The city of Petra, capital of the Nabataean Arabs, is one of the most famous archaeological sites in the world. Located 262 km south of Amman, Petra is the most important site and tourism attraction in Jordan, and it is visited by tourists from all over the world.

Petra is a unique example of an astonishing ancient civilization. More than 2,000 years ago, the Nabataea’s carved this city into the mountains, and today it is one of the new seven wonders of the world.

Petra was rediscovered in 1812 by the Swedish explorer Johan Ludwig Burckhardt during his expedition, which was funded by the British Royal Geographical Society, in the Levant, Egypt and the Arabian Peninsula.

Due to the centuries that lapsed before the rediscovery of the city by the outside world, Petra was named the “Lost City”. It was also described by the English poet Bergen as the unique, astonishing Eastern city.

In its heyday, the Nabatean Kingdom flourished to reach the north-west of the Arabian Peninsula where the city of Madian Saleh lies. It further extended its influence to the Red Sea shores of Sinai and the Horan Fields in Syria to Damascus.

The Nabatean Kingdom, along with its capital Petra, was surrounded by many ancient kingdoms and civilizations including the Pharaohs to the west, Tadmor to the north, and Mesopotamia to the east.

The Nabateans were famous for their advanced irrigation systems and water harvesting mechanisms.