In 1812, a disguised Swiss traveller named Johann Ludwig Burckhardt became the first European in centuries to see Petra, and he had to pretend he didn’t care.
Burckhardt had spent three years in Aleppo mastering Arabic and Islamic law to pass as an Arab merchant, all so he could reach Timbuktu, a city no European had reached and returned from alive. Petra was never the goal.
It was a detour, reached on a rumour from classical geography and a false pilgrimage vow. Inside the Siq, with his guide watching for exactly the reaction he couldn’t afford to show, Burckhardt stood in front of one of the ancient world’s great monuments and had to look unimpressed. His guide’s suspicion nearly ended the visit early. Burckhardt never reached Timbuktu.
He died in Cairo five years later, still waiting.
This is the story of the discovery he wasn’t trying to make.
Want to learn more? Read the Petra Guide
REMARKABLE PLACE.
Visiting Petra: The Nabataeans' Lost Capital
Explore Petra’s history, archaeology and remarkable rock-cut architecture. Walk through tombs, temples and facades carved directly into sandstone, discover how the Nabataeans engineered a thriving desert city with no permanent river, and plan your visit to one of the world’s most extraordinary archaeological sites. Combining history with practical visitor information, our guide reveals not only what happened here, but why Petra continues to captivate millions of visitors every year.
