What is "petra"

n. stone, a weight equal to 14 pounds.

Petra ( Arabic: البتراء, Al-Batrāʾ; Ancient Greek: Πέτρα), originally known to the Nabataeans as Raqmu, is a historical and archaeological city in southern Jordan. The city is famous for its rock-cut architecture and water conduit system. Another name for Petra is the Rose City due to the color of the stone out of which it is carved.

Established possibly as early as 312 BC as the capital city of the Arab Nabataeans, it is a symbol of Jordan, as well as Jordan's most-visited tourist attraction. The Nabateans were nomadic Arabs who benefited from the proximity of Petra to the regional trade routes, in becoming a major trading hub, thus enabling them to gather wealth. The Nabateans are also known for their great ability in constructing efficient water collecting methods in the barren deserts and their talent in carving structures into solid rocks. It lies on the slope of Jebel al-Madhbah (identified by some as the biblical Mount Hor) in a basin among the mountains which form the eastern flank of Arabah (Wadi Araba), the large valley running from the Dead Sea to the Gulf of Aqaba. Petra has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1985.

The site remained unknown to the western world until 1812, when it was introduced by Swiss explorer Johann Ludwig Burckhardt. It was described as "a rose-red city half as old as time" in a Newdigate Prize-winning poem by John William Burgon. UNESCO has described it as "one of the most precious cultural properties of man's cultural heritage". Petra was named amongst the New7Wonders of the World in 2007 and was also chosen by the Smithsonian Magazine as one of the "28 Places to See Before You Die".

Petra is an archeological site in Jordan.

Petra or Petria may also refer to:

Petra is a music group regarded as a pioneer of the Christian rock and contemporary Christian music genres. Formed in 1972, the band took its name from the Greek word for "rock". Though they disbanded formally in 2006, incarnations of Petra have played reunion shows in the years since and released an album in November 2010. In 2013, the band returned from retirement with a new drummer Cristian Borneo and recorded a new song titled "Holy is Your Name", as well as going back on tour.

With a style initially similar to The Eagles and Lynyrd Skynyrd, Petra's sound evolved into a more energetic, driving rock sound in the early 1980s akin to Foreigner, Styx and Journey. Throughout the 1980s and into the early 1990s, Petra was one of the world's most popular Christian rock bands, with each of its albums during that period selling hundreds of thousands of copies while the band sold out arenas and regularly placed songs at the top of Christian radio charts. With its lyrics, music and style, Petra influenced numerous other artists at a time when Christian rock experienced strong opposition from many conservative pastors and churches.

In more than three decades, the band experienced numerous lineup changes yet released 20 studio albums, as well as three Spanish-language and two live albums, selling nearly 10 million copies while being nominated for 13 Grammy Awards, winning four, and winning 10 Dove Awards. Its biggest hit, "The Coloring Song," reached the top position on three Christian radio charts simultaneously, and at its peak, the band's tours rivaled Amy Grant's in popularity among Christian audiences. Petra was the first rock band inducted into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame and the first Christian band whose memorabilia was included in the Hard Rock Cafe restaurant chain.

The band announced its retirement in 2005, launching a farewell tour that was recorded for release on CD and DVD. Petra's 33-year career ended with a performance in the early hours of January 1, 2006, in Murphy, North Carolina. However, the band has continued to perform sporadically since then. In November 2010, an incarnation of the band's mid-1980s lineup surfaced under the name Classic Petra. They released a CD titled Back to the Rock featuring two new songs as well as re-recordings of hits from that era. The band released a companion live CD and DVD in 2011.

Petra is a fictional character appearing in the comic books published by Marvel Comics. Petra first appears in the limited series X-Men: Deadly Genesis #1 (2006), and was created by writer Ed Brubaker and artist Pete Woods. She is one of the "Missing X-Men". The word "petra" means "rocky" in Latin, and "stone" in Greek.

Petra is a feminine given name. It is a feminine form of Peter, which is derived from the Greek word "petros" meaning "stone, rock". It is also a common first name in Germany, Serbia, Croatia, Hungary, Finland, Macedonia, the Czech Republic, Slovenia and Slovakia.

Petra is a sculpture made in 2010 by the German artist Marcel Walldorf. It is a lifelike representation of a policewoman in riot control gear squatting down and urinating. Although controversial for its alleged misogyny, it obtained an award from the Leinemann-Stiftung für Bildung und Kunst in 2011.

Petra is the first studio album by the Christian rock band of the same name. It was released in 1974.

The album features a style bordering between country and Southern rock somewhat similar to The Eagles or Lynyrd Skynyrd, which was the band's trademark during its first years.

The band's debut is more raw than later Petra albums, lacking the refined production values of future releases. It was recorded on a limited budget of $1,000 during the span of 2 weeks. Nevertheless, this first record displays remarkable guitar technique with many dual guitar solos reminiscent of the Allman Brothers, Wishbone Ash, Thin Lizzy, and other bands from the period who employed harmony leads.

Unlike later Petra albums, the band's first release doesn't rely on a separate lead singer. Instead, the lead vocal duties are shared by guitarists Bob Hartman and Greg Hough.