. Close to Petra is Aaron’s tomb, on the highest peak of the tallest mountain. To see all of Petra one needs at least 2 days to take in all of the sites. There is much more to see in Petra than what you may expect. Come and discover the amazing sites in and around Petra filled with wonder everywhere you look.
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