Petra -a City as Old as Time – Part II

The next morning greeted us with golden sunshine spilling over the rose-red city of Petra. What a contrast it was to the previous day ! it was the kind of day that practically begged for adventure. With only a few precious hours before our journey continued towards Aqaba, we set out early, determined to soak in every last bit of magic Petra had to offer.

Samit and I had discovered Petra while watching Steven Spielberg’s ‘Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade’ way back in our college days. Any avid Indiana Jones fan will know who he is. In the movie which came out in 1989, Dr. Henry Walton Jones, Jr., a professor of archaeology ,but popularly known as Indiana Jones, went out to find the Holy Grail- at the fictional ‘Canyon of the Crescent Moon’ located in Hatay, actually a province in Turkey- which in fact was modeled after the majestic Petra. His journey had led him to the lost city of Petra and more specifically to the doors of the Treasury ,the most gorgeous building inside Petra. 30 years back , though a mere image on screen at that time ,this 7th Wonder of the World, had given us goosebumps . But now ,after almost 30 years, to finally see it with our own eyes, after all these years of dreaming, was beyond words. The feeling? Pure magic !!

Wadi Musa or the Valley of Moses

Petra is situated in Wadi Musa or the Valley of Moses, the largest town in the area, predominantly inhabited by the Layathnah Bedouins. It is located in southwestern Jordan, between the Red Sea and the Dead Sea and is surrounded by rosy mountains with innumerous gorges and passages . But more than all these it’s the rock-cut architecture ,the tombs, the temples, the houses and the water conduit system hewn out of these majestic sandstone, dusky, rose -coloured mountains which gives it the nickname Rose City, this timeless beauty and incredible craftsmanship that have put Petra on the global map and made it a true wonder of the world!

The name Petra itself means ‘Rock’ coming from the Arabic ‘Al-Batrā’ and the Ancient Greek ‘Rock’. The Nabateans called the city Raqmu or ‘Raqēmo’. In Arabic it means ‘to mark, to decorate’, probably referring to the famous carved rock façades.

No visit to Jordan is complete without at least three to four days spent exploring the remarkable Ancient City of Petra. This spectacular sandstone city was built in the 3rd century BC by the Nabataeans. Since 1985 it has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site and in 2007 it was listed as one of the new Seven Wonders of the World.

It took us 10 minutes of driving through a steeply inclined ,tortuous road to reach the Main entrance to Petra. Situated just next to the Petra Museum and Visitor’s Centre, the ‘I Love Petra’ sign where everyone posed for a quick photo op gave no indication of what lied ahead. As soon as we entered we were bombarded with curio shops and stall owners eager to sell their ware. I posed in front of a life sized cardboard cut- out of Indiana Jones with whip and all ,just for the fun of it but decided to do any curio shopping on our way back. Though it was still very cold ,the weather was superb with a brilliant sun shining above us, working as a barrier against the chilling winds.

The Main Trail

There are so many things to see inside Petra but its main attractions are mostly the Siq -a narrow gorge through which you have to go to reach the sudden wide expanse where the Treasury is -which again, is the other main attraction. People usually come to see these two attractions. They both lie on the Main Trail which starts from the entrance and ends at the Qasr Bint, way past the ancient City Centre. I’ll explain to you all you can see on the trail in a bit.

This trail is an easy one to do and you see many other tombs and temples on the way. Apart from the Main Trail there are numerous other trails with various degrees of height and length which are for the more adventurous spirited ,which can be arduous and time-consuming, better suited for 3-5 days of exploring with ample physical fitness.(this compared to my own feeble one!)

Highlights of Petra

Some of the highlights of Petra visible from the Main Trail are the Djinn blocks, the Obelisk tombs ,the Dam ,the Treasury, the Street Of Facades , the Royal Tombs , the Theatre, the Colonnaded Streets ,the Nymphaem, the Byzantine church, the Winged Lion temple , the Temenos gate and Qasr al Bint .

Apart from all these ,there are innumerous other relics, including the second most famous monument -the Monastery– which can be seen if you have time in your hands and are inclined to do a lot of hiking. In fact what we are able to see is only 15% of what actually is there in the Petra site . And we ourselves could cover only 5% of that(mostly lying on the Main trail) !! The other 85% is yet to be excavated. Maybe a hundred years from now people will be able to see a lot more than what they can see now.

