Satellite technology has unveiled an enormous, previously undocumented monument hidden beneath the sands of Petra, one of the most famous archaeological sites in the Middle East.
Every year, half a million tourists flock to the impressively preserved remains of the city centre, which was built in the 4th century BC and is partially carved out of the surrounding mountains. However, the archaeological park that surrounds the town encompasses about 102 square miles (264 sq km) and some of this area has not yet been fully investigated.
The structure is described as being roughly the length of an Olympic swimming pool and as wide as two, with remains of pillars and a large staircase suggesting it performed a ceremonial function. While the site has not yet been excavated, pottery found on the surface suggests it dates from Petra's peak in the 2nd century BC.
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Once a bustling trading city belonging to the Arab Nabataean tribe, Petra was abandoned when the Byzantine empire dissolved in the 7th century and was not re-discovered by the wider world until 1812.
"Even after two centuries of fieldwork in Petra and its environs, new discoveries and identification of monumental structures continue to be made," Parcak and Tuttle say in a study published by the American Schools of Oriental Research.
"I've worked in Petra for 20 years, and I knew that something was there," Tuttle told National Geographic. "But it's certainly legitimate to call this a discovery."
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