Temple of Peter Jordan. Ancient city of Petra Jordan city of biblical Moses

Petra is an ancient city, the pearl of Jordan. Located one kilometer from the city of Eilat.

The city of Petra was the capital of the ancient Nabataean state, which arose in the 7th century BC. A significant part of the architectural objects of Petra are carved directly into the red sandstone rocks.

In ancient times, the city was located at the crossroads of important trade routes, which ensured its prosperity. But after the opening of sea trade routes, the city fell into decline. Gradually, the sands hid the amazing architecture of Petra from view. Forgotten for centuries, it was discovered only in the 19th century.

Now the majestic buildings of the ancient capital attract about half a million tourists annually.

Byzantine church

Petra is an impressive Nabatean ancient city in Western Jordan. With its magnificent massive facades carved from red sandstone and the surrounding rugged landscape dotted with historical monuments, it is a traveler's paradise. Petra was and is a great religious city. There are many tombs, temples, sanctuaries and altars here.

One of these gems is the Byzantine Church. It was built on Roman ruins around 450 AD. The church was a three-nave basilica with a total area of ​​about 400 square meters. All the passages of the temple are paved with amazingly preserved mosaics depicting local and mythical animals. The cruciform font was surrounded by four columns, possibly supporting a dome. Around 600 AD, the church suffered a major fire and was abandoned until it was finally destroyed by earthquakes.

Its excavations began in 1992, archaeologists discovered 152 papyrus scrolls. The Byzantine church is a unique historical monument of ancient civilization and is of great interest to tourists.

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Canyon Siq

The Siq Canyon is located in Jordan, its length is one and a half kilometers, and it ends with the ruins of Al Khazneh. Previously, this gorge served as the main entrance to the ancient city and was used by royal caravans.

At the very beginning of the canyon you can see the remains of a stone arch. Here stood the massive gates of the Roman legion, which made it possible to tightly block the passage and hold the defense with minimal forces.

Karak has been known since ancient times. The castle is a huge labyrinth with gloomy arches and endless passages. It is so high that you can see the Dead Sea from its windows.

Karak is located on the so-called “Royal Road” (or “Road of the Kings”), the caravan route between Syria and Egypt. It is not for nothing that bloody wars were fought over this territory for many centuries.

The castle was built by the Crusaders in 1136. The fortress of Karak became at that time the main center of the Crusaders in the area. Later it became a fortified point of the Mamluks and Ayyubids.

The main thing in Karak is its numerous tunnels, underground passages, labyrinths, and rooms. It is very easy to get lost in them and, moreover, interesting. Some places are simply pitch dark, so a flashlight will come in handy.

Tomb with urn

The urn tomb is one of the many unique structures in Petra. This is one of the five so-called Royal Tombs, which were used for the burial of kings and high-ranking persons. It gets its name from the urn that surmounts the central pediment.

The tomb is built on a high mountain and dominates the neighboring facades. To get here, you need to climb several flights of stairs. Presumably this is the tomb of King Malchus II, who died in 70 AD. The impressive façade has stood the test of time. The tomb stands on an open platform, with several pairs of columns along the northern terrace. The inner chamber is quite impressive, its area is about 400 square meters.

In 477, the tomb was converted into a church, as evidenced by the dedication record on the back wall of the hall. This impressive structure is very popular among tourists. Visitors can enjoy a café with a wide selection of refreshing drinks and a cozy hotel located a few kilometers away.

Aneisho Tomb

The Aneisho Tomb is one of the many attractions in Petra. It was created around 50 AD. The monument is located on a hill, so it immediately attracts attention.

This majestic structure is named after the brother of the Nabatean queen Shagilat. It has a beautiful façade with double cornices. Its structure combines Greek, Egyptian and Nabatean architectural styles. The tomb was a two-tier room with a total area of ​​about 400 square meters. A room with a massive table and two benches was equipped here, in which sacred holidays were held in honor of the dead.

This place is of great interest to visitors. Next to the tomb there is a small cafe with a wide selection of soft drinks. A cozy hotel is located a few kilometers away; you can stay here during an excursion tour.

The most popular attractions in Petra with descriptions and photographs for every taste. Choose the best places to visit famous places in Petra on our website.