History of Petra

Before going into details of our walk , a little history of Petra and the Nabateans come into order. Founded around 312 BC, Petra was a great trading center and metropolis, the capital of the Nabatean Kingdom, and had been inhabited since prehistoric times. In fact Petra existed way before the Nabateans made it their kingdom. The area around Petra had been inhabited from as early as 7000 BC, during the Neolithic period ,the Bronze Age and by the Iron Age Edomites. It was way after this that the Nabateans arrived. Then after a long reign of the Nabateans , the Romans took over the city and after their decline the Crusaders and Mamluks-Muslim Arabs . An earthquake destroyed part of the civilization but it was rediscovered in the 19th century. So many civilizations had ruled over Petra but it came to its resplendent height during the Nabatean reign and is littered predominantly with Nabatean relics. After the Crusades the city was unknown to the Western world until it was rediscovered by the Swiss traveler Johann Ludwig Burckhardt in 1812.

Here’s an quick and easy timeline for those who are interested in the origins of Petra but don’t want to go too much into historical details.

Before reaching the Siq -the Bab Al Siq

The first 1 km of walking is pretty straight forward under an open sky. But ancient marvels start to unravel themselves very soon.

The wide walking space starting from the entrance to the Siq is called Bab al Siq .On this path we came across some of the oldest, most unusual burial sites like the Djinn blocks, the Obelisk tombs , the Bab al Siq Triclinium, and the Aslah Triclinium dating back to the 2nd century BC.

Djinn blocks

The first monuments, about 400 metres from the entrance on the right side of the road are the three massive Djinn blocks– absolute square monuments carved out of the rock. Though they are called Djinn blocks they are far from evil- actually representing Nabatean gods. Nabataean gods were in fact, represented as stone blocks.

Obelisk tombs and Bab el-Siq Triclinium

Next came the Obelisk Tomb and the Bab el-Siq Triclinium, both positioned one above the other on the left side of the path. The upper monument, known as the Obelisk Tomb, features four elongated, 6 metres high pyramids or rather Nabatean Nepheshes– obelisk shaped structures with stylized crowns on the top. These are Nabataean symbols supposed to represent the deceased buried below and dedicated to the Nabataean gods Dushara and Al ‘Uzzad .

Below the tomb, there is another canopied façade – the Bab el-Siq Triclinium- which is a dining hall where commemorative dinners were held in honor of gods or ancestors , probably in honor of the persons buried inside.

Aslah Triclinium

Then on the other side opposite to the Obelisk Tombs is the Aslah Triclinium. This triclinium faces the entrance to the Siq and is adorned with 18 niches where offerings to gods were placed and stone benches were carved along three sides. On the back wall there is a recess with an inscription on it dedicated to the god Dushara in the first year of the reign of King Obodas I (around 95 BC). It is the oldest inscription found in Petra which is why this triclinium is so noteworthy.

The Ancient Dam

After seeing the exhibits in the open space of Bab Al Siq we came near the entrance to the Siq. But just before the entrance you come across an ancient dam built in the 1st century BC.

Here after a kilometer long walk we found benches to rest on, toilets to use ,a coffee shop to replenish ourselves and curio shops to buy from – though , I must say ,all were very basic .Don’t expect luxury among the ruins. What goes in the name of washrooms are basically a few portable toilets standing on one side of the road. The coffee cum curio shop consisted of one person juggling between making weak Arabic coffee and selling dusty ,overpriced curios. And there was one rickety wooden bench for people to sit and stretch their legs.

As I had said before the Nabateans were masters in water resource management. Looking at the dam , I couldn’t help but admire the Nabataeans’ genius. When they first made this rocky valley their home, they had to deal with sudden flash floods and the challenge of finding water all year round. So what did they do? They carved an incredible 88-meter tunnel right into the sandstone cliffs and built a massive dam at the Siq’s entrance. This clever system safely redirected floodwaters into reservoirs, canals, cisterns, springs and fountains scattered throughout the city. It’s amazing to think how advanced their water engineering was—especially in the heart of the desert . In 1963 a modern dam has been built on top of the ancient one to stop floodwater from Wadi Musa flow through the Siq .

