The 7 World wonders -Part 1-

photo by yaatra on Flickr

Petra (Greek "πέτρα" (petra), meaning rock; Arabic: البتراء, Al-Batrāʾ) is a historic and archaeological city in the Jordanian govern orate of Ma'an that is renowned for its rock cut architecture and water conduits system. Constructed around 100 BC as the capital city of the Nabataeans , it is now the most famous symbol of Jordan as well as it's most visited tourism attraction. It lies on the slope of 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 was chosen as one of the New Seven Wonders of the World in 2007 and also a World Heritage Site since 1985. Petra was also chosen by the BBC as one of "the 10 places you have to see before you die".

The site remained unknown to the Western world until 1812, when it was introduced to the West by Swiss explorer Johann Ludwig Burckhardt. It was famously described as "a rose-red city half as old as time" in a Newdigate Prize-winning sonnet by John William Burgon. UNESCO has described it as "one of the most precious cultural properties of man's cultural heritage."

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