The city of Petra, capital of the Nabataean Arabs, is one of the most famous archaeological sites in the world. Located at a distance of 262KM to the south of Amman, Petra is the most important site and tourism attraction in Jordan, visited by tourists from all over the world. Petra is a unique example of an astonishing ancient civilization: more than 2,000 years ago, the Nabataean Arabs perfectly carved this Nabataean city of Petra into the mountains, rendering it now one of the seven wonders of the world. Petra was discovered in 1812 by the Swedish explorer Johan Ludwig Burckhardt during his expedition, which was funded by the British Royal Geographical Society, in the Levant, Egypt and the Arabian Peninsula. It was also described by the English poet Bergen as the unique, astonishing Eastern city. The Nabataean Kingdom flourished to reach the north-west of the Arabian Peninsula where the city of Madian Saleh lies; and further extended its influence to the Red Sea shores of Sinai and the Horan Fields in Syria to Damascus. The Nabataean Kingdom along with its capital Petra was surrounded by many ancient kingdoms and civilizations including the Pharaohs to the west, Tadmor to the north, and Mesopotamia to the east. The Nabateans were famous for their advanced irrigation systems and water harvesting mechanisms.
