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{{About|the Jordanian site of Petra}}
{{Infobox Historic Site
| name = Petra
| image = Al Khazneh.jpg
| caption = The Treasury at Petra
| location = [[Ma'an Governorate]], [[Jordan]] 
| lat_degrees = 30
| lat_minutes = 19
| lat_seconds = 43
| lat_direction = N
| long_degrees = 35
| long_minutes = 26
| long_seconds = 31
| long_direction = E
| coord_parameters = region:JO-MN_type:landmark
| locmapin = Jordan
| built = 1200 BC<ref name="kinghussein.gov.jo">[http://www.kinghussein.gov.jo/tourism6d.html Petra]</ref>
| elevation = {{convert|810|m|abbr=on|0}}
| beginning_label = Settled
| beginning_date = 7000 BC<ref name="kinghussein.gov.jo"/>
| architect= 
| architecture= 
| area = 
| visitation_num = 580,000
| visitation_year = 2007
| governing_body = Petra Region Authority
| designation1 = WHS
| designation1_date = 1985 <small>(9th [[World Heritage Committee|session]])</small>
| designation1_type = Cultural
| designation1_criteria = i, iii, iv
| designation1_number = [http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/326 326]
| designation1_free1name = State Party
| designation1_free1value = Jordan
| designation1_free2name = Region
| designation1_free2value = [[List of World Heritage Sites in the Arab States|Arab States]]
| designation1_free3name = 
| designation1_free3value = 
| designation2 = 
| designation2_offname = 
| designation2_date = 
| designation2_number =
| designation3 = 
| designation3_date = 
| designation3_free1name = website
| designation3_free1value = {{URL|http://www.petrapark.com/}}
| designation4 = 
| designation4_date = 
| designation4_type = 
}}

'''Petra''' ([[Greek language|Greek]] "πέτρα" (petra), meaning ''rock''; [[Arabic language|Arabic]]: البتراء, ''Al-Batrāʾ'') is a [[History|historical]] and [[Archaeology|archaeological]] city in the [[Jordan]]ian governorate of [[Ma'an Governorate|Ma'an]] that is famous for its [[rock cut architecture]] and water conduits system. Established sometime around the 6th century BC as the capital city of the [[Nabataeans]],<ref name="Jordan Tourism board">[http://www.visitjordan.com/Default.aspx?Tabid=63 Major Attractions: Petra], visitjordan.com</ref> it is a symbol of Jordan as well as its most visited tourist attraction.<ref name="Jordan Tourism board" /> It lies on the slope of [[Mount Hor]]<ref name="WebsterNinthNewCollege">Mish, Frederick C., Editor in Chief. “Petra.” ''[[Webster's Dictionary#Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary|Webster’s Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary]]''. 9<sup>th</sup> ed. Springfield, Massachusetts: [[Merriam-Webster]] Inc., 1985. ISBN 0-87779-508-8</ref> in a [[Depression (geology)|basin]] among the mountains which form the eastern flank of [[Arabah]] (Wadi Araba), the large valley running from the [[Dead Sea]] to the [[Gulf of Aqaba]]. Petra has been a [[UNESCO]] [[World Heritage Site]] since 1985.

The site remained unknown to the [[Western world]] until 1812, when it was introduced by [[Switzerland|Swiss]] explorer [[Johann Ludwig Burckhardt]]. It was described as "a rose-red city half as old as time" in a [[Newdigate Prize]]-winning poem by [[John William Burgon]]. UNESCO has described it as "one of the most precious cultural properties of man's cultural heritage."<ref name="unesco">[http://whc.unesco.org/archive/advisory_body_evaluation/326.pdf UNESCO advisory body evaluation]</ref> Petra was chosen by the [[BBC]] as one of "the 40 places you have to see before you die".<ref>Davey, Steve. [http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/bbcworldwide/worldwidestories/pressreleases/2003/12_december/places_to_see.shtml "Unforgettable Places To See Before You Die"], BBC, 12 December 2003.</ref>

==Geography==
[[Pliny the Elder]] and other writers identify Petra as the capital of the Nabataeans and the center of their [[camel train|caravan]] trade. Enclosed 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]]. 

