Nabatean Theatre

The Nabatean Theatre cuts directly into the rose-red sandstone of the mountain, rather than standing as a built structure. Carved in the first century during the reign of Aretas the fourth, the auditorium held up to eight thousand spectators. When the Romans took control of the region, they expanded the seating capacity by slicing through existing burial chambers, destroying the tombs to make room for more stone benches. You can still see the jagged edges where the wall cuts through those ancient graves.