Qasr Al-Bint Firaun, Temple of Dushrat, Petra, Jordan, 2006 (photo)

Built of sandstone blocks, this temple was the most important temple in the city of Petra, probably dedicated to the Nabataean god Dushrat (Dushares). A flight of 22 white marble steps leads to a recessed portico with four columns. The portico then opens into the main chamber of the temple, in the opposite wall of which are three openings. The central opening is topped by an arch. Both the internal and external walls were covered with plaster. On the east facade the relief stucco work forms a frieze of pilasters further decorated with bas-relief panels. The temple is popularly known by its Bedouin name as the Qasr al-Bint Firaun ('The Palace of Pharaoh's Daughter'). The Nabataean city of Petra in Jordan was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1985.