Hidden by time and shifting sand, petra tells of a lost civilization Little is known about the nabateans—a nomadic desert people whose kingdom rose up from these cliffs and peaks, and whose. Petra, ancient city, center of an arab kingdom in hellenistic and roman times, the ruins of which are in southwest jordan The city was built on a terrace, pierced from east to west by the wadi musa (the valley of moses)—one of the places where, according to tradition, moses struck a rock and water gushed forth. Carved into soft stone cliffs, the ancient sandstone city of petra was built in the 3rd century bc by the nabataeans Wadi musa is a jordanian city and the center of petra district in ma'an governorate
But no matter how much you read about petra, or see pictures of it, that first glimpse of the lost city of the nabateans will take you by surprise. Petra was founded over 2000 years ago along the ancient trade routes between arabia, egypt, and the mediterranean sea As a center for trade, the capital became very wealthy and powerful The busy city was bustling with life, full of lush gardens, ornate houses, and markets loaded with exotic goods from india, arabia, and egypt. It is one of the world's most famous archaeological sites, where ancient eastern traditions blend with hellenistic architecture. H idden in the rugged desert canyons of jordan lies one of the world’s most spectacular archaeological mysteries—petra
