Ancient city, Middle East.
Located in what is now southwestern Jordan, it was the capital of the Nabataean kingdom from с 312 BC until its defeat by the Romans in AD 106. It then became part of the Roman province of Arabia. After several centuries as a flourishing trade centre, it declined with the shifting of trade routes to the Euphrates River and the Persian Gulf . It was captured by the Muslims in the 7th century. Its ruins were visited in 1812 by the Swiss traveler, Johann L. Burckhardt, who was the first European to see the site. Subsequent excavations have revealed many rock-cut monuments, including tombs with elaborate facades carved in the rose, crimson, and purple sandstone of the surrounding hills.
The Nabataean rock-cut monument of Ad-Dayr, Petra, Jordan.
Brian Brake from Rapho/Photo Researchers
EB Inc.