Jordan Destinations

Petra

Magnificent Petra: Exploring the Treasury, Forgotten Canyons, and Ancient Secrets

Petra is magnificent, mysterious, and always thrilling. Two thousand years ago, the Nabataean carved a city out of the Rose-Red Rock and built an empire based on advanced agricultural techniques and control of area’s strategic trade routes. Petra was protected for several hundred years by a ring of impenetrable mountains, breached only by the kilometer-long fissure through the mountains known as the Siq ( AL Siq ). When the Romans finally captured Petra in 106 AD, it was a large, thriving, and beautiful city. An overnight stay at Petra is recommended for those who have the time to see the city’s most important monuments. These include:

Al Khazneh

The Treasury (Al Khazneh):
The first monument you encounter as you reach the end of the Siq and enter the city proper.

Ed Deir

The Monastery (Ed Deir):
An numerous temple situated in a hillside at the end of an hour’s hike.

The Royal Tombs

A row of six carved monuments from the 1st to 5th.
Centuries, along the inside face of Petra’s eastern monuments.

The High Place of Sacrifice

At the end of a 45-minute hike above the theater, still shows the altar and drains for the blood of scarified animals. The path down from the high place passes by a series of important tombs and monuments.
Half an hour north of Petra by a paved road is the “Suburb” of al Barid, a miniature Petra with a small Siq, carved tombs and monuments, and some painted ceilings. Near Barid is the village of Beidah, where humankind made the transition some 10,000 years ago from nomadic hunter-gatherer to settled villager, plant cultivator, and animal domestication.

Petra By Night

To visit Petra during daylight is awe-inspiring; to experience it at night by the light of 1,800 candles is truly out-of-this-world! Walk through the Siq to the Treasury (Al-Khazneh) following a candle-lit path and enjoy the haunting music of the Bedouins at the Treasury. Tours start at 8.30 pm and finish at 10.00 pm every Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday. Allow yourself plenty of time to walk through the Siq – you don’t want to miss the show!

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