Although the Nabataean kingdom became a client state of the Roman Empire in the first century BC , it was only in 106 AD that it lost its independence . Petra fell to the Romans , who annexed Nabataea and renamed it as Arabia Petraea . Petra 's importance declined as sea trade routes emerged , and after an earthquake in 363 destroyed many structures . In the Byzantine era several Christian churches were built , but the city continued to decline , and by the early Islamic era it was abandoned except for a handful of nomads . It remained unknown to the world until it was rediscovered in 1812 by Johann Ludwig Burckhardt
earthquake in 363
Galilee earthquake of 363
Petra