Individual and group

More attractions of Petra

It is not at all surprising that the ancient city of Petra, which is the main city of which Jordan is rightfully proud, was included in the list of the new seven wonders of the world. A unique feature of Petra is that the city is completely carved into the rocks, such a sight is amazing and breathtaking. By the way, the name of this unique place on the planet is translated as “stone”.

The ancient city of Petra in Jordan dates back more than 2000 years of its existence, and some sources indicate even 4000 years. The history of Petra in Jordan began with the Edomites, who built a small fortress on the basis of these rocks. Then the city became the capital of the Nabatean kingdom and remained so until 106 AD. Afterwards, the unusual rocky fortifications passed into the possession of the Romans, then the Byzantines, Arabs, and in the 12th century became the prey of the Crusaders. From the 16th to the beginning of the 19th century, Petra remained empty; no one knew where the stone city, shrouded in secrets and legends, was located. It was only in 1812 that the Peter complex in Jordan was found by a traveler from Switzerland, Johann Ludwig Burckhardt. Since then, for 200 years, tourists from all over the world have not ceased to admire this magnificent heritage of antiquity.

An interesting fact is that throughout its history, the city of Petra in Jordan was built up by different “owners”, but to this day only the most ancient buildings that arose before the 6th century AD have survived. So modern Petra represents the real appearance of ancient Petra. You can get to the city through the only and extremely exotic route – the kilometer-long Siq gorge, which was once the bed of a mountain stream. Along the entire route entering the city there are altars, ancient sculptures and unusual colored sands. The exit from the gorge leads directly to the majestic facade of El Khazneh - a temple-palace, which is called the Treasury, because according to legend, wealth is stored there that has not yet been found by anyone. Amazingly, the facade of the Temple of Petra in Jordan, carved 20 centuries ago, remains untouched by time today.

Sights of Petra

The sandy mountains of Petra in Jordan contain about 800 attractions, while scientists claim that Petra is only 15% studied, and most of its mysteries will never be solved. The Nabatean ruins of Petra in Jordan stretch for several kilometers and cannot be explored in one day. Even tickets here are sold for three days at once, so that tourists can have time to see everything.

1. Al-Khazneh Temple, mentioned above, never revealed the secret of its purpose to researchers. Some believe that this is the temple of Isis, others say that this is the tomb of one of the rulers of the Nabataean kingdom. But the most important question for historians is how it was even possible to create such a structure, if even today it seems unlikely.
2. Petra Amphitheater, carved into the rock, can accommodate 6,000 people. Presumably, the construction of the amphitheater was started by the Nabataeans, but it was the Romans who gave it such a scale, who completed the construction of this structure to such a majestic size.
3. Ed-Deir- another amazing structure of the Petra temple complex in Jordan. This is a monastery that rises 45 meters on top of a cliff and is 50 meters wide. Ed-Deir was probably a Christian church, as evidenced by the crosses carved on the walls.
4. Temple of the Winged Lions- a complex, the entrance to which is guarded by statues of winged lions. Being mostly destroyed, it still attracts with its columns and the fact that many meaningful artifacts are discovered in its excavations.
5. Dushara Temple or Palace of the Pharaoh's Daughter a is a separate building that has survived, unlike many that were destroyed. Today it has been restored and impresses with its 22-meter walls built on a carved platform.

A mysterious and unusual rock city, about which the sages of antiquity found time to write, and which was even mentioned in the Bible. It was here that Moses extracted water from the rock, and the local river is still called Wadi Musa, which means “river of Moses.” We are talking about the ancient city of Petra in Jordan. Let's take a closer look at this attraction, included in the list of new wonders of the world.

History of the city of Petra in Jordan

Petra is located in a rocky area on the road to the resort of Aqaba from the Dead Sea. In the old days, the route of the “road of incense” ran here. Later, with the formation of the state of Edom, the biblical enemy of Israel, the first settlement appeared here. In the local language it was called Sela, which means stone. Later, the Greeks translated “stone” into “Petra”, and in this form the name of the city has survived to this day.

