Only 15-20% of Petra excavated as most remains buried underground. Archaeologists have only excavated 15-20% of Petra, meaning the vast majority remains buried and hidden underground Petra became buried due to millennial-long flash flood runoff accumulations The Nabataeans created a sophisticated water system including rock-cut channels, dams, and water conduits to control and collect rainwater
Most of Petra remains hidden underground. Only about 5% has been excavated—the rest buried beneath millennia of debris and sediment. The ancient Nabataean city engineered a sophisticated water system to control floods and protect its carved caves, including rock-cut channels, dams, and conduits. It took serious ingenuity to excavate enormous caves that still stand after 2,000 years!
Key Facts
- Archaeologists have only excavated 15-20% of Petra, meaning the vast majority remains buried and hidden underground
- Petra became buried due to millennial-long flash flood runoff accumulations
- The Nabataeans created a sophisticated water system including rock-cut channels, dams, and water conduits to control and collect rainwater
- This water system protected the city by diverting floods away from caves
- The water system was established contemporaneously with the carving of large-scale caves at Petra
- Only a sophisticated culture could excavate enormous caves that remained standing after 2,000 years
Related site: Petra — view location, images, and history on the Ancient Nerds map.
Source: New Exciting Underground Discovery at the Treasury of Petra by Curious Being