Who built the ancient city of Petra it? What was it used for? And how is it that an entire city became “lost”? Some of the answers remain elusive even to the most avid historians.
Petra is an ancient city carved into red desert cliffs. The city is located in Jordan, 150 miles from Amman (Jordan’s capital). It has been deserted for hundreds of years, but thousands of years ago, the city was thriving. Petra was a powerful trading center with a top-notch location for silk and spice trade routes. It was also the capital of the Nabataean Empire.
The Nabateans were experts in water technology. They constructed tunnels, dams, cisterns, and water chambers, and Petra was a type of oasis to weary travelers in search of water. This brilliant water engineering allowed the Petrans to stay in the city even in periods of drought and to survive flash floods.
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