The Al-Khazneh (the Treasury) in Jordan's ancient city of Petra was lit up by candles last night to mark the World Heritage Day.

The celebration this year was different from all the other years. There were no tourists or visitors in the city to join the celebration in line with the defence orders issued to curb the spread of coronavirus.

Petra, like the rest of the tourist sites in the world, was affected by the lockdown imposed in the Kingdom due to the COVID-19 crisis, as it was completely closed to visitors.

The International Day for Monuments and Sites also known as World Heritage Day is observed on April 18th each year around the world.

The day was first observed in 1982 and it encourages people to celebrate all the world's cultures, to bring awareness to important cultural monuments and sites and to espouse the importance of preserving the world’s cultures.