On the border of the 4th -3rd millennium BC, the Nabatean Arab nomads decided to settle in this area, who built their capital, the city of Petra, in a remote place. It was indeed difficult to get into the city, since there was only one entrance through a narrow gorge. Even the famous Roman generals who decided to conquer the Nabateans had to lift the siege due to constant failures. But still, from the 1st century AD, the Nabataeans voluntarily joined the Roman Empire, which generally had a positive effect on the development of the city.

Due to the rocky location of the city, the inhabitants of the ancient city of Petra in Jordan had to contrive to erect residential and other buildings. These ancient craftsmen could build them right in the rock, while in decoration and architecture they were not inferior to the great Greek and Roman architects. The earthquake that occurred in 363 severely damaged Petra, the inhabitants left this city, and only nomads became its inhabitants.

The laurels of the discovery of the forgotten ancient Nabatean capital belong to Johann Ludwig Burckhardt. Pretending to be a merchant, in 1812 he learns from local Bedouins that the legendary ancient city of Petra exists and is located nearby. Later, accompanied by a guide, he finally reaches the Wadi Musa valley and finds the Nabatean ruins of Petra in Jordan.

City of Petra. Short description

The road to the rock city of Petra begins with a narrow gorge, along which rocks rise hundreds of meters on both sides. The movement takes place in the dark, the sun cannot get here. Then it gradually begins to get lighter, and niches for statues carved into the rock become noticeable.

Entrance to Petra

At the exit from the tunnel, the sun hits unaccustomed eyes with a bright light, and a huge and beautiful building appears before them. The building is called El Khazneh or the Pharaoh's Treasury. This temple and mausoleum was probably built here in the 2nd century AD. The exact purpose of the building is now difficult to establish, and researchers have many guesses on this matter, so all that remains is to enjoy its beauty and the skill of the ancient stonemasons.

Al Khazneh

It remains a mystery how the builders carved out the building in the temple. Typically, in such cases, scaffolding needs to be erected, but there were no trees in the area. All that remained was to use the ruins in the rock to climb up and start working from there. At the same time, it is unknown how the workers managed to work at high altitudes “on weight”; it is also unknown how they assessed the size and scale of the future construction.

Behind this mausoleum, the tunnel widens, and viewers are presented with a view of the old city in the rock with many ordinary stone houses, markets, administrative and entertainment establishments. There are also traces of Roman influence - a street runs through the city, decorated with a traditional colonnade.

Petra Street with Colonnade

But here, too, the facades of buildings can be seen in the red-pink rocks. For example, Ed-Deir is a huge monastery located on the top of a cliff. The walls of this monumental structure, 50 meters high and wide, have cutouts of crosses. Probably in the past the monastery housed a Christian church.

Ed-Deir

Not far from here you can see another famous building - a three-story Roman palace called the Palace Tomb. Nearby there is another building that stands out from the general background - the Urn Tomb.

Palace tomb

Of course, not all rock structures were created for important rituals. Ordinary living quarters and even burial grounds were also built here. On the contrary, among the buildings on the land, not all were classified as economic. So among them stands out the temple of Qasr el-Bint, dating back to the 1st century BC, erected in honor of the Arab goddess Al-Uzza - the Great Mother Goddess.

Qasr el-Bint

In total, several hundred rock chambers have been preserved in stone Petra. Their facades reflect the entire history of the city's construction - from the roughest to the most skillfully made with borrowed ancient construction traditions.

In any case, the buildings of Petra by the Nabataean masters are distinguished by their originality, but it is also worth remembering that before their great construction the Nabataeans were just nomads. Currently, this place attracts thousands of tourists who want to immerse themselves in the atmosphere of ancient rock architecture and witness great works of art.

The original city on the rocks is mentioned in ancient legends, in the speeches of sages and even in the Bible. At this place, Moses called water from the rock, so a small local river still bears his name - Wadi Musa, that is, “the river of Moses.” The city of Petra in Jordan is full of mysteries and unique events. It belongs to the new wonders of the world, so today it receives our attention.

From the history

In the city of Petra, Jordan not only created history, but filled it with divine meaning. The modern location of Petra is near the resort of Aqaba, which is located near the Dead Sea. This is where the “path of incense” once lay. The city is located on the site of the ancient state of Edom, which, according to historical information, was an enemy of Israel. The city of Sela, which means “stone,” is the first settlement on the site of the current settlement. Subsequently, "stone" was translated into "Petra". Rock City is a telling name, isn't it?

