Petra | |
---|---|
Al Khazneh or The Treasury at Petra | |
Location | Ma'an Govrenorate, Jordan |
Coordinates | 30°19′43″N 35°26′31″E / 30.32861°N 35.44194°ECoordinates: 30°19′43″N 35°26′31″E / 30.32861°N 35.44194°E |
Elevation | 810 m (2,657 ft) |
Settled | 7000 BC[1] |
Biggit | 1200 BC[1] |
Visitors | 580,000 (in 2007) |
Govrenin bouk | Petra Region Authority |
Teep | Cultural |
Criteria | i, iii, iv |
Designatit | 1985 (9t session) |
Reference no. | 326 |
State Pairty | Jordan |
Region | Arab States |
Wabsteid | www.visitpetra.jo |
Petra (Greek "πέτρα" (petra), meanin stane; Arabic: البتراء, Al-Batrāʾ) is a historical an airchaeological ceety in the Jordanian govrenorate o Ma'an that is famous for its rock cut airchitectur an watter conduit seestem. Established sometime aroond the 6t century BC as the caipital ceety o the Nabataeans,[2] it is a seebol o Jordan as well as its maist visitit tourist attraction.[2] It lees on the slope o Munt Hor[3] in a basin amang the muntains that form the eastren flank o Arabah (Wadi Araba), the lairge valley runnin frae the Deid Sea tae the Gulf o Aqaba. Petra haes been a UNESCO Warld Heritage Steid syne 1985.
The steid remained unkent tae the Wastren warld till 1812, when it wis introducit bi Swiss splorer Johann Ludwig Burckhardt. It wis describit as "a rose-red ceety hauf as auld as time" in a Newdigate Prize-winnin poem bi John William Burgon. UNESCO haes describit it as "ane o the maist precious cultural properties o man's cultural heritage".[4] Petra wis chuisen bi the BBC as ane o "the 40 places ye hae tae see afore ye dee".[5]