Archaeologists have discovered a tomb beneath the ancient, imposing Al Khazneh in Petra, Jordan.

Long before it appeared in Stephen Spielberg's 1989 blockbuster Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, Al Khazneh (The Treasury) was carved by hand into the pink sandstone cliffs of the first-century B.C. city of Petra. Carved.

The 40 meter dash (The 131-foot-tall Al Khazneh and the city in which it lies were declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1985 and added to the list of New seven wonders of the world in 2007.

Okay, what did they find?

In August, a team of Jordanian and U.S. archaeologists discovered a hidden tomb containing 12 complete skeletons and a trove of bronze, ceramic and iron artifacts.

According to the researchers, one of the skeletons was holding a ceramic cup, similar to the Holy Grail chalice in the Spielberg film.

What don't you think?!

One of the excavation leaders, Pearce Paul Creasman, was keen to limit reports of the discovery of a chalice, telling Al Jazeera: “Not a chalice. A jug.

“But it bore an uncanny resemblance to the Indiana Jones movie prop when it was unearthed! In daylight it is a normal ceramic vessel, as we might expect in Petra.”

Buuuuh! How was the grave discovered?

In contrast to the ornate exterior facade, Al Khazneh's interior consists of a simple main chamber and three antechambers.

In 2003, two graves containing partial skeletons were unearthed to the left of the main chamber, leading researchers to speculate that additional graves may exist in the area.

After receiving permission from the Jordanian government to explore the site, researchers used advanced remote sensing instruments to locate the newly discovered tomb.

Who were the 12 skeletons?

Nobody really knows.

According to Tim Kinnaird of the University of St Andrews School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, who studied the find, “the tomb was most likely built as a mausoleum and crypt in the Nabataean Kingdom at the beginning of the first century AD for Aretas IV Philopatris.” (Nabataean king from around 9 BC to 40 AD).

“As with many graves in the valley, few remains have been found in the tombs due to their subsequent use and reuse over the past two millennia.

“It's fantastic that we now have the pottery, ecofacts and sediments that are in place by the time Treasury is built… having a definitive date will be a monumental achievement for all of us.”

What is the Nabataean Kingdom?

Nobody really knows much about the Nabataeans. However, they are believed to have made significant advances in engineering, particularly water management and, as Petra proves, architecture,

Before being invaded by the Roman Empire around 106 AD, the Nabataean Kingdom had been in power since at least 312 BC. An important Arab kingdom in parts of what is now Jordan and Israel.

The then capital, Petra, controlled many of the region's most important trade routes, connecting the Arabian Peninsula, Egypt and the Mediterranean.

So was Al Khazneh the Nabataean treasury?

It could have been, but there is no real evidence of it. Many contemporary researchers believe that the building may have been a mausoleum.

The name Al Khazneh or Khaznet al-Faroun came from the local tribesmen's belief that the urn visible at the top of the facade contained untold Egyptian treasure.

According to legend, when the Egyptian Pharaoh escaped Moses' closure of the Red Sea with part of his army, he magically created Al Khazneh as a safe place for his treasure.

The urn is actually carved from solid sandstone, but that didn't stop local men from riddling the sculpture with bullets in the hopes of releasing the treasure inside.

Is there more to Petra than just Al Khazneh?

The majority of the city remains underground, according to archaeologists such as Zeidoun Al-Muheisen from Jordan's Yarmouk University, who has been excavating Petra since 1979.

Above ground there are a number of temples and tombs that reveal themselves to people entering the city via the natural and winding narrow rock opening known as the Siq.

So there's more beneath Petra's sands?

“Yes, there is more to discover,” Creasman told Al Jazeera.

“We have not yet completed the excavation of the tomb itself… there is still a lot more work left.

“Many of the secrets of the Nabataeans remain preserved in the sands of Petra.”