The spectacular sandstone city of Petra was built in the 3rd century BC by the Nabataeans, who carved palaces, temples, tombs, storerooms and stables from the soft stone cliffs.

The breathtaking city of Petra in modern-day Jordan was built by the Nabataeans, an industrious and nomadic Arab people who settled in the region in the 4th century BC. While the area had been inhabited much earlier, it was the Nabataeans who transformed the rugged desert landscape into a thriving, "high-tech" metropolis. They are most famous for their incredible rock-cut architecture, including the iconic "Treasury" (Al-Khazneh) and the "Monastery," which were carved directly into the rose-colored sandstone cliffs. Beyond their artistic skill, the Nabataeans were master water engineers; they developed a sophisticated network of dams, terracotta pipes, and cisterns that allowed them to sustain a population of 30,000 in a desert that receives less than six inches of rain annually. Their strategic location at the crossroads of major incense and spice trade routes between the Mediterranean and the East made them incredibly wealthy. Although the city was eventually annexed by the Roman Empire in 106 AD, the primary "Rose City" that captivates millions of tourists today is the enduring legacy of Nabataean ingenuity.