Petra, Jordan

Petra is a famous archaeological site in Jordan's southwestern desert. Dating to around 300 B.C., it was the capital of the Nabatean Kingdom. Accessed via a narrow canyon called Al Siq, it contains tombs and temples carved into pink sandstone cliffs, earning its nickname, the "Rose City." Perhaps its most famous structure is 45m-high Al Khazneh, a temple with an ornate, Greek-style facade, and known as The Treasury.

Construction

The ancient Nabateans who created Petra held a particular reverence for the sun, which they viewed as a source of life, light and mystery. As a result, much of Petra’s beautiful architecture is actually aligned with solar patterns, with particular emphasis on the summer and winter solstices.

Location

Petra’s success as a city may have been down to its incredible natural defences. The site is accessed to the east by a narrow, winding gorge known as al-Siq, stretching for over 1km, which would have made it very difficult for hostile forces to get in without being stopped. This seems to have been the key to its success for so many centuries.