In the 3rd-4th millennium BC, Arab nomads from the Nabateans decided to settle in the area. They began to lead a sedentary life, making Petra their fortified capital. There was only one gate in the city, which was visible right through. This really saved the Nabateans from raids. Even the army of the Roman Empire could not take the people prisoner. The Nabataeans themselves joined the Romans in the first century AD.

After the nomads settled in the rocks, the best era for their kingdom began. Petra at this time became a city of political significance. She became widely known. Petra turned into an artificial oasis, where the flow of water was strictly controlled. It happened that the capital of the Nabatean kingdom was flooded by downpours, but the local population used a system of aqueducts, dams and cisterns, thanks to which they not only provided themselves with fresh water, but also supplied it for sale.

The rock city of Petra in Jordan predetermined a certain way of life for the people who inhabited it. It is difficult to build houses, raise livestock and engage in farming on steep cliffs. Thanks to the tricks of the architects, the city of Petra became a wonderful monument of Roman architecture in harsh conditions. In the 4th century, the buildings were badly damaged and the population had to leave their homes. Since then, only nomadic tribes have stayed there.

Following the fall of the Nabatean kingdom, the Roman Empire ceased to exist. In the 16th century it was impossible to find a single inhabitant in this lifeless desert. There were legends about the city of Petra in Jordan.

The capital of the Nabateans was discovered by the Swiss scientist I.L. Burckhardt in 1812. He had to dress up as a merchant in order to find out from the local hermits the place where the city of Petra was located. Jordan, whose history is full of tragic battles, is inhabited by secretive people. It was only by chance that Burckhardt managed to find out how to get to Wadi Musa and see the ruins of Petra.

Architecture

The structures of the city of Petra, carved into the rock, belong to three periods of world history:

1. Idumean (XVIII-II centuries BC);

2. Nabatean (II century BC - 106 BC);

3. Roman (106-395 AD).

In the Middle Ages, the Teutons and crusading knights lived in the city, but everything that they left behind was destroyed by time. Only the rocks withstood the pressure of wind, sun and earthquakes.

The territory of the city of Petra has not been 100% studied; 85% of the buildings remain a mystery. Many more amazing discoveries await us, especially considering that the studied area includes more than 800 architectural monuments.

What does the city of Petra look like?

From the very beginning of the journey, the tourist is plagued by difficulties. The narrow gorge called the Siq, through which you can get to the city, is enclosed in high cliffs. The sun's rays do not touch the bottom, so you will have to navigate the road in the dark. Sometimes the width of the passage narrows to 4-5 meters. It gradually gets lighter, and stone statues on the sides of the passage, carved inscriptions and niches become visible. This passage was formed by nature itself - the gorge was formed as a result of ancient shifts of tectonic plates.

When you finish your journey through the gorge, the sun will blind your eyes with its unusually bright light. The first thing anyone who enters here sees is the building of El Khazneh, or the Treasury of the Pharaohs. This is a local sanctuary that is both a temple and a mausoleum. The date of construction is the 2nd century AD. Why the Nabateans needed this building, history is silent. Only a few scientists believe that the Treasury of the Pharaohs is an ancient pagan temple of the goddess Isis. But you and I can admire the work of ancient stonecutters who managed to create a beautiful temple out of rock.

The process of turning stone into a building remains a major mystery for scientists. From the point of view of modern construction, it is not possible to create a tall building without the use of special scaffolding. But in rocky areas there are no trees to build auxiliary platforms. Presumably, the stonecutters had to climb to the very top of the rock without a safety net, using only their hands, and chisel away at the wall from there. How it was possible to create such a symmetrical and graceful building without the use of bricks and boards is also unknown for certain.

Al Khazneh blocks the view of the old city on the cliffs. Going around the temple, we see a large number of stone houses for various purposes, markets, and administrative buildings. The Roman influence is clearly felt in the columns framing the avenue-street. Larger buildings have their own purpose. For example, Ed-Deir is a monastery that crowns one of the peaks of the rocks. The structure is huge - 50x50 m. Once upon a time there was a Christian church here.

