Petra

Petra is a city located in deep within the deserts of Jordan. Its inhabitants were a group of Arabian nomads called the Nabataeans. They were one of the most civilized people of ancient times.

They led fruitful lives as desert traders; they also erected monumental tombs, memorializing their kings and leaders.

Petra had become an urban center by the end of the first century BC. The city grew along the natural contours of the landscape. The Nabataeans paved the road through the Siq, enabling wheeled vehicles to import locally quarried limestone used in city construction.

As with most other Roman cities, planners did their best to impose an urban grid on this sprawling settlement. The Romans managed to create one straight road along the central marketplace. media type="file" key="petra.wav"