first century AD Nabatean theatre in Petra, Jordan. Substantial part of the theatre was carved out of solid rock, while the scaena and exterior wall were constructed. The theatre's auditorium consists of three horizontal sections of seats separated by passageways and seven stairways to ascend. The theatre could accommodate a number of approximately 8500 people. The theatre was built in the cultural and political apex of the Nabatean kingdom under Aretas IV (9 BC-40 AD), In 1812, the city of Petra and Al-Khazneh was rediscovered by Swiss explorer Johann Ludwig Burckhardt.