The Siq

Right in front of the dam is the beginning of the Siq. We looked up to see two huge natural structures cracked in the middle – a narrow path that would lead us inside Petra. It was one of the most intriguing parts of the journey because from here the magical gate way to the Treasury started!

The Siq is a narrow, winding, tunnel-like sandstone gorge that leads to Petra’s Treasury. Just over 1.2 km long and at times only 2 to 3 meters wide, it is flanked by towering 200-meter-high walls. Unlike a canyon carved by water, the Siq is a natural geological fault—a single rock mass split apart by powerful tectonic forces but later on the surfaces were smoothened out by water . In some sections, you can see where the rock patterns on both sides once matched, showing how the mountain was torn in two. The walls almost appear to meet overhead, shutting out the sound and light from outside.

The Siq reminded me of our trip to Antelope Canyon in the USA which is somewhat similar in structure ,shape and colour, though Antelope Canyon was far larger and both above and below ground level.

Walking through the narrow,paved path of the Siq, we came across two fascinating water channels or aqueducts on either side of the path. On one side, there is a clay pipeline once used to carry fresh spring water from Wadi Musa to the ancient city of Petra. On the other side, there’s a stone-covered channel carved directly into the rock face. Along the way, we noticed many faint carved niches and sacred god blocks, known as baetyls. These ancient stone symbols represented the main Nabatean god Dushara and were believed to protect travelers entering and leaving the city.

It was cooler inside the Siq with little to no sunlight entering it ,specially in the places where the Siq narrows down to a few feet width. Again at places where it was wider the colours of the rocks became prettier with a dusky red hue. It was surreal being surrounded by towering rock formations and stunning natural beauty, heightening the suspense, creating a slow, dramatic build-up ,drawing you in with each narrowing twist of the Siq and leading you step by step toward that unforgettable first glimpse of Petra’s crown jewel – the Treasury!!

The Treasury -Al Khazneh

Just when it felt like the long and winding Siq would never end, the rock walls slowly parted to reveal a gradually expanding sliver of sunray through which we witnessed a jaw-dropping view of the Treasury — a moment as cinematic as it gets.

The sunlight filtering through the high cliffs brought out every shade of pink , red and gold of the Treasury. Such a contrast it was from the deep ,dark cavern of the Siq to the blazing building in front of us ! And the sun’s timing seemed to be perfect- never did it shine as brightly as it did at that moment on the magnificent monument!!

One of Petra’s most iconic landmarks, the Treasury wasn’t always known by that name. The title ‘Al Khazneh‘ — Arabic for ‘The Treasury‘ — came about in the early 1800s due to a legend that an Egyptian pharaoh stashed his riches inside the urn at the top. Bedouins even fired bullets at the facade, hoping to break it open, which almost ruined it. In truth, it’s a royal tomb, most likely built during the reign of the Nabatean King Aretas IV in the 1st century AD.

Carved from rose-red sandstone, the structure is 24 meters wide and rises nearly 37 meters tall. The Greek-style pillars, alcoves, plinths and intricate carvings are truly masterpieces of masonry work . Like all the monuments we had seen till now the façade of the Treasury was also decorated with funerary designs and symbols related to the afterlife and death. Excavations in 2003 even uncovered three Nabataean royal tombs beneath the structure dating back to the end of the first century BC. ,confirming its funerary purpose.

To describe it more precisely I had to take Google’s help to understand architectural terminology. The Treasury’s six columns are topped with six Corinthian-style carvings, and above them runs a decorated frieze featuring mythical creatures -winged griffins, and vases, and swirling patterns — all carefully carved in stone by the Nabataeans.

The top of the façade of the Treasury features a broken pediment(triangular like structure) with a round, mini-temple-like structure ( a tholos) set inside that broken pediment adding more grandeur to it. If you look closely ,you’ll see figures like the goddess Isis-Tyche (Isis and Tyche being the Egyptian and Greek goddesses, respectively, of good fortune) in the center surrounded by Amazon warriors with axes over their heads. Near the bottom of the Treasury are the twin Greek gods Castor and Pollux, who protect travellers on their journeys.

The Treasury did somewhat remind me of the Pantheon in Rome. The Treasury’s blend of Egyptian, Greek, and local Nabataean styles tells a story of cultural fusion. Despite centuries of weathering — and bullet holes from treasure seekers — its elegance remains intact.

