Situated between Red sea and the dead sea and inhabited since prehistoric times, Petra the Rock- cut capital city of Nabataeans, became during Hellenistic and Roman times a major caravan centre for the incense of Arabia, the silks of China and the spices of india, a crossroads between Arabia, Egypt and syria phoenicia.
Petra is a half built, half carved into the rock, and is surrounded by mountains riddled with passages and gorges. An ingenious water management system allowed extensive settlement of an essentially arid area during the Nabataean, Roman and Byzantine periods. It’s one of the world’s richest and larger archaeological sites set in a dominating red sandstone landscape.
Key Nabataean monuments at the site include the siq, Al Khazna (Treasury), the outer siq and the royal tombs cut into the rock faces, the royal palace, temple of the winged lions, the Great temple, Qasr al-Bint, and Al-Deir Monastery.
The outstanding universal value of Petra is defined in its inscription on the list of world heritage sites.