Excavations have demonstrated that it was the ability of the Nabataeans to control the water supply that led to the rise of the desert city, creating an artificial [[oasis]]. The area is visited by [[flash flood]]s and archaeological evidence demonstrates the Nabataeans controlled these floods by the use of [[dam]]s, [[cistern]]s and water conduits. These innovations stored water for prolonged periods of [[drought]], and enabled the city to prosper from its sale.<ref>[http://nabataea.net/waterw.html Petra: Water Works<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref><ref>[http://www.agiweb.org/geotimes/june04/feature_petra.html Geotimes — June 2004 — Petra: An Eroding Ancient City<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>
[[File:Al Khazneh 01.jpg|thumb|left|The end of the [[Siq]], with its dramatic view of [[Al Khazneh]] ("The Treasury")]]
[[File:Karta Petra.PNG|thumb|400px|Map of Petra]]
Although in ancient times Petra might have been approached from the south on a track leading around Jabal Haroun ("Aaron's Mountain"), across the plain of Petra, or possibly from the high plateau to the north, most modern visitors approach the site from the east. The impressive eastern entrance leads steeply down through a dark, narrow gorge (in places only {{convert|3|–|4|m|abbr=on}} wide) called the ''[[Siq]]'' ("the shaft"), a natural geological feature formed from a deep split in the [[sandstone]] rocks and serving as a waterway flowing into [[Wadi Musa]]. At the end of the narrow gorge stands Petra's most elaborate ruin, [[Al Khazneh]] (popularly known as "the Treasury"), hewn into the sandstone cliff. 

A little further from the Treasury, at the foot of the mountain called ''en-Nejr'', is a massive theatre, so placed as to bring the greatest number of tombs within view. At the point where the valley opens out into the plain, the site of the city is revealed with striking effect. The [[amphitheatre]] has been cut into the hillside and into several of the tombs during its construction. Rectangular gaps in the seating are still visible. Almost enclosing it on three sides are rose-coloured mountain walls, divided into groups by deep fissures, and lined with knobs cut from the rock in the form of towers.

== History ==

[[File:Petra Church.jpg|thumb|Byzantine mosaic in the Byzantine Church of Petra]]
Evidence suggests that settlements had begun in and around Petra in the [[eighteenth dynasty of Egypt]] (1550-1292 BC). It is listed in Egyptian campaign accounts and the [[Amarna letters]] as Pel, Sela or Seir. Though the city was founded relatively late, a sanctuary existed there since very ancient times. Stations 19 through 26 of the [[Stations of the Exodus|stations list]] of [[Book of Exodus|Exodus]] are places associated with Petra.<ref>*25. Mithcah - Nu. 33:28-29 associated with Petra on the borders of Moab and Edom near Petra.
*26. Hashmonah - Nu. 33:29-30 Ha Shmona Kiryat Shmona South
*27. Moseroth - Nu. 33:30-31 described as the place where [[Aaron]] died at the foot of Mt Hor (Petra)
*28. Bene-Jaakan - Nu. 33:31-32 the wells of Jaakan Near Mt Hor (Petra)
*29. Petra - Nu. 33:32-33 Siq The cleft of the mountain, the entrance to Petra</ref>
This part of the country was [[Bible|Biblically]] assigned to the [[Horites]], the predecessors of the [[Edom]]ites.<ref>[[Book of Genesis|Genesis]] xiv. 6, xxxvi. 20–30; Deut. ii. 12.</ref> The habits of the original natives may have influenced the Nabataean custom of burying the dead and offering worship in half-excavated caves. Although Petra is usually identified with [[Sela (Edom)|Sela]] which  means a ''rock,'' the Biblical references<ref>[[Book of Judges|Judges]] i. 36; [[Book of Isaiah|Isaiah]] xvi. i, xlii. 11; Obad. 3.</ref> refer to it as "the cleft in the rock", referring to its entrance. The second book of [[Books of Kings|Kings]] xiv. 7 seems to be more specific. In the parallel passage, however, Sela is understood to mean simply "the rock" (2 [[Books of Chronicles|Chronicles]] xxv. 12, see LXX).