Outer Siq

The area around the Treasury was wide and sunny, full of tourists ,guides ,police and touts .There are a few tea stalls also selling curios. I know all this ruins the beauty of the place but the Treasury was standing so tall amidst all this it didn’t really matter. And we just kept staring in awe at the Treasury for as long as we wanted. The next one hour was spent just admiring and posing which we didn’t want to stop-just sitting there sipping Jordanian coffee and staring -sigh!!

Most people take golf carts from the entrance ,reach the Treasury and then return the same way, but for the more inquisitive there’s more! Keep walking and you’ll pass the street of facades , the old theatre , and the colonnaded street leading to Qasr al-Bint. You can grab lunch at one of the two cafes nearby — because hiking and marveling at ancient wonders is hard work. Then there’s the hard core adventurers venturing out on all trails and hikes ,specially to the Monastery getting the utmost reward from this. We sort of fell in the middle sticking to the Main Trail but trying to complete it on foot.

Street of Facades

The Outer Siq area is the area which broadens out from the Treasury. After basking in the beauty of the Treasury to our heart’s content we headed towards the Street of Facades a broad street that consists of more than 40 tombs. It’s a dramatic canyon wall lined with dozens of tightly packed tombs, each carved directly into the sandstone cliffs.You see tombs numbered 67 to 70—carved right into the rock. Tomb 67, known as the “Thief Tomb,” gets its nickname from a Bedouin legend about a thief who once hid there.

Just beside it, Tomb 70 stands tall at over 15 meters, with three carved sides and bricked-up crenellations. Its size and position suggest it belonged to someone important.
Across from Tomb 70 are six more tombs, the most striking being Tomb 825. It features unique half-crow steps and an Egyptian-style cornice, and inside, it holds 17 graves and a vaulted recess. The clustered presence of the tombs gave the whole area a mystical vibe, specially in the dying light.

The Theatre

A little further, we soon came into a wide open plain where we saw the ancient Theatre. The theatre,situated at the foot of the mountain called en-Nejr, also dated back to the early first century AD. Petra’s ancient Theatre is one of the city’s most impressive landmarks—not just because of its size, but because it is carved directly into the rock face- the only theatre in the world to be carved so.

Built during the reign of King Aretas IV (4 BC–AD 27), it originally held around 3,000 spectators and was later expanded by the Romans to seat up to 8,500 people.The semi-circular seating area, or cavea, is divided into three sections by walkways and accessed by seven staircases. The Romans added a grand stage wall , complete with niches, columns, and marble decorations—though only fragments remain today.

To build the theater, earlier tombs were carved through, and you can still spot traces of them in the rock face behind the stage. The setting is stunning—surrounded on three sides by rose-colored cliffs that frame the space like a natural amphitheater.
This was once a vibrant cultural hub, hosting poetry, drama, and even gladiator fights. A hidden slot beneath the stage once held a curtain, and archaeologists even discovered a nearly complete statue of Hercules nearby.

Just before you reach the Theater there’s a short uphill trail with a set of steps on the left. These steps are a steep 45-minute climb which lead to the High Place of Sacrifice, a hilltop altar . You get an amazing view of the Royal Tombs from here. Again from here you can go down to the other side of the mountain through the Garden Tomb, the Roman Soldier’s Tomb and the Garden Triclinium – all major attractions of Petra. Of course we didn’t do the climb and stuck to the Main Trail.

The Royal Tombs

On the opposite side of the Theatre are the Royal Tombs, reached by a staircase that climbs up from the valley floor. These impressive tombs are carved into the eastern cliff and include four large mausoleums that most likely belonged to Nabataean royalty or high-ranking elites. Their size and detailed design show a blend of Hellenistic and Eastern styles, all carved with great skill into the rock face.

We saw what little was visible of the tombs from the Main trail but you can hike up to the top to get better views. The four tombs are the Urn Tomb-named for the large urn that crowns its pediment ; the Silk Tomb-named for the rich, swirling colors of the sandstone ; the Corinthian Tomb-almost a tinier version of the Treasury; and the Palace Tomb-because it looks like a multi-storey royal residence.

