Petra

Attribution:

klvinci

Key Dates

About 100 BCE - construction

1812 - Discovery of Petra
1985 - Petra was designated a World Heritage Site
2007 - named one of the 'New Seven Wonders of the World'

Petra

Jordan

Key People

Johann Ludwig Burckhardt

Petra is an archaeological site in Jordan that is renowned for its rock-cut architecture. It is also one of the New Wonders of the World. The ancient City of Petra has been described by Unesco as "one of the most precious cultural properties of man's cultural heritage".

The impressive eastern entrance leads steeply down through a dark, narrow gorge called the Siq, a natural geological feature formed from a deep split in the sandstone rocks and serving as a waterway flowing into Wadi Musa. At the end of the narrow gorge stands Petra's most elaborate ruin, The Treasury or 'Al Khazneh', hewn into the sandstone cliff.

The Nabateans, Aramaic-speaking Semites, constructed Petra as their capital city about 100 BCE. According to Arab tradition, Petra is the spot where Moses struck a rock with his staff and water came forth, and where his brother, Aaron, is buried.

The site was introduced to the West by Swiss explorer Johann Ludwig Burckhardt.

Related Structures

The Treasury is one of the most elaborate buildings in Petra. It was carved out of a sandstone rock face with classical Greek-influenced architecture. A little further from the Treasury is a massive theatre that been cut into the hillside and above the city is the impressive Monastery, which has a facade similar to that of the Treasury.

Admission Fee

Foreign visitors:
1-day pass: JD21 (US$30)
2-day pass: JD26 (US$37)
3-day pass: JD31 (US$44)

Jordanians, resident card holders, Arab nationals and students with valid Jordanian University ID
JD1 per entry

All children under 15 are free

Related Websites

Petra - Official Site

Visit Nearby

Within driving distance:

Al-Beidha (Little Petra)

Beidha Neolithic Village

Images