Petra, Jordan. One of the seven modern
wonders of the world.
Petra is known as the 'Rose City' due to the color of stone from which it is carved, which dates back thousands of years.
It was once a thriving trade center and the capital of the Nabataean Empire between 400 B.C. and 106 A.D. At its height, there was a population of over 20,000.
It is comprised of hundreds of tombs, houses, a theatre that could fit more than 3000 people, temples, obelisks, and altars where animals were sacrificed to calm the angry gods or ask them for favors. The entrance to the city is through a very narrow path about 1m wide with a cliff on each side, and the first thing you see when you enter is the carved Treasury.
For 700 years, the city was literally forgotten until the archaeologists began expeditions to find the lost city of Petra. In 1929, a four-person team of British archaeologists excavated and surveyed the city. They are still excavating and uncovering more and more about the city today.
Petra is one of the seven modern wonders of the world and the city in which Indiana Jones hunted for the Holy Grail in the movie Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, further popularizing the city.