Petra

This article is about the Jordanian site of Petra. For other uses, see Petra (disambiguation).

Petra
The Treasury at Petra
Location:	Ma'an Governorate, Jordan
Coordinates:	30°19′43″N 35°26′31″E / 30.32861°N 35.44194°E / 30.32861; 35.44194Coordinates: 30°19′43″N 35°26′31″E / 30.32861°N 35.44194°E / 30.32861; 35.44194
Elevation:	810 m (2,657 ft)
Settled:	7000 BC[1]
Built:	1200 BC[1]
Visitation:	580,000   (in 2007)
Governing body:	Petra Region Authority
UNESCO World Heritage Site
Type:	Cultural
Criteria:	i, iii, iv
Designated:	1985 (9th session)
Reference #:	326
State Party:	Jordan
Region:	Arab States
website:	http://www.petrapark.com/
Location of Petra in Jordan

Petra (Greek "πέτρα" (petra), meaning rock; Arabic: البتراء, Al-Batrāʾ) is a historical and archaeological city in the Jordanian governorate of Ma'an that is known for its 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 Sea to the Gulf of Aqaba. Petra has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1985.

The site remained unknown to the Western world until 1812, when it was introduced by Swiss explorer Johann 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."^[4] Petra was chosen by the BBC as one of "the 40 places you have to see before you die".^[5]