Petra Reading Comprehension | Landmark Reading Passages

Explore one of the world’s most remarkable ancient cities with this engaging Petra reading comprehension resource.

Students will learn about Petra in southern Jordan, a spectacular ancient city surrounded by mountains and rose-red sandstone cliffs. The reading passages introduce Petra’s rock-cut monuments, narrow gorges and unique desert landscape.

The resource explores the history of the Nabataeans, the Arab people who developed Petra into a wealthy trading capital more than 2,000 years ago. Students will discover how Petra’s location on important trade routes helped the city prosper through the movement of spices, incense and other valuable goods.

Students will also learn how the Nabataeans used remarkable engineering skills to survive in a dry environment. Channels, dams, cisterns and reservoirs helped collect, control and store water throughout the city.

The passages introduce the Siq, a narrow natural gorge leading into Petra, and Al-Khazneh, the famous monument known as the Treasury. Students will discover that despite its name, archaeologists believe the Treasury was probably built as an important tomb or mausoleum.

The resource also introduces Petra’s later history under Roman rule, its gradual decline and its importance today as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The included comprehension questions encourage students to identify key information, recall historical facts, understand vocabulary and explain why Petra became such an important ancient city.

What’s included:

• Petra reading passages
• Landmark facts and history
• Location in Jordan
• Rose-red sandstone landscape
• Nabataean civilisation
• Petra as a trading capital
• Ancient trade routes
• Rock-cut architecture
• The Siq
• Al-Khazneh / The Treasury
• Petra’s water-management system
• Channels, dams and reservoirs
• Roman period
• UNESCO World Heritage status
• Landmark vocabulary
• Reading comprehension questions
• Written response activities
• Print-and-go worksheets

Perfect for geography lessons, famous landmarks, Jordan studies, Middle East geography, ancient civilisations, archaeology, world cultures, reading comprehension, social studies, homeschool learning, literacy centres and independent work.

Students can build reading comprehension, vocabulary and informational reading skills while discovering how trade, engineering and architecture helped the Nabataeans create one of the ancient world’s most extraordinary cities.

File type: Printable PDF
Preparation: Print and use