Ad-Deir, Petra, Jordan Jan 22, 2025

Ad-Deir, Petra, Jordan

Carved into rose-red cliffs, Petra and its crown jewel, Ad-Deir, or "The Monastery," feel like stepping into a real-life Indiana Jones adventure. Tucked in the heart of Jordan"s arid desert landscapes, this ancient city once thrived as the capital of the Nabataean Kingdom in the 2nd century BCE. It was also a hub of the spice trade, connecting distant regions like China, Egypt, Greece and India. The city was abandoned for around 500 years before being rediscovered in 1812, earning it the "Lost City" moniker.

© Punnawit Suwuttananun/Getty Images

palette

Today in History

Hop into Lunar New Year
Jan 22, 2024Walton Lighthouse, Santa Cruz, California, USA

More Desktop Wallpapers:

Spirit of the Puffing Wind
Oct 17, 2024Kochia, Hitachi, Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan
Mar 10, 2025Lion, Queen Elizabeth National Park, Uganda
Want to hang about?
Mar 21, 2025Happy International Day of Forests!
Winter wonderland for your wallet
Jul 23, 2024Methoni Castle, Messinia, Greece
Dec 2, 2024Moose, Denali National Park, Alaska, United States
Jan 21, 2025Eurasian red squirrel
When life imitates art
Purple mountain majesties
The last living fort in India
Apr 12, 2024Arches National Park, Utah, USA
How’s the air up there?
Dec 15, 2023SantaPark, Lapland, Finland
Feb 16, 2025Happy World Whale Day!
Dec 7, 2024Orchha Fort complex, Orchha, Madhya Pradesh
A real fun guy…er, squirrel
Nature at its colorful best
Apr 22, 2024Earth Day
Rising with the sun
Jun 14, 2024Peggys Cove Lighthouse, Canada
Sep 10, 2024Vasco da Gama Bridge, Lisbon, Portugal
Zebras enjoying their day
Mar 9, 2024Bisti/De-Na-Zin Wilderness, New Mexico, USA
Dec 23, 2023Chinstrap penguins
Jun 30, 2024Ubud, Bali, Indonesia
Jun 25, 2024Valley of Fire State Park, Nevada, USA
A city so nice they made it twice
A remote oasis in the Chihuahuan Desert