After the initial excitement of seeing the Treasury started to wear off fatigue started to creep up on us. Apart from the Theatre what we had seen till then made me feel that Petra was nothing but a massive necropolis-what with the tombs and all ! I began to think where did the living people actually live? We hadn’t seen any normal houses like what we had seen in the ruins of Pompeii in Italy.

But that doubt was soon cleared with the last few structures on the Main trail – the Colonnaded street, the Pool and Garden Complex, the Great Temple complex, the Nymphaeum, the Temple of the Winged Lions, Qasr Al Bint ,the Byzantine Church and the Temenos Gate. All of these were in the thriving City Centre – the hub of Nabataean society, where traders, artisans, and families went about their daily routines. All these buildings were hand made and not carved from stone.

Archaeological digs have revealed freestanding stone houses, public buildings, and even multi-storied residences made from mudbrick and stone but the reason for not finding any ordinary houses were that unlike the more durable tombs, these everyday homes didn’t survive after earthquakes in the 4th and 6th centuries.

The Colonnaded Street and Nymphaeum

The Colonnaded Street was like a market area, once Petra’s bustling commercial heart, lined with markets trading goods like frankincense, myrrh, spices, textiles, and semi-precious stones from Arabia, Africa, and India. The paved stretch you see today runs from the Nymphaeum to the Temenos Gate. The Nymphaeum was a water fountain now in rubbles.

The Pool and Garden Complex

The Pool and Garden Complex was Petra’s hidden oasis—an unexpected paradise in the heart of the desert city. It was a sprawling garden rich with greenery, shaded by trees and perfumed by desert blooms, surrounding a massive open-air pool.. At the center of the pool stood an island pavilion, likely used for relaxation or small gatherings, accessible only by bridge or boat. This wasn’t just beauty for beauty’s sake. The entire complex was powered by an ingenious hydraulic system—a network of channels, cisterns, and aqueducts that brought water from nearby springs and reservoirs. More than just a garden, this was a statement of wealth, power, and control over nature.

The Great Temple Complex

Covering a vast 7,560 square meters, the Great Temple is Petra’s largest building.More than a religious space, it likely served as a council chamber or judicial hall, where the city’s leaders gathered for important decisions.Set on elevated terraces and adorned with Corinthian columns and grand stairways, the complex was built to impress. Excavations reveal richly decorated rooms, painted walls, and evidence of water features and a possible stage—hinting at both civic and ceremonial functions.

The Sacred Quarters

Next came the Sacred Quarters of Petra which comprised of the Temenos Gate ,the Temple of the Winged Lions, Qasr al-Bint and the later the Byzanine church.

The Temenos Gate marked the entrance to Petra’s sacred area. With its triple-arched design, it separated the public Colonnaded Street from the religious quarters and was a ceremonial entrance to the Qasr al-Bint Temple.

The Temple of the Winged Lions was dedicated to the goddess Al-‘Uzza. It gets its name from lion-shaped capitals that once decorated its columns.

One of Petra’s best-preserved buildings, Qasr al-Bint , also known as the Palace of the Pharaoh’s Daughter, was most probably Petra’s oldest and most esteemed temple complex. Made of stone rather than carved from rock, it stood at the heart of the sacred area and was probably dedicated to Dushara, the chief Nabataean god.

The 5th-century Byzantine Church is situated on elevated ground and is easily accessible via a short detour from the main path and features beautifully preserved mosaic floors with images of animals, people, and geometric designs. It was part of Petra’s Christian era and also had a baptistery and a small courtyard. Nearby, over 150 carbonized scrolls were found—offering rare insight into life in Byzantine Petra.

The Monastery (Al-Deir)
For those willing to hike farther, the Monastery is a must-see. It’s a strenuous four-hour round-trip trek from the Treasury, perched at the edge of the city. Less crowded but just as grand, Al-Deir offers sweeping views and a quieter glimpse into Nabataean craftsmanship.

An earthquake in AD 555 is the most likely cause of the city’s demise, but thankfully many of Petra’s most impressive structures remain intact, making it a treasure trove of architectural surprise.

Tired from so much walking and covering most of the Main trail we decided to return to our car and head out to our next destination Aqaba.

Petra in popular culture

Some interesting lists for those who want to know more –

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