On the authority of [[Josephus]] (''[[Antiquities of the Jews]]'' iv. 7, 1~ 4, 7) [[Eusebius of Caesarea|Eusebius]] and [[Jerome]] (''Onom. sacr.'' 286, 71. 145, 9; 228, 55. 287, 94) assert that '''Rekem''' was the native name and ''Rekem'' appears in the [[Dead Sea Scrolls]]<ref>4Q462</ref> as a prominent Edom site most closely describing Petra and associated with [[Mount Seir]]. But in the [[Aramaic language|Aramaic]] versions Rekem is the name of [[Kadesh (Israel)|Kadesh]], implying that Josephus may have confused the two places. Sometimes the Aramaic versions give the form ''Rekem-Geya'' which recalls the name of the village El-ji, southeast of Petra.{{Citation needed|date=March 2009}} The [[Semitic]] name of the city, if not Sela, remains unknown. The passage in [[Diodorus Siculus]] (xix. 94–97) which describes the expeditions which [[Antigonus I Monophthalmus|Antigonus]] sent against the Nabataeans in 312 BC is understood to throw some light upon the history of Petra, but the "petra" referred to as a natural fortress and place of refuge cannot be a proper name and the description implies that the town was not yet in existence.

The only place in Petra where the name "Rekem" occurs was in the rock wall of the Wadi Musa opposite the entrance to the Siq. About twenty years ago the Jordanians built a bridge over the wadi and this inscription was buried beneath tons of concrete.<ref>Iain Browning, Petra, Chatto & Windus, 1974. p. 108. On page 109 there is a line drawing of the inscription, but the photograph is my own and the observation concerning the burial is also mine, based on some fifteen visits to Petra over the last 30 years.</ref>

More satisfactory evidence of the date of the earliest Nabataean settlement may be obtained from an examination of the tombs. Two types have been distinguished: the Nabataean and the [[Greco-Roman world|Greco-Roman]]. The Nabataean type starts from the simple [[Pylon (architecture)|pylon-tomb]] with a door set in a tower crowned by a parapet ornament, in imitation of the front of a dwelling-house. Then, after passing through various stages, the full Nabataean type is reached, retaining all the native features and at the same time exhibiting characteristics which are partly [[Egypt]]ian and partly [[Ancient Greece|Greek]]. Of this type there exist close parallels in the tomb-towers at el-I~ejr in north Arabia, which bear long Nabataean inscriptions and supply a date for the corresponding monuments at Petra. Then comes a series of tombfronts which terminate in a semicircular arch, a feature derived from north [[Syria]]. Finally come the elaborate façades copied from the front of a [[Roman temple]]; however, all traces of native style have vanished. The exact dates of the stages in this development cannot be fixed. Few inscriptions of any length have been found at Petra, perhaps because they have perished with the [[stucco]] or cement which was used upon many of the buildings. The simple pylon-tombs which belong to the pre-Hellenic age serve as evidence for the earliest period. It is not known how far back in this stage the Nabataean settlement goes, but it does not go back farther than the 6th century BC. 
[[File:Jordan-Petra.jpg|thumb|upright|Urn Tomb]]
A period follows in which the dominant civilization combines Greek, Egyptian and Syrian elements, clearly pointing to the age of the [[Ptolemaic dynasty|Ptolemies]]. Towards the close of the 2nd century BC, when the Ptolemaic and [[Seleucid Empire|Seleucid]] kingdoms were equally depressed, the Nabataean kingdom came to the front. Under [[Aretas III|Aretas III Philhellene]], (c.85–60 BC), the royal coins begin. The theatre was probably excavated at that time, and Petra must have assumed the aspect of a [[Hellenistic Greece|Hellenistic]] city. In the reign of [[Aretas IV Philopatris]], (9 BC–40 AD), the fine tombs of the el-I~ejr [?] type may be dated, and perhaps also the great High-place. 

