Petra

:This article is about the Jordanian site of Petra. For other meanings see Petra (disambiguation)

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Petra (from "petrus", rock in Greek; Arabic: ???????, al-Bitr?) is an archaeological site in Jordan, lying in a basin among the mountains which form the eastern flank of Wadi Araba, the great valley running from the Dead Sea to the Gulf of Aqaba. It is famous for having many buildings and structures carved out of the rock.

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The descriptions of Strabo, Pliny the Elder, and other writers identify Petra as the capital of the Nabataeans and the center of their caravan trade. Walled in by towering rocks and watered by a perennial stream, Petra not only possessed the advantages of a fortress but controlled the main commercial routes which passed through it to Gaza in the west, to Bosra and Damascus in the north, to Aqaba and Leuce Come on the Red Sea, and across the desert to the Persian Gulf.

Greek: The noun Greek refers to:...

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Petra related Images and Photos (experimental)

Petra Nemcova	The Treasury Petra Jordan	Helena Christensen Petra Lindblad Kristen McMenamy	Petra March 7th 1839 Plate 92 from Volume III of "The Holy Land"
The Caves and Tombs of Petra were Carved by the Nabateans over 2000 Years Ago