An Ancient City; Petra

Petra, originally known as Raqmu, is a historical and archaeological city in southern Jordan. It’s a majestic place thousands of years old that still holds hidden secrets.

Petra is a symbol of Jordan as well as Jordan’s most visited tourist attraction. Petra is also one of the New Seven Wonders of the World. UNESCO has described it as "one of the most precious cultural properties”.

The name of the site “Petra” is a Greek word meaning “rock” because it was carved out of red-rose rock. In the ‘Rose City,” as it’s also known, were hundreds of tombs, houses, temples, and even a theatre which could hold 3000 people. The entrance to the city is through a very narrow path about 1 km wide with a cliff on each side.

This mysterious site was occupied by many different tribes. The Edomites were the first known tribe that occupied the area. Later, in about 300 BC, an Arab tribe called the Nabateans came to the area. Then Petra became the capital of their kingdom. It is believed that Nabateans built the city of Petra.

Archaeologists are still excavating the area and they are revealing more secrets. In one of the latest excavations, they found a 2000-year-old work of art depicting a child with wings playing the flute. There are still undiscovered tombs under the sands and rocks of Petra.