Ad-Deir, Petra, Jordan 22 Jan 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
22 Jan 2024Walton Lighthouse, Santa Cruz, California, USA
22 Jan 2026Karlovy Vary, Bohemia, Czechia

More Desktop Wallpapers:

Stretching to the sky
14 Feb 2024Valentines Day
15 Dec 2025Spiegelgracht canal in Amsterdam, Netherlands
13 Sep 2025Last Night of the Proms
2 Feb 2025Alpine marmot
‘Night shining’ clouds
5 May 2025Brighton Festival
29 May 2024World Otter Day
12 May 2026Atlantic puffins, Wales
Magnificent moss, magnified
4 Nov 2025Tower Bridge, London
29 Oct 2025Ancient til trees in Fanal Forest, Madeira, Portugal
15 Mar 2026Mothering Sunday
Beauty beyond imagination
When landscape met wilderness
22 Sep 2024Autumn equinox
20 Sep 2023Aqueduct, Arkadia Park, Poland
5 Oct 2024Follow the teacher!
1 Feb 2025Königstein Fortress, Saxon Switzerland, Germany
30 Oct 2023Common raven
26 Aug 2026Auroras over Kirkjufell, Iceland
22 Oct 2023Red grouse
Turtle-y nice day for a swim
6 Jan 2024Oud-West neighbourhood, Amsterdam, Netherlands
A longstanding ode to love
The mountains are calling
23 Mar 2025World Meteorological Day
Black sands in a tropical paradise
17 Dec 2025Eurasian red squirrel in Northumberland, England
Clouds dance above Sundance