Petra City – The Red Rose City

Petra city is one of the largest historic and archaeological sites in the world. It is situated between the Red Sea and the Dead Sea in the south of Jordan.

It is also known as the red rose city, due to most of its buildings were established by using red stones. This city is considered a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1985, as UNESCO described Petra city as one of the most precious cultural properties of man’s cultural heritage.

Petra is the Greek name of this city which means the rock or the rocky site, but its original name is Raqmu.

The history of PetraThe great history of this city began at the beginning of the 4th century BC with the Nabataeans as they took it as a capital for their kingdom. They controlled a huge tract of the Middle East from the Levant to the northern Arabian Peninsula.

It is thought that the Nabataeans were nomadic Arabs who exploited the strategic location of this city as it is located close to trade routes. They had skills in harvesting rainwater, agriculture, and stone carving.

Later, the Nabataean kingdom was occupied by the Romans during the first century BC. After that, the trade of the Nabataeans began to wane.

The tourist destinations in Petra Petra is famous for its rock-cut buildings, as it is half-built, half-carved into the rock, as well water conduit system. The buildings of Petra vary between the Nabataean and Greco-Roman architectural styles.

Al-Khazneh (the Treasury) The most famous building in this city is Al-Khazneh structure. Al-Khazneh is an Arabic word meaning treasury. It is believed that Al-Khazneh is dedicated to being the mausoleum of Nabataean king Aretas IV.

Al-Khazneh is considered one of the New Seven Wonders of the World since 2007. You can reach Al-Khazneh through a gorge called the Siq.

Egypt Vacation Tours team allows visiting this red rose city from different cities in Egypt as Taba, Dahab, and Sharm El Sheikh.