"Petra," Jordan

Wonders of Asia, "Petra," Jordan

• The mysterious rock cut city of Petra is located deep in the Jordanian Desert. Once a prosperous city, the site bears witness to the time when the Nabateans were the most powerful tribe in all of the near east.​​
• ​​The rock city of Petra can only be reached through the gorge called the Siq. 

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• When traveling through it, take the advice of an old Bedouin guide: "Start early along your way, for the path through the gorge is long and difficult, and the wonder of the treasury is best experienced in the morning light.
• The funerary temple of al Deir is the largest structure in Petra. The Hazna al Fir'un, called the "Treasury of the Pharaoh," has a 130-ft-tall facade. 

Important DATES to remember of "Petra", Jordan part of continent Asia. ​

❤️312 BCE: Alexander the Great's general Antigonos I led and unsuccessful campaign against the Nabateans at Petra.
❤️Ca. 169 BCE: King Aretas I reigned.
❤️Ca 120-96 BCE: Reign of King Aretas II
❤️87-62 BCE: Reign of King Aretas III, who expanded his "caravan state" by conquering Damascus.
❤️62 BCE:  Nabatea became a vassal of Rome
❤️106 CE: Emperor Trajan incorporated the territory into the Roman province of Arabia Petraea, naming Bosra its capital city.
❤️1170-1188: The crusaders occupied and fortified parts of Petra during the First Crusade in the early 12th century, but abandoned the fortifications in 1170-1189.
❤️1217: Last mention of Petra in a Western manuscript.
❤️1812: J. L. Burckhardt rediscovered Petra
❤️1985: Petra was named a World Cultural Heritage site by UNESCO

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