Petra is simply amazing! The 2000 year old city which the ancient Nabataeans carved out of sandstone cliffs has been named one of the New Seven Wonders of the World. It lived up to it's name!
It is not known precisely when Petra was built, but the city began to prosper as the capital of the Nabataean Empire from the 1st century BC. Petra was later annexed to the Roman Empire and continued to thrive until it was destroyed by an earthquake in the 4th century AD (363 AD). Changes in trade routes eventually led to the downfall of the city and it was ultimately abandoned. By the middle of the 7th century AD Petra appears to have been largely deserted and it was then lost to all except local Bedouin from the area.
I may have gone overboard on the number of photos in this gallery but I think these will give you an appreciation for the wonders of this city.