Situated between the Red Sea and the Dead Sea and inhabited since prehistoric times, the rock-cut ‘rose city’ was the capital of the Nabatean Empire from around the 1st Century BC. During the Roman times it became a major trade centre for the incense of Arabia, the silks of China and the spices of India, a crossroads between Arabia, Egypt and Syria. Petra is half-built, half-carved into this vibrant red sandstone and is surrounded by mountains riddled with passages and gorges.