FYI, what is known today as "Petra" (which just means "rock") is an ancient "city" (though no one ever lived there - kinda like Wall Street or Washington DC - it was just a huge cluster of temples that the Nabatean people built for their pagan gods)

But what's so remarkable about Petra is that the entire city was carved out of this exquisite ravine of sandstone rock. The HUMONGOUS and elaborate carvings that the Nabatean people did centuries ago are still gorgeous today. All the stone is natural, and all the carvings are done out of the solid rock walls - nothing is overlaid. It's amazing that so many things are still standing.