the nabataeans in their city of petra, now in jordan, extended the western asian tradition, carving their temples and tombs into the yellowish-orange rock that defines the canyons and gullies of the region. these structures, dating from 1st century bce to about 2nd century ce, are particularly important in the history of architecture given their experimental forms. here too, because the structures served as tombs, the interiors were rather perfunctory. in petra one even finds a theater where the seats are cut out of the rock.