PETRA JORDAN

Petra Greek: Πέτρα, “Rock“ originally known to its inhabitants as Raqmu or Raqēmō, is a historic and archaeological city in southern Jordan. Famous for its rock-cut architecture and water conduit system, Petra is also called the “Rose City“ because of the colour of the sandstone from which it is carved. The walking through this amazing rock formations is absolutely breathtaking. The area around Petra has been inhabited from as early as 7000 BC, and the NABATAEANS might have settled in what would become the capital city of their kingdom as early as the 4th century BC Archaeological work has only discovered evidence of Nabataean presence dating back to the second century BC, by which time Petra had become their capital. The NABATAEANS were nomadic Arabs who invested in Petra's proximity to the incense trade routes by establishing it as a major regional trading hub. It has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1985. UNESCO has described Petra as “one of the most precious cultural properties of man's cultural heritage“. In 2007, Petra was voted one of the NEW 7 WONDERS of the WORLD. Petra is a symbol of Jordan, as well as Jordan's most-visited tourist attraction. Tourist numbers peaked at 1.1 million in 2019, marking the first time that the figure rose above the 1 million mark. Tourism in the historical city was hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic, but soon after started to pick up again, reaching 905,000 visitors in 2022.