===Roman rule===
In 106 AD, when [[Aulus Cornelius Palma Frontonianus|Cornelius Palma]] was governor of Syria, that part of [[Arabian Peninsula|Arabia]] under the rule of Petra was absorbed into the [[Roman Empire]] as part of [[Arabia Petraea]], becoming capital. The native dynasty came to an end, but the city continued to flourish. A century later, in the time of [[Alexander Severus]], when the city was at the height of its splendor, the issue of coinage comes to an end. There is no more building of sumptuous tombs, owing apparently to some sudden catastrophe, such as an invasion by the neo-[[Iran|Persia]]n power under the [[Sassanid Empire]]. Meanwhile, as [[Palmyra]] ([[floruit|fl.]] 130–270) grew in importance and attracted the Arabian trade away from Petra, the latter declined. It seems, however, to have lingered on as a religious centre. A [[Petra Roman Road|Roman road]] was constructed at the site. [[Epiphanius of Salamis]] (c.315–403) writes that in his time a feast was held there on December 25 in honor of the virgin [[Khaabou]] (Chaabou) and her offspring [[Dushara]] (''Haer.'' 51).{{Citation needed|date=December 2007}}

===Decline===
[[File:Petra-Roman-Aqueduct.jpg|thumb|The narrow passage (Siq) that leads to Petra]]
Petra declined rapidly under Roman rule, in large part from the revision of sea-based trade routes. In 363 an earthquake destroyed many buildings, and crippled the vital water management system.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9D03E3DF143EF934A25753C1A9659C8B63 | work=The New York Times | title=ART REVIEW; Rose-Red City Carved From the Rock | first=Grace | last=Glueck | date=2003-10-17 | accessdate=2010-05-22}}</ref> The ruins of Petra were an object of curiosity in the [[Middle Ages]] and were visited by [[Sultan]] [[Baibars]] of Egypt towards the end of the 13th century. The first European to describe them was Johann Ludwig Burckhardt in 1812.

Because the structures weakened with age, many of the tombs became vulnerable to thieves, and many treasures were stolen.

===T.E. Lawrence (Lawrence of Arabia)===
In October, 1917, Lawrence, as part of a general effort to divert Turkish military resources away from the British invasion of North Africa, led a small force of Syrians and Arabians in defending Petra against a much larger combined force of Turks and Germans. The Bedouin women living in the vicinity of Petra and under the leadership of Sheik Khallil's wife, were recruited to fight in the defense of the city. The defenders were able to completely decimate the Turkish/German forces.<ref>Thomas, Lowell, ''With Lawrence in Arabia'', The Century Co., 1924, pps. 219-229</ref>

===Religion===
[[File:PetraAmphitheatre.jpg|thumb|The Theatre]]
The Nabataeans worshipped the [[Arab people|Arab]] [[God (male deity)|gods]] and [[goddess]]es of the [[Pre-Islamic Arabia|pre-Islamic]] times as well as a few of their [[Apotheosis|deified]] kings. One, [[Obodas I]], was deified after his death. Dushara was the main male god accompanied by his female trinity: [[Al-‘Uzzá]], [[Allat]] and [[Manāt]]. Many statues carved in the rock depict these gods and goddesses.

The Monastery, Petra's largest monument, dates from the 1st century BC. It was dedicated to Obodas I and is believed to be the symposium of Obodas the god. This information is inscribed on the ruins of the Monastery (the name is the translation of the Arabic "[[Ad Deir]]").

[[Christianity]] found its way to Petra in the 4th century AD, nearly 500 years after the establishment of Petra as a trade center. [[Athanasius of Alexandria|Athanasius]] mentions a bishop of Petra (Anhioch. 10) named [[Asterius of Petra|Asterius]]. At least one of the tombs (the "tomb with the urn"?) was used as a church. An inscription in red paint records its consecration "in the time of the most holy bishop Jason" (447). After the [[Islam]]ic conquest of 629–632 Christianity in Petra, as of most of Arabia, gave way to Islam. During the [[First Crusade]] Petra was occupied by [[Baldwin I of Jerusalem|Baldwin I]] of the [[Kingdom of Jerusalem]] and formed the second [[fief]] of the [[barony]] of [[Al Karak]] (in the lordship of [[Oultrejordain]]) with the title ''Château de la Valée de Moyse'' or Sela. It remained in the hands of the [[Franks]] until 1189. It is still a [[titular see]] of the [[Catholic Church]].<ref>{{CathEncy|wstitle=Petra}}</ref>

