24 Facts About Petra

Petra, originally known to its inhabitants as Raqmu or Raqemo, is a historic and archaeological city in southern Jordan.

Petra flourished in the 1st century AD, when its famous Al-Khazneh structure – believed to be the mausoleum of Nabataean king Aretas IV – was constructed, and its population peaked at an estimated 20, 000 inhabitants.

Petra's importance declined as sea trade routes emerged, and after an earthquake in 363 destroyed many structures.

Famous for its rock-cut architecture and water conduit system, Petra is called the "Rose City" because of the colour of the stone from which it is carved.

Petra is a symbol of Jordan, as well as Jordan's most-visited tourist attraction.

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The theatre was one of many structures in Petra that took significant damage due to the 363 Galilee earthquake.

Petra Pool and Garden Complex is a series of structures within the city center.

Petra is listed in Egyptian campaign accounts and the Amarna letters as Pel, Sela or Seir.

Edomite site excavated at the top of the Umm el-Biyara mountain at Petra was established no earlier than the seventh century BC.

Current evidence suggests that the Nabataean name for Petra was Raqemo, variously spelled in inscriptions as rqmw or rqm.

An old theory held that Petra might be identified with a place called sela in the Hebrew Bible.

Petra's visit, however, did not lead to any boom in development and new buildings as it did in Jerash.

Emperor Elagabalus declared Petra to be a Roman colony, when he reorganised the Roman Empire towards the end of the 3rd century.

Petra declined rapidly under Roman rule, in large part from the revision of sea-based trade routes.

The old city of Petra was the capital of the Byzantine province of Palaestina III and many churches from the Byzantine period were excavated in and around Petra.

Petra is not mentioned in the narratives of the Muslim conquest of the Levant, nor does it appear in any early Islamic records.

Ruins of Petra were an object of curiosity during the Middle Ages and were visited by Baibars, one of the first Mamluk sultans of Egypt, towards the end of the 13th century.

Petra then dressed himself up as a local, and only spoke in Arabic, bringing a goat with him with the intent of sacrificing it in honor of Aaron's Tomb.

Petra explained that the local folklore says it was created by the wand of Moses, when he struck the rock to bring forth water for the Israelites.

The stele is horned and the seal from the Edomite Tawilan near Petra identified with Kaush displays a star and crescent, both consistent with a moon deity.

Recently, Petra has been put forward as the original "Mecca" by some in the revisionist school of Islamic studies, owing to claims of large numbers of independent pieces of evidence, namely that the early original mosques faced Petra, not Jerusalem or Mecca, as the direction of Muslim prayer, the Qibla.

The start of Christianity in Petra started primarily in 330 AD when the first Christian Emperor of Rome took over, Constantine I, otherwise known as Constantine The Great.

Petra began the initial spread of Christianity throughout the Roman Empire.

Petra is a site at the intersection of natural and cultural heritage forming a unique cultural landscape.