PETRA (Jordan)
Lying in a desert valley that runs to the Dead Sea, the one-time trading hub at Petra was occupied for centuries, but the most striking buildings date only to the 1st century CE, when it boasted 20,000 inhabitants. Abandoned over time, it was brought to world attention in 1812, and today is Jordan's most-visited tourist attraction.
(Image courtesy Wikimedia Commons; CTTO)
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