According to Arab tradition, Petra is the spot where [[Moses]] ([[Islamic view of Moses|Musa]]) struck a rock with his staff and water came forth, and where Moses' brother, [[Aaron]] ([[Islamic view of Aaron|Harun]]), is [[Tomb of Aaron|buried]], at [[Mount Hor]], known today as Jabal Haroun or Mount Aaron. The Wadi Musa or "Wadi of Moses" is the Arab name for the narrow valley at the head of which Petra is sited. A mountaintop shrine of Moses' sister [[Miriam]] was still shown to pilgrims at the time of [[Jerome]] in the 4th century, but its location has not been identified since.<ref>[http://www.sacredsites.com/middle_east/jordan/petra_ruins.htm Sacred Sites: Petra]</ref>
== Threats to Petra ==
The site suffers from a host of threats, including collapse of ancient structures, erosion due to flooding and improper rainwater drainage, weathering from salt upwelling, improper restoration of ancient structures, and unsustainable tourism.<ref>[http://www.international.icomos.org/risk/2004/jordan2004.pdf Icomos.org], Heritage at Risk 2004/2005: Petra</ref> The latter has increased substantially, especially since the site received widespread media coverage in 2007 during the controversial [[New Seven Wonders of the World]] Internet and cell phone campaign.<ref>{{cite news
|url=http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2007-11/03/content_7006318.htm
|title=Heritage Conservation Grips Jordan's Petra Amid Booming Tourism
|publisher=Xinhua
|date=November 3, 2007
}}</ref>

In an attempt to reduce the impact of the prior mentioned threats, Petra National Trust (PNT) was established in 1989. Over this time, it has worked together with numerous local and international organizations on projects that promote the protection, conservation and preservation of the Petra site.<ref>[http://www.petranationaltrust.org/UI/ShowContent.aspx?ContentId=1 Petra National Trust-About]</ref>

==Petra today==
On December 6, 1985, Petra was designated a World Heritage Site. 

In 2006 the design of a Visitor Centre began. ''[[The Jordan Times]]'' reported in December 2006 that 59,000 people visited in the two months October and November 2006, 25% fewer than the same period in the previous year.<ref>[http://www.jordanembassyus.org/12152006002.htm 31,926 tourists visit Petra last month<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>

== In popular culture ==
Petra was the main topic in John William Burgon's Poem ''Petra''. Referring to it as the inaccessible city which he had heard described but had never seen. The Poem was awarded the  [[Newdigate Prize]] in [[1845]] :

{{cquote|It seems no work of Man's creative hand,
by labour wrought as wavering fancy planned;
:But from the rock as if by magic grown,
eternal, silent, beautiful, alone!
:Not virgin-white like that old Doric shrine,
where erst Athena held her rites divine;
:Not saintly-grey, like many a minster fane,
that crowns the hill and consecrates the plain;
:But rose-red as if the blush of dawn,
that first beheld them were not yet withdrawn;
:The hues of youth upon a brow of woe,
which Man deemed old two thousand years ago,
:match me such marvel save in Eastern clime,
a rose-red city half as old as time.}}

The site is featured in [[film]]s such as: ''[[Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade]]'', ''[[Arabian Nights (1942 film)|Arabian Nights]]'', ''[[Passion in the Desert]]'', ''[[Mortal Kombat: Annihilation]]'', ''[[Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger]]'', and ''[[Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen]]''. It was recreated for the video games ''[[Spy Hunter (2001 video game)|Spy Hunter (2001)]]'', ''[[King's Quest V: Absence Makes the Heart Go Yonder!|King's Quest V]]'', ''[[Lego Indiana Jones]]'' and ''[[Sonic Unleashed]]'' and appeared in the novels ''[[Left Behind]]'',  ''[[Appointment with Death]]'', ''[[Eagle Series|The Eagle in the Sand]]'' and ''[[The Red Sea Sharks]]'', the nineteenth book in ''[[The Adventures of Tintin]]'' series.  It featured prominently in the [[Marcus Didius Falco]] mystery novel ''[[Last Act in Palmyra]]''.

In [[Blue Balliett]]'s novel, ''[[Chasing Vermeer]]'', the character Petra Andalee comes from the site.<ref>{{cite book|last=Balliett|first=Blue|title=Chasing Vermeer: ''Afterwords by Leslie Budnick: Author Q&A''|year=2004|publisher=Scholastic|isbn=0-439-37294-1}}</ref>
In Agatha Christie's, "Appointment with Death" (1938), the mysterious and enigmatic Petra is the setting for a murder mystery featuring Hercule Poirot.

