When you entered Petra through the long and narrow gorge that protected the entrance, the glimpse of the carved tomb we know as the Treasury (1st century AD) would be the first impression of the city you’d get. The awe-striking effect still works after almost 2k years, even though… [1280×527] [OC]

…the ground floor is now buried under 6 yards of sand and rocks carried by the wind and the floods across the centuries.

The Nabataeans, a nomadic people, settled in area around Petra in the 4th century BC. Two centuries later, Petra had grown to be the capital city of their Kingdom. The Nabataeans invested in Petra’s proximity to the incense trade routes by establishing it as a major regional trading hub, which gained them considerable revenue. Unlike their enemies, the Nabataeans were accustomed to living in the barren deserts and thus were able to defend their kingdom. They were particularly skillful in agriculture, stone carving, and rainwater harvesting.

Petra flourished in the 1st century AD, when the Treasury, possibly the mausoleum of Nabataean king Aretas IV, was constructed, and its population peaked at an estimated 20,000 inhabitants. The kingdom fell to the Romans in 106 AD, who annexed and renamed it Arabia Petraea. Petra continued thriving under the Roman empire for a while, but its relevance started to decline as sea trade routes emerged. The decline accelerated in 363, after an earthquake destroyed many critical infrastructures, mainly their water conduction system and flood protection systems.

In the Byzantine era, several Christian churches were built, but the city continued to decline, and, by the early Islamic era, it was abandoned except for a handful of nomads. It remained unknown to the western world until 1812, when Swiss traveler Johann Ludwig Burckhardt rediscovered it.

The colors of the Treasury vary enormously throughout the day. It shows these orange tones we see in the picture when it is lit by the reflection of the sunlight from the opposite gorge wall.

I left a deeper description of the Treasury façade in two parts [here ](https://www.reddit.com/r/ArtefactPorn/comments/1nylptp/description_of_the_fa%C3%A7ade_of_the_royal_tomb_of/)and [here](https://www.reddit.com/r/ArtefactPorn/comments/1nylq25/description_of_the_fa%C3%A7ade_of_the_royal_tomb_of/).

As usual, my apologies for inaccuracies and mistakes.