Known as the Rose City for the color of the timeless sandstone it was carved from, Petra is one of the oldest known human settlements, with its first inhabitants claiming the site as far back as 7,000 BC.
Petra’s iconic carved structures date back almost 2,000 years to the construction of Al-Khazneh, an Arabic name that means “the treasury.” It was actually a mausoleum and meeting place for the Nabataeans, an ancient Arab people whose kingdom existed in what is now present-day Jordan.
The Treasury is a misnomer that was bestowed on the rock-hewn building centuries later, when legends claimed priceless treasures were sealed within. Today, visitors can see bullet holes in the stone from raiders who thought the structure would shatter, leading to an avalanche of gold pouring from the cracks opened by their firearms.
Petra is a UNESCO World Heritage site and is one of the 7 Wonders of the New World. It may be most familiar to movie fans as the site of key scenes in 1989’s Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.
These photos were taken by Brother of Big Buddy (BoBB), who selfishly visited without me and thought he was Indiana Jones as he posed in front of The Treasury atop his camel mount. Thanks for the photos, bro!
Pain In The Bud 
Beautiful photographs. Thank you for posting them!
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Thanks! All the credit goes to my brother, I just rescued the files from an old hard drive and gave them a proper cropping and light balance correction.
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We were there in 1993. It’s an extraordinary structure. We approached it through a narrow, towering canyon, and when the Treasury comes into view it is simply breath-taking. Never seen anything like it before or since. The visit to Petra was tagged on to the end of a trip to Syria, which was also jam-packed with great architecture, though I suspect much of it has not survived the problems that have subsequently engulfed the country. Wouldn’t dare to visit Syria or Jordan these days, but BoBB’s photos have awakened some happy memories. Thank you for sharing.
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You’re extremely well traveled! There’s a name for that winding chasm, which I forget. I should have included some of those photos of it opening up to the Treasury as you described. It really is amazing.
It’s a shame that so much architecture, art and knowledge has been lost to war.
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Travel – planning it, doing it, and looking back on – gave us something to focus on away from work. Sadly those days are over now, but it was fun while it lasted. We even visited all 50 US states!
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You’ve seen more of the US than I have! Well, you still get around the UK, yeah?
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Yep, still loads to see and do in the UK.
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