Petra

The next wonder on this list earned its name from its unique red color - Petra (meaning "Rose City"). This is an astonishing historical and archeological city adjacent to the mountain of Jabal Al-Madbah, in a basin surrounded by mountains forming the eastern flank of the Arabah valley, and situated about 150 miles south of both Jerusalem and Amman, the capital of Jordan, and about midway between Damascus, Syria, and the Red Sea. Petra is thought to be established as the capital, and also a trading post by the Nabataean, an Arab Bedouin tribe indigenous to the region. The trading business gained the Nabataeans considerable revenue and Petra became the focus of their wealth. Petra flourished in the 1st century AD, and its population peaked at an estimated 20,000 inhabitants.

People can access the city through a 1.2-kilometer-long gorge called the Siq, which leads directly to the Khazneh. Famous for its rock-cut architecture and water conduit system, Petra is also called the "Rose City" because of the color of the stone from which it is carved. But one of the main things that Petra is most known for is its Hellenistic architecture. The facades of the tombs in Petra display this type of architecture and it also grants reflection on the different types of cultures that the Nabataeans traded with. Most of these contain small burials and niches that are carved into the stone.

Ever since Johann Ludwig Burckhardt aka Sheikh Ibrahim had re-discovered the ruined city of Petra in 1812, the cultural heritage site has attracted different people who shared an interest in the ancient history and culture of the Nabataeans such as travelers, pilgrims, painters, and savants. Nowadays, the city is a symbol of Jordan, as well as Jordan's most-visited tourist attraction. And UNESCO has described Petra as "one of the most precious cultural properties of man's cultural heritage".

With its mysterious and out-of-this-world beauty, Petra also appeared in many famous Hollywood films such as Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, Arabian Nights, Passion in the Desert, Mortal Kombat: Annihilation, Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger, The Mummy Returns, Krrish 3, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, etc.

Official name: Petra; Originally Raqmu or Raqēmō
Situated in: Jordan
Built in: 5th century BC
Built by: The Nabataean
Designated by UNESCO: 1985