The [[The Sisters of Mercy|Sisters of Mercy]] filmed their popular music video for "Dominion/Mother Russia" in and around Al Khazneh ("The Treasury") in February 1988.

Petra was featured in episode 3 of the 2010 series "[[An Idiot Abroad]]"

==Sister cities==
* {{flagicon|Bulgaria}} [[Plovdiv]], [[Bulgaria]]

==Gallery==
{{Gallery
|title=Views of Petra
|lines=4|File:Petra Jordan BW 36.JPG|alt=|El Deir ("The Monastery")
|File:20100925 petra213.JPG|alt=|The Hadrien Gate and the [[Cardo]] Maximum in Petra
|File:Petra.jpg|alt=|Petra is known as the Rose-Red City for the colour of the rocks in which Petra is carved
|File:Great Temple of Petra 02.jpg|alt=|The Great Temple of Petra
|File:El deir petra 1 1839.jpg|alt=|Ad Deir ("The Monastery") in 1839, by [[David Roberts (painter)|David Roberts]]
|File:20100925 petra023.JPG|alt=|The Petra Visitors Centre in [[Wadi Musa]], the closest town to the historic site
|File:PetraUrgineaMaritima.jpg|alt=|''[[Drimia maritima]]'' bulbs in Petra in early December (2010)
|File:PetraSandStoneRock-cut_tombs.jpg|alt=|[[Sandstone]] Rock-cut tombs ([[Kokh|Kokhim]]) in Petra 
|File:Obelisk Tomb and Triclinium.jpg|alt=|Obelisk Tomb and the Triclinium
|File:Street of Facades, Petra.jpg|alt=|Street of Facades
|File:Silk Tomb, Petra.jpg|alt=|The Silk Tomb
|File:Uneishu Tomb, Petra.jpg|alt=|Uneishu Tomb
}}

==See also==
* [[Mada'in Saleh]]
* [[Ancient Towns in Saudi Arabia]]
* [[List of colossal sculpture in situ]]

== Notes ==
{{Reflist|2}}

== References ==
*{{cite book|last=Bedal|first=Leigh-Ann|title=The Petra Pool-Complex: A Hellenistic Paradeisos in the Nabataean Capital|publisher=[[Gorgias Press]]|location=[[Piscataway Township, New Jersey|Piscataway]], [[New Jersey|NJ]]|year=2004|isbn=1593331207}}
*{{cite web|url=http://www.digitaljournalist.org/issue0607/petra.html|title=The Bedouin Tribes of Petra Photographs: 1986–2003|last=Harty|first=Rosemary|accessdate=2008-07-17}}
*{{cite book|last=Hill|first=John E.|title=The Peoples of the West from the Weilue 魏略 by Yu Huan 魚豢 : A Third Century Chinese Account Composed between 239 and 265 CE|year=2004|quote=Draft annotated English translation where Petra is referred to as the Kingdom of Sifu.|url=http://depts.washington.edu/silkroad/texts/weilue/weilue.html}}
*Paradise, T. R. 2010. “Tourism and Chamber Humidity in Petra, Jordan”. Journal of Architectural Conservation v16.2: 63-79.
*Paradise, T. R. 2011. “Assessment of tomb humidity, tourism policies, and surface recession in Petra, Jordan”. Annals of the Department of Antiquities of Jordan (ADAJ) v.54: 151-174.
*Paradise, T. R. 2005. “Weathering of sandstone architecture in Petra, Jordan: influences and rates” in GSA Special Paper 390: Stone Decay in the Architectural Environment: 39–49. 
*Paradise, T. R. 2002. “Sandsteinverwitterung und ausprägung in Petra, Jordanien”, Zeitscrift für Geomorphologie v.46: 1-17.
*Paradise, T. R. 2002. “Sandstone Weathering and Aspect in Petra, Jordan”, Zeitscrift für Geomorphologie v.46: 1-17.
*Paradise, T. R. 2000. “Architectural Deterioration and Cultural Management Issues in Petra, Jordan: a decade of research” UNESCO International Congress on Culture & Monuments Proceedings (ICCROM), Venice, Italy. 19pp.
*Paradise, T. R. 2000. “Architectural Deterioration and Aspect in Petra, Jordan” American Journal of Archaeology  (AJA).
*Paradise, T. R. 1998. "The Natural History and Landscape of Petra" in Petra's Great Temple (editor Martha Joukowsky) Brown University Press: Providence.
*Paradise, T. R. 1995. "Sandstone Weathering Thresholds in Petra, Jordan" in Physical Geography v.16:205-222.
*Paradise, T. R. 1995. "Deterioration and Weathering of the Roman Theater, Petra, Jordan" in American Journal of Archaeology v.99: 507-508.
*Paradise, T. R. 1994. "Weathering of the Roman Theater in Petra, Jordan" in American Journal of Archaeology v.98: 542-544 (July 1994).
*{{cite book|last=Reid|first=Sara Karz|title=The Small Temple|publisher=[[Gorgias Press]]|location=[[Piscataway Township, New Jersey|Piscataway]], [[New Jersey|NJ]]|year=2006|isbn=1593333390|quote=Reid explores the nature of the small temple at Petra and concludes it is from the Roman era.}}
*Nelson Glueck (1959). Rivers in the Desert. HUC
*{{1911}}

