Ancient city of Petra, Jordan. Aerial 360 video

Petra, Jordan, one of the New Seven Wonders of the World. We invite you on a virtual journey to Petra, the ancient and mysterious city in Jordan. Since the 2nd millennium BC Petra had been the capital of the Nabataean Kingdom and the intersection of the main commercial routes between the East and the West. Here we are, in front of Al-Hazna mausoleum that was built by one of the Nabataean kings for himself. Many kings wished to be buried in Petra and their wish came true. We are approaching one of the royal tombs, the Urn Tomb. In the 5th century this mausoleum was turned into a church. Among other royal tombs there is the Silk Tomb, named for the rich colour of the sandstone. The Corinthian and the Palace Tombs, they were built at the end of the Nabataean period, in the 1st century AD. Look at the small cavities in the rocks, these are tombs too. Officials, ministers and other kings' confidants were buried here. This stone tomb complex was named the Street of Facades. The main part of the city covered around 3 square kilometres. At the time of its prosperity Petra was full of life. Its population was around 20,000 people. Now we are approaching the majestic amphitheatre. This is the evidence that Petra wasn't always the city of the dead. In 106 AD Petra became a Roman colony and just imagine how this theatre gathered 8,000 people to see gladiator fights, races and other entertainments. To save the water in this dry area, people carved canals right in the cliffs. Let's get back to Alhazna. It is also called Treasury for a reason. According to a legend, the treasure of the Egyptian pharaoh is hidden here. Let's have a closer look at the facade of Alhazna. The 40-metre tall mausoleum is decorated with a fancy pattern. On the urn you can see bullet marks left by Bedouins who tried to get the legendary treasures at the beginning of the 20th century. To reach Petra one has to walk through the long Sig gorge and for 2,000 years this route has not changed. Just like tourists enter the city nowadays, in the past ancient caravans arrived in the oasis after an exhausting journey. The only difference is the distance of this way. The modern visitor is brought to the gorge by a car while thousands of years ago the transportation was camels. Only they could cross the Arabian desert to enter the Nabataean capital, one of the most powerful states of that time that was created by an Arab nomadic tribe, the Nabataeans. An hour walk from here, there is a well-preserved temple Adder. To get here, you have to pass 800 stair steps. The temple is almost 50 meters tall and fully carved out of the rock. Have a closer look at Adder, the way no one has seen it before. No tombs were found in the temple, so historians consider it to be the place for solemn gatherings. In the 4th century it became a Christian monastery. A series of earthquakes destroyed a major part of Petra and people finally abandoned it in the 7th century. Now Petra is one of the most famous architectural monuments. Thousands of tourists come here to see this wonder of the world. If you ever happen to come here, don't forget to visit the night show with candles in front of Al-Hazneh. It is an unforgettable sight.