A Brief History of Petra, Jordan

For me, Petra is the most mysterious of all the new Seven Wonders of the World. Mostly inspired by the brief appearance of Al-Khazneh (aka The Treasury) on Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, I booked my trip to Jordan on a whim when I was determined to go on my first “adventure trip”. But to be perfectly honest, I knew close to nothing about Jordan (yet alone Petra) at the time! In this post, I give a brief history on Petra, Jordan and the civilization that built this Wonder of the World.

Disclosure: Booking your tour via the links in this guide will earn me a small commission, at no extra cost to you. Earnings will go back to the maintenance of the travel guides provided on The Thrill of Pursuit. Thanks for your support <3 Dominique.

What is Petra?

Petra is so much more than Al-Khazneh. It was the capital city of the Nabataean Kingdom from the 2nd century BC to about 363 AD. Petra is located in the south of present-day Jordan.

The Nabataeans, one of the nomadic tribes that roamed the Arabian Desert, built Petra. Originally, they moved with their herds to wherever water and pasture could be found. The Nabataeans initially struggled to survive in the arid desert climate.

Who were the Nabataeans?

The Nabataean Kingdom existed with that of the Greek, Roman, and Egyptian Empires. At the height of their power, the Nabataeans got so rich from their superior trade knowledge that they were the envy of their neighbours. Yet they were forgotten by history for the longest time.

To this day, we know little about this mysterious society. This is because there are barely any surviving Nabataean literature. We know about them from the ruins of their cities, graffiti, minted coins, pottery, and the historical records of other civilizations.

The Nabataeans excelled in trading. They gained a monopoly on luxury goods in the ancient times. According to a historian from ancient Greece, the Nabataeans kept the origins of their goods and their trade routes as a secret from their trading partners. They often gave false information and spread rumours in order to keep these secrets. At a certain point, the Nabataeans amassed so much wealth that it was impractical for them to keep their nomadic lifestyle. The Nabataeans established settlements in oases throughout the Arabian Desert. Unlike other civilizations, the Nabataean Kingdom didn’t have physical boundaries. It comprised a loosely-controlled trading network of oases.

The rise of Petra… and the Nabataean Kingdom

The Nabataeans founded Petra in the 2nd century BC, strategically choosing its location for proximity to caravan trade routes and a perennial spring. The population rapidly rose to over 20,000. The Nabataeans took advantage of the mountainous terrain around Petra in many ways.

First, they used rock-cut architecture to literally carve the city into the mountains.

Second, the mountainous terrain acted as a natural wall around Petra from enemies and provided protection for centuries.

The Nabataeans also understood the importance of having a reliable water source. They designed a sophisticated system of conduits, dams, and cisterns in Petra. This allowed for the year-round use of rainwater in Petra. The Nabataeans essentially created an artificial oasis at their capital city.

Petra was a metropolis in the middle of the desert that rivalled the great, ancient Greek cities. An ancient Greek influencer even included Petra on their list of must-see cities in the Mediterranean area.

Why was Petra abandoned?

By 106 AD, the Nabataeans lost their independence to the Roman Empire. Petra served as the capital of the newly created Roman province – Arabia Petraea. Petra would continue to prosper for at least another century under Roman control. As sea trade routes emerged during this time, Petra’s importance as a trading hub started to decline and its citizens would gradually leave.

A massive earthquake in 363 would destroy nearly half the city and cripple the vital water management system. Even so, Petra stubbornly continued to flourish as a city. During the Byzantine era, people built several churches in Petra. Papyrus excavated from these Byzantine churches show that Petra was still operating in the 6th century AD.

A series of earthquakes would continue to devastate the city over the next four centuries. By the 8th century, Petra would be completely abandoned.

In the 12th century, the Crusaders fortified the ruins in Petra. They called Petra the “valley of Moses”. This based on the belief that the biblical prophet had passed through here with the Israelites on their way to the Promised Land. Defeated by Saladin in 1189, the Crusaders were forced to abandon Petra.

Late in the 13th century, the ruins of Petra was such an object of curiosity for the Egyptians that the Sultan Baibars visited them. Except for a handful of nomads, the rest of the world would soon completely forget the once-wealthy city of the Nabataeans.

