Petra

A City Carved From the Rock

Founded by the Nabateans by around the 4th century BC, Petra was a thriving caravan city whose tombs, temples, and halls were cut directly into the sandstone walls of a desert canyon. Its most famous facade, Al-Khazneh (the Treasury), rises 40 meters out of a narrow siq.

Hidden for Centuries

Petra was largely abandoned after earthquakes and shifting trade routes, and was "rediscovered" by the West only in 1812. Its survival is thanks to its remoteness and the durability of rock-carved architecture.

A Time Capsule in Stone

Because its buildings are the mountain itself, Petra has outlasted empires. It is one of the new Seven Wonders of the World — a time capsule of a vanished desert civilization, still half-emerging from the cliffs.