Entrance to Petra
Entrance to Petra Petra, situated about 46 miles (74 km) south of the Dead Sea in the ancient region of Edom, is often identified with the biblical Sela. Petra was the capital city of the Nabatean kingdom. The Nabateans clashed with such Jewish rulers as Alexander Jannaeus and Herod the Great. By political maneuvering, they extended their kingdom as far as Damascus. Aretas IV, who ruled the city when Paul first visited there, was Nabatean. 2 Kgs 14:7–10, Isa 16:1, 2 Cor 11:32–33