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The monumental theater at the end of the Street of Facades’ necropolis gives the visitor an overwhelming proof that Petra was also a true "city of the living". Thousands of people used to gather here to attend cultic or cultural performances. Hewn directly from the rock of the Jabal al-Madhbah, the theater’s semicircular auditorium (cavea) could seat up to eight thousand spectators.
Stonemasons’ marks on column drums uncovered by Philip C. Hammond during his excavations led him to date its construction to the early first century AD, when Petra witnessed an architectural boom under the Nabataean King Aretas IV. After the Roman annexation in 106 AD, the theater was enlarged slicing trough some older tombs, remains of which can be seen on the smoothed rock face in the back.
The informative photo tours introduce the highlights of ancient Petra, show hidden details and recommend lesser known routes.
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