Share
twitterlinkedinfacebook
Image 1 of 1
Al-Khaznah or the Treasury, Petra, Jordan<br />
This ancient site, established possibly as early as 312 BCE as the capital city of the Nabataeans, it is a symbol of Jordan. It lies on the slope of Jebel al-Madhbah (identified by some as the biblical Mount Hor) 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.<br />
UNESCO has described it as "one of the most precious cultural properties of man's cultural heritage". Petra was named amongst the New 7 Wonders of the World in 2007 and was also chosen by the Smithsonian Magazine as one of the "28 Places to See Before You Die".