Johann Ludwig Burckhardt

In 1812, a Swiss geographer named Johann Ludwig Burckhardt was passing through modern-day Jordan en route to Cairo. Burckhardt worked for the African Association – a British club dedicated to studying the Niger River and finding Timbuktu – the “lost city” of gold. He was to go on an overland expedition from Cairo to Timbuktu.

The African Association instructed Burckhardt to “maintain a Muslim appearance” for this expedition. During this time, local populations in Africa and the Middle East mistrusted foreigners and were often hostile to them. To prepare for his expedition, Burckhardt moved to Syria to study the Arabic language and the local customs. During his move, Burckhardt learned about the murder of a German explorer who was searching for a lost city called Petra.

Burckhardt lived in Syria for 8 years before embarking on his expedition. During that time he adopted Arab dress, became fluent in Arabic, and went by the name Sheikh Ibrahim Ibn Abdallah. He chose to head over to Cairo via Aqaba. While in Jordan, Burckhardt heard rumours of ruins near the supposed biblical tomb of Aaron (brother of Moses) in Wadi Musa (the “valley of Moses” in English). As the tomb is located in the old Roman province of Arabia Petraea, Burckhardt guessed that the ruins must be the the lost city of Petra.

“Rediscovery” of Petra

Burckhardt hired a local guide on the pretence that he wanted to sacrifice a goat at the tomb of Aaron. On August 12, 1812, the guide led Burckhardt through a 2km narrow, gorge (the Siq) through which Burckhardt became the first modern European to lay eyes on the ancient city of Petra.

“An excavated mausoleum came in view, the situation and beauty of which are calculated to make an extraordinary impression upon the traveller, after having traversed for nearly half an hour such a gloomy and almost subterraneous passage… [G]reat must have been the opulence of a city, which would dedicate such monuments to the memory of its rulers…”

Johann Ludwig Burckhardt in Travels in Syria and the Holy Land

Burckhardt didn’t linger around the ruins for too long. He feared that if he stayed too long, the locals would suspect him of being a treasure-seeking infidel. At that time, the Bedouins at Petra believed the urn at the top of Al-Khazneh (or “The Treasury” in English) was full of treasure belonging to a Pharaoh. Generations of Bedouins have tried to shoot the treasure out of it.

The Resurrection of Petra

Though he suspected that he was at the lost city of Petra, Burckhardt found no proof of this fact. Burckhardt had to leave the site and continue his journey to Cairo. Burckhardt told his friend and fellow explorer, Giovanni Belzoni, about the ruins near the tomb of Aaron. It would ultimately be Belzoni who returns to Petra to excavate Al-Khazneh in 1817. That same year, Burckhardt would pass away in Cairo from dysentery.

During the 19th century, a number of European painters and archaeologists visited Petra to excavate and/or document what they found there. Paintings of the ancient buildings carved into pink sandstone would capture the imagination of Europeans, inspiring one poet to write about the “rose-red city” that is “half as old as time”. The “Rose City” nickname has stuck to this day.

Archaeological research would continue into the 20th century. The discovery of King Tut’s tomb in Egypt would popularize the Middle East as THE adventure vacation destination for Westerners. Though Petra would not reach the same popularity as the more accessible cities like Cairo, adventurous tourists started to trickle in during this time. World events such as the World Wars, the 1948 and 1973 Arab-Israeli conflicts, and the Arab Spring in the early 2010s interrupted progress on the site.

For more information, check out – 10 Essential Tips for Travelling to Petra, Jordan

Modern-day Petra

In 1985, the Jordanian government started the UNESCO designation application process for Petra. During this time, authorities forcibly resettled the Bdoul Bedouins who were living in the ancient caves and tombs of Petra. Today, the Bdouls are the only people allowed to work in the park. Petra received its UNESCO designation in 1985, and in 2008, UNESCO inscribed the Bdouls themselves on the Intangible Cultural Heritage list.

In a worldwide vote in 2007, people chose Petra as one of the new Seven Wonders of the World. Petra is a perfect testament of human ingenuity and accomplishment. Its location in one of the most awe-inspiring places on Earth only adds to its allure. It is easy to see how this monument has captured the imaginations of multiple generations and why it continues to be the most-visited attraction in Jordan.

If you like this post, checkout A Brief History of Machu Picchu

Like it? Pin it!

How much did you know about the Petra, Jordan and its history? Were there any interesting facts that I missed? Let me know in the comments below!