Petra, carved into the sandstone cliffs of southern Jordan by the Nabataeans around the 4th century BC, was largely unknown to the Western world until Johann Ludwig Burckhardt rediscovered it in 1812 by disguising himself as a Muslim pilgrim. Mongolia's bullion and commemorative program of the mid-2000s leaned heavily on UNESCO World Heritage Sites, producing a run of small-format gold issues that circulated more through collector channels than anywhere near their nominal face value.
Petra, carved into the sandstone cliffs of southern Jordan by the Nabataeans around the 4th century BC, was largely unknown to the Western world until Johann Ludwig Burckhardt rediscovered it in 1812 by disguising himself as a Muslim pilgrim. Mongolia's bullion and commemorative program of the mid-2000s leaned heavily on UNESCO World Heritage Sites, producing a run of small-format gold issues that circulated more through collector channels than anywhere near their nominal face value.