Petra was known as the "lost city" until August 1812, when Sir Johann Ludwig Burckhardt rediscovered the city during his mission to discover the source of the Niger River. Burckhardt first heard of the “lost city” when he learned that a European explorer had been murdered while searching for Petra. Intrigued by the lost city, Burckhardt went to Eyrie then to Egypt disguised as a Muslim. Upon his arrival, Burckhardt learned Arabic there and studied the Koran and Arabic law. Burckhardt called himself “Sheikh Ibrahim Ibn Abdallah”. Burckhardt traveled through Syria, Lebanon and Egypt with a group of traders. Burckhardt hired a guide to take him to the ruins of Petra under the pretext of sacrificing a goat at the tomb of Aaron, brother of Moses. When Burckhardt arrived in Petra, he was very impressed by the untouched beauty of Petra, but Burckhardt was not able to stay and fully experience Petra, because if he had shown his admiration at the site, his guide would have discovered it and he would have been murdered. Petra only started in 1993 at Brown University. They mainly excavated Byzantine tombs, temples, theaters and churches; Excavations have revealed works of art, frescoes and sculptures that speak volumes about the era. They excavated some unlooted tombs where they found bones, pottery, jewelry, glass, ceramics, oil lamps and perfume bottles. They also found collapsed walls showing evidence of an earthquake. The archaeologist who discovered the site Johann Ludwig Burckhardt was a European who rediscovered the "lost city of Petra". He was the first person from the Western world to enter the city after its abandonment by Crusaders in the 12th century. The city was considered lost because of the archaeological site...... middle of paper .......14 https://www.brown.edu/Departments/Joukowsky_Institute/Petra/excavations/past_excavations.htmlPetra 27.2 .14- http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/326Excavations Discover common life in ancient Petra 27.2.14 http://popular-archaeology.com/issue/september-2012/article/excavations- uncover-common -life-in-antique-petraThe lost city of Petra 27.2.14 - http://www.unmuseum.org/petra.htmThe lost city of Petra 27.2.14 - http://www.youtube.com/ watch?v =mdw0riSQ9eMPetra water works 27.2.14 - http://nabataea.net/waterw.htmlJohann Ludwig Burckhardt facts 4.3.14 http://biography.yourdictionary.com/johann-ludwig-burckhardtJohann Ludwig Burckhardt 4.3.14 http: //www .britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/84956/Johann-Ludwig-Burckhardt jordan 4.3.14 - http://www.visitjordan.com/default.aspx?tabid=63 petra one of the 7 wonders 4.3. 14 - http://www.visitpetra.jo/