Uploaded July 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Journey inside Petra's ancient city in this brand NEW history documentary.
History Hit’s Tristan Hughes travels to the magnificent ancient wonder of Petra - a once thriving city now abandoned in the middle of the desert. From advanced engineering to beautiful rock cut tombs, we uncover the reality of Petra and the fascinating civilisation that built it, the Nabataeans.
00:00 Introduction
02:06 Finding the lost city of Petra
03:42 Decoding the Al-Khazneh and King Aretas IV
06:21 Inside the Treasury
08:02 The City of Petra
10:06 How camels built a trade empire
12:03 What goods were traded in antiquity?
15:18 The mysterious origins of the Nabataeans
18:52 How Petra mastered water in the desert
23:27 Defending the kingdom from ancient superpowers
25:32 Entertainment and Greco-Roman culture
28:10 Exploring a luxury Nabataan mansion
31:16 Rock-cut tombs and burial traditions
36:57 Deities, sacred betyls, and the Nabataean language
40:51 Mountaintop rituals and sacred altars
43:47 The Roman conquest and the decline of Petra
#Petra #AncientHistory #Archeology #Petra
You can now become a History Hit member right here on YouTube! Join for access to a new exclusive documentary every week, and access to over 160+ of our documentaries presented by world-renowned historians like Dan Snow, Eleanor Janega, Tristan Hughes, Mary Beard, Matt Lewis and more.
Get an exclusive release every week by signing up here: youtube.com/channel/UCZwU2G-KVl-P-O-B35chZOQ/join
Journey inside Petra's ancient city in this brand NEW history documentary.
History Hit’s Tristan Hughes travels to the magnificent ancient wonder of Petra - a once thriving city now abandoned in the middle of the desert. From advanced engineering to beautiful rock cut tombs, we uncover the reality of Petra and the fascinating civilisation that built it, the Nabataeans.
00:00 Introduction
02:06 Finding the lost city of Petra
03:42 Decoding the Al-Khazneh and King Aretas IV
06:21 Inside the Treasury
08:02 The City of Petra
10:06 How camels built a trade empire
12:03 What goods were traded in antiquity?
15:18 The mysterious origins of the Nabataeans
18:52 How Petra mastered water in the desert
23:27 Defending the kingdom from ancient superpowers
25:32 Entertainment and Greco-Roman culture
28:10 Exploring a luxury Nabataan mansion
31:16 Rock-cut tombs and burial traditions
36:57 Deities, sacred betyls, and the Nabataean language
40:51 Mountaintop rituals and sacred altars
43:47 The Roman conquest and the decline of Petra
#Petra #AncientHistory #Archeology #Petra
You can now become a History Hit member right here on YouTube! Join for access to a new exclusive documentary every week, and access to over 160+ of our documentaries presented by world-renowned historians like Dan Snow, Eleanor Janega, Tristan Hughes, Mary Beard, Matt Lewis and more.
Get an exclusive release every week by signing up here: youtube.com/channel/UCZwU2G-KVl-P-O-B35chZOQ/join
