Ma'an · Archaeological Site

Petra

The Rose City of the Nabataeans

Overview

About Petra

Petra was the capital of the Nabataean kingdom, a caravan city whose temples, tombs and theatre were carved directly into rose-red sandstone cliffs from around the 1st century BCE. Entered through the narrow gorge of the Siq, it is famed for Al-Khazneh (the Treasury), the Monastery (Ad-Deir) and an ingenious network of dams, channels and cisterns that sustained the city in the desert. Petra was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1985 and is Jordan's most celebrated landmark.

Key features

🏛️ The Treasury (Al-Khazneh)

The most elaborate temple in Petra

⛪ The Monastery (Ad-Deir)

A monumental building carved into the rock

⚰️ The Royal Tombs

Impressive burial chambers carved into the cliffs

🏛️ The Colonnaded Street

Main thoroughfare of ancient Petra

🏛️ The Great Temple

One of the major archaeological and architectural monuments

💧 The Water Conduit System

Ancient water management system

Research

Latest research

Climate Risk and Resilience in Petra

Petra National Trust

ICOMOS Open Archive2024

Hydraulic Engineering at 100 BC-AD 300 Nabataean Petra (Jordan)

Charles R. Ortloff

Water2020DOI verified

Archaeological research in the Petra Valley: preliminary remarks from the excavation at the Corinthian Tomb

Raffaele Ranieri, Francesca Cheli

Studies in Ancient Art and Civilisation2020DOI verified

Residents’ Perceptions and Satisfaction toward Tourism Development: A Case Study of Petra Region, Jordan

Moayad Mohammad Alrwajfah, Fernando Almeida-García, Rafael Cortés-Macías

Sustainability2019DOI verified

Value orientations and heritage tourism management at Petra Archaeological Park, Jordan

Mohammad M. Alazaizeh, Jeffrey C. Hallo, Sheila J. Backman, William C. Norman, Melissa A. Vogel

Tourism Management2016DOI verified

Recent Discoveries in the City Center of Petra, Jordan: A Preliminary Excavation Report

Adnan Shiyyab

Mediterranean Archaeology and Archaeometry Journal2014

This report details the uncovering of significant public building complexes, including a bathhouse and a marble-floored structure, used during the Nabataean, Roman, and Byzantine periods.

Water engineering at Petra (Jordan): recreating the decision process underlying hydraulic engineering of the Wadi Mataha pipeline system

Charles R. Ortloff

Journal of Archaeological Science2014DOI verified

Preserving Petra Sustainably (One Step at a Time): The Temple of the Winged Lions Cultural Resource Management Initiative as a Step Forward

Christopher A. Tuttle

Journal of Eastern Mediterranean Archaeology and Heritage Studies2013DOI verified

Sociocultural Impacts of Tourism on the Local Community in Petra, Jordan

Sami Alhasanat, A. Hyasat

Jordan Journal of Social Sciences2011

The Water Supply and Distribution System of the Nabataean City of Petra (Jordan), 300 bc– ad 300

Charles R. Ortloff

Cambridge Archaeological Journal2005DOI verified

Showing 10 papers

Siq and Al-Khazneh (Treasury) - Petra (Jordan)

Detailed 3D model of the iconic entrance and treasury of Petra. 3D model: Zamani Project-UCT, via Sketchfab

Siq and Al-Khazneh (Treasury) - Petra (Jordan)

Available models