A Rose-red City, Half as Old as Time

TheTreasury. Petra, Jordan (√)

Petra (Greek "πέτρα" (petra), meaning rock; Arabic: البتراء, Al-Batrāʾ) is a historic and archaeological city in the Jordanian governorate of Ma'an that has rock cut architecture and water conduits system. Established sometime around the 6th century BC as the capital city of the Nabataeans,^[2] it is a symbol of Jordan as well as its most visited tourism attraction.^[2] It lies on the slope of Mount Hor^[3] in a basin among the mountains which form the eastern flank of Arabah (Wadi Araba), the large valley running from the Dead Seato the Gulf of Aqaba. Petra was chosen as one of the New Seven Wonders of the World in 2007 and aWorld Heritage Site since 1985. Petra was chosen by the BBC as one of "the 40 places you have to see before you die".^[4]*

The site remained unknown to the Western world until 1812, when it was introduced by Swiss explorerJohann Ludwig Burckhardt. It was described as "a rose-red city half as old as time" in a Newdigate Prize-winning sonnet by John William Burgon. UNESCO has described it as "one of the most precious cultural properties of man's cultural heritage."^[5]*

Priceless!

* courtesy Wikipedia