Uncover the Secrets of Petra

Ancient historical site in Jordan

• Petra is a historic and archaeological city in southern Jordan and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

• The Nabataeans settled in Petra as early as the 4th century BC and established it as a major regional trading hub.

• Petra flourished in the 1st century AD, with its population peaking at an estimated 20,000 inhabitants.

• Petra was annexed by the Roman Empire in 106 AD and renamed Arabia Petraea, leading to its decline.

• Petra was rediscovered in 1812 by Swiss traveller Johann Ludwig Burckhardt.

• Access to Petra is through a 1.2-kilometre-long gorge called the Siq, leading directly to the Khazneh or Treasury.

• Petra is famous for its rock-cut architecture and water conduit system and is known as the "Rose City" due to the color of the stone from which it is carved.

• Petra was voted one of the New 7 Wonders of the World in 2007 and is Jordan's most-visited tourist attraction.

• The High Place of Sacrifice, the Royal Tombs, the Petra Pool and Garden Complex, and the Colonnaded street are among Petra's highlights.

• Petra has a semi-arid climate with most rain falling in the winter, and the average annual temperature is 15.5°C.

• Petra was initially occupied by the Edomites in the Iron Age, who were later chased back to their own lands by King Amaziah of Judah.

• The Nabataeans were a northern Arabian tribe and Petra was known as Raqēmō to them.A Brief History of Petra

• Petra was founded by the Nabataeans in the 4th century BC and was called Rekeme by the Arabs.

• The city of Petra may have been identified with the Hebrew Bible's Sela, but this is uncertain.

• Petra became the capital of the Roman province of Arabia Petraea in AD 106 and continued to flourish under Roman rule.

• The city of Petra declined rapidly under Roman rule due to the revision of sea-based trade routes and an earthquake in AD 363.

• Petra was visited by the Crusaders in the 12th century, who built fortresses, but later abandoned them.

• The city of Petra was rediscovered in the 19th century by Swiss traveler Johann Ludwig Burckhardt.

• Numerous European explorers visited Petra in the 19th century, including Léon de Laborde, Louis-Maurice-Adolphe Linant de Bellefonds, David Roberts, and Frederic Edwin Church.

• Many of the tombs in Petra were vulnerable to thieves due to age, and many treasures were stolen.

• In 1929, a team of British archaeologists excavated and surveyed Petra.

• Petra was visited by the Mamluk sultan Baibars in the 13th century.

• Petra was occupied by Baldwin I of the Kingdom of Jerusalem during the First Crusade and remained in the hands of the Franks until 1189.

• Petra has been a site of religious significance, with the Nabataeans worshipping Arab gods and goddesses, and Christianity finding its way to Petra in the 4th century AD.Petra: A World Heritage Site and Bedouin Heritage

• Petra is where Moses struck a rock with his staff and water came forth, and where Moses' brother, Aaron, is buried

• The Bidoul/Bidul (Petra Bedouin) were forcibly resettled from their cave dwellings in Petra to Umm Sayhoun/Um Seihun by the Jordanian government in 1985, prior to the UNESCO designation process

• Petra was designated a World Heritage Site on December 6, 1985, and named one of the New 7 Wonders of the World in 2007

• The Petra Archaeological Park (PAP) became an autonomous legal entity over the management of this site in August 2007

• The Bidouls belong to one of the Bedouin tribes whose cultural heritage and traditional skills were proclaimed by UNESCO on the Intangible Cultural Heritage List in 2005 and inscribed in 2008

• A Strategic Master Plan guides planned development of the Petra Region in an efficient, balanced, and sustainable way over the next 20 years

• The site suffers from a host of threats, including collapse of ancient structures, erosion, weathering, improper restoration, and unsustainable tourism

• The Petra National Trust (PNT) was established in 1989 to promote the protection, conservation, and preservation of the Petra site

• People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) released a video in 2018 highlighting abuse against working animals in Petra, and the Jordanian authority running the site responded by proposing a veterinarian clinic

• Conservation of cultural heritage in Petra is a central challenge at the UNESCO World Heritage Site

• Petra has been featured in literature, plays, films, television, music, and musical videos

• Some structures in the Petra Archaeological Park were spatially documented by the Zamani Project and are visible on the maDIH repository.