==External links==
{{Commons|Petra}}
{{Commons category|Petra Church}}
*[http://3dtour.ua/tours/2011/petra/index.php?id=62 3D-tour on Petra]
*[http://www.glenndixon.org/The_Lost_City_of_Petra_2.html Video on Petra]
*[http://petrapark.com Petrapark.com], Petra Archaeological Park
*[http://www.smartedaleel.com/allaboutjordan/interactive-jordan/79-interactive-map-of-petra.html Smartedaleel.com], Interactive map of Old Petra
*[http://www.bib-arch.org/e-features/petra.asp Bib-arch.org], "Solving the Enigma of Petra and the Nabataeans", Biblical Archaeology Review
*[http://opencontext.org/projects/A5DDBEA2-B3C8-43F9-8151-33343CBDC857 Opencontext.org], "Petra Great Temple Excavations (Archaeological Data)", Open Context Publication of Archaeological Data from the 1993-2006 [[Brown University]] Excavations at the Great Temple of Petra, Jordan
*[http://www.iconicarchive.ch/sites/overview.php?code=&text=&image=&term=petra&days= Petra iconicarchive] Photo gallery
* [http://www.yairkarelic.com/Albums/Jordan_petra/index.html Petra] - photo gallery

{{New Seven Wonders of the World}}

[[Category:Archaeological sites in Jordan]]
[[Category:Subterranea (geography)]]
[[Category:Populated places along the Silk Road]]
[[Category:Former populated places in Jordan]]
[[Category:Nabataean sites in Jordan]]
[[Category:Petra]]
[[Category:Protected areas established in 1985]]
[[Category:Tourism in Jordan]]
[[Category:World Heritage Sites in Jordan]]
[[Category:Rock-cut tombs]]
[[Category:Cliff dwellings|Petra]]

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[[is:Petra (borg)]]
[[it:Petra (Giordania)]]
[[he:פטרה]]
[[jv:Petra]]
[[ka:პეტრა (იორდანია)]]
[[ku:Petra]]
[[lt:Petra]]
[[li:Petra (historische stad)]]
[[hu:Petra (romváros)]]
[[mk:Петра]]
[[ml:പെട്ര]]
[[arz:بيترا]]
[[ms:Petra]]
[[mn:Петра]]
[[nl:Petra (historische stad)]]
[[ne:पेत्रा]]
[[ja:ペトラ]]
[[no:Petra (Jordan)]]
[[pl:Petra (Jordania)]]
[[pt:Petra]]
[[ro:Petra (oraș antic)]]
[[qu:Petra]]
[[ru:Петра]]
[[sk:Petra (Jordánsko)]]
[[sl:Petra (Jordanija)]]
[[sr:Petra]]
[[sh:Petra]]
[[fi:Petra (kaupunki)]]
[[sv:Petra (stad)]]
[[th:นครเปตรา]]
[[tr:Petra]]
[[uk:Петра]]
[[vi:Petra]]
[[war:Petra]]
[[zh:佩特拉]]