الْبَتْرَاء
al-batrāʔfeminine
petra in Arabic is الْبَتْرَاء (al-batrāʔ). Wiktionary also lists الْبَتْرَا (al-batrā) and بَتْرَا (batrā).
Meaning: an ancient city and archaeological site in Jordan (name)
Ways to say it
| Arabic | Romanization (Wiktionary) | Note |
|---|---|---|
| الْبَتْرَاء | al-batrāʔ | feminine |
| الْبَتْرَا | al-batrā | feminine |
| بَتْرَا | batrā | feminine |
The word refers to the ancient city and archaeological site located in Jordan.
Which one should you use?
The form الْبَتْرَاء includes the definite article 'al-' and is the standard way to refer specifically to the archaeological site. Other variants include الْبَتْرَا and بَتْرَا.
How does it change in a sentence?
The form with the definite article الْبَتْرَاء is used to denote the specific, well-known site.
How do you pronounce it?
al-batrāʔ
Did you know?
- In Arabic, the word بَتْر also means 'to cut' or 'to amputate', which mirrors how the city was physically carved out of the sandstone cliffs.
- While the name الْبَتْرَاء is Arabic, the people who built the city spoke Nabataean, an Aramaic dialect that is a close linguistic relative of Arabic.
- The city is often referred to in Arabic as المدينة الوردية, which means 'The Rose-Red City', due to the distinctive color of the stone.
Examples in context
- زرتُ مدينة بترا الأثرية الجميلة في الأردن.I visited the beautiful archaeological city of Petra in Jordan.
- تعد بترا واحدة من عجائب العالم القديم.Petra is one of the wonders of the ancient world.
- زُرْتُ الْبَتْرَاءَ فِي الصَّيْفِ.zurtu al-batrā'a fī aṣ-ṣayf.I visited Petra in the summer.
- الْبَتْرَاءُ مَدِينَةٌ جَمِيلَةٌ جِدًّا.al-batrā'u madīnatun jamīlatun jiddan.Petra is a very beautiful city.
Example conversation
Youssef and Layla are discussing travel plans over coffee.
- يوسف Youssefهَلْ تُرِيدِينَ السَّفَرَ إِلَى الْبَتْرَاء؟hal turīdīna as-safara ilā al-batrā'?Do you want to travel to Petra?
- ليلى Laylaنَعَمْ، أَنَا أُحِبُّ الْبَتْرَاءَ كَثِيرًا.na'am, ana uḥibbu al-batrā'a kathīran.Yes, I love Petra very much.
- يوسف Youssefسَأَحْجِزُ التَّذَاكِرَ لَنَا غَدًا.sa'aḥjizu at-tadhākir la-nā ghadan.I will book the tickets for us tomorrow.
- ليلى Laylaهَذَا رَائِعٌ يَا يُوسُفُ!hādhā rā'i'un yā yūsufu!That is wonderful, Youssef!
Sources
- Wiktionary, “petra” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
