In the country of Jordan, one of the ancient world’s most beautiful cities is still visible today. The entire city, known as Petra, was carved into the side of a cliff-face, and it has been nicknamed the ‘rose-red city’. This is because most of the rock that it was carved into is a light red color. The city is also famous for its evidence of an ancient water management system.
Location of Petra in Jordan
Here’s some photos of Petra:
Al Khazneh – ‘The Treasury’. Credit: Berthold Werner
Al Dier – ‘The Monastery’. Credit: Dennis Jarvis (http://www.flickr.com/photos/archer10/2217568198/)
Tombs at Petra. Credit: Jean-Brice Demoulin (http://www.chmouel.com/geeklog/gallery/show_pics.php/irak-jordan/DSCF0062-2_2.jpg)
Credit: Berthold Werner
Close-up of the detail on Al Khazneh. Credit: Bernard Gagnon
So, who built it?
Petra was built around 2000 years ago to serve as a capital city for the Nabataeans. The Nabataeans were an ancient Arabic people, and they established trade ties with many other groups at the time. Later, during Roman times, Petra was considered to be the capital of the Roman-Arabian world. During this period, the Petra Roman Road was constructed. This was the main entrance to the city, and featured enormous gates.
The Roman gates leading up to Petra. Credit: David Bjorgen
Roman-style theatre at Petra (http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Leoboudv)
Unfortunately, during the period of Roman rule, Petra rapidly declined. In 363 AD, an earthquake destroyed a large proportion of the city, and it eventually fell into ruins. ‘Rediscovered’ by the Western world in 1812, it has been a popular Jordanian tourist destination ever since. It has also been classified as a World Heritage site, and it is quite vulnerable due to erosion/weathering and tourist damage. I hope that it can be preserved for future generations to enjoy.
To learn more about this amazing site, visit: http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/326
Exciting Earth! 
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