Jordan, Asia
The Treasury (Al Khazeh), Petra
The Treasury (Al Khazeh), Petra
This beautiful ancient structure in Petra, Jordan, was carved into the sandstone cliffs by the Nabataean Arab Kingdom during the second century A.D., and became part of UNESCO's World Heritage sites in 1978.
The towering architecture likely began as a temple for the Nabatean King at the time, Aretas IV. Centuries later it became known as Al Khazeh, The Treasury, as it was believed the decorative stone feature on the second level resembled a treasure containing urn. However, not all that glitters is gold, and the feature is actually solid sandstone.
On top of being one of the most popular tourist attractions of Jordan, Al Khazeh is renowned for appearing in the adventure film ‘Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade’.
Photo by Alex Karl