Another larger and grander building is the Roman palace. The three-story building is also called the Palace Tomb. Next to it there are other ritual buildings. An amazing feeling is experienced by a tourist who tries to imagine the huge time gap between him and the beginning of the construction of structures. The buildings have been preserved almost in their original form, because the stone of the rocks is extremely strong.

In the city of Petra in Jordan, whose history is based not only on a religious cult, there are not only sanctuaries. Here you can see ordinary outbuildings, burial grounds and other premises. Cliff dwellings are interspersed with temples. The picturesque Qasr al-bint is a temple dedicated to the Great Mother Goddess.

Tourists are offered to buy a detailed map and explore the surrounding area on their own. In addition to the buildings we have designated, you can see a theater, a church, the Temple of the Winged Lions, a real Roman dining room and much more. The territory of the facility is several kilometers.

The ancient theater of Petra seats 6,000 visitors. It is also entirely made of rock and is located in the center of the city. From the spectator rows you can see the burial grounds and main tombs. The time of construction dates back to the first century AD, that is, at the same time when l-Deir arose in Petra.

Not far from El Deir is Jebel Harun. This is the beautiful tomb of Aaron, crowned with a snow-white mosque. Aaron is the brother of Moses, and the structure was erected in his honor during the reign of the Mamluk Sultan.

The cathedral, discovered in the 90s by American archaeologists, is a building extensively decorated with mosaics. Here, in ancient times, documents were kept, written on sheets of papyrus and of great value to the city in the 6th century. All documents were kept in a private archive along with family documents. The decoration of the cathedral is amazing. The nave and altar are made of small marble tiles of different colors. All arches are covered with mosaic patterns.

What's special

Petra has more than a hundred rock structures. On the facades, one might say, the entire history of the construction of the city is carved. Here, in the neighborhood, there are rough, uncouth premises and exquisite ancient temples.

Do not forget that the Nabateans were just nomads, and these tribes are not distinguished by the desire to leave behind a memory for many centuries. The amazing architecture of this people is exclusively a figment of the imagination of the eternal traveler, driven by fear into the rocks, to a place where enemies cannot reach and ruin the tribe.

The city of Petra in Jordan, which for a long time belonged to the closed Nabatean tribe, is distinguished by its originality. Its appearance is original and unlike any other city in the whole world. The extraordinary city, carved into the rock, constantly attracts tourists who are interested in the city of Petra, Jordan, history and architecture.

Fun fact: Petra is sometimes called the “city of roses.” This was due to the rock having a specific red hue.

In 1985, Petra came under the protection of UNESCO as an important element of the cultural heritage of mankind, and in 2007, Petra was awarded the title of a new wonder of the world.

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On July 7, 2007, the legendary cave city of Petra in Jordan, along with the Colosseum and the Great Wall of China, was included in the list of “new wonders of the world.” The ancient city is really worthy of your visit, so we are ready to tell you exactly what is important not to miss during a tour of Petra.

The history of the city of Petra in Jordan

Petra received its name from the Semitic word for “rock,” since all the religious buildings of the city were carved from solid red sandstone rocks. The facades were carved from top to bottom, for which purpose special stone steps were placed on either side of them. It is interesting that any error in the calculations excluded the possibility of correcting anything: if the master carved a column thinner than necessary, there was no longer any possibility of replacing it. In addition, the craftsmen actually worked as climbers. For example, in the construction of any European facade, scaffolding was used in 100% of cases. There were no forests here even hundreds of kilometers away. The builders, like sculptors and rock climbers, patiently carved out the facades of the canopy.

Unusual coloring of red sandstone rocks

It is believed that the city was founded by the Edomites - distant descendants of Lot, the one who fled from God's wrath from Sodom and Gomorrah. As is known from the Old Testament history, his daughters, realizing that the entire male population had died, and worrying about the continuation of the family, decided to get their father drunk and, as the Old Testament diplomatically states, “lay down with him.”

In terms of the time of construction, the city as a whole is not homogeneous. Here you can find buildings of the Nabothaeans from the 18th century. BC, as well as the “later” buildings of the Romans - some I-II centuries. already AD. It is known that Petra was at the crossroads of two trade routes. One of them went from south to north and connected the Red Sea coast with Damascus, the other - from east to west and connected the Persian Gulf with Gaza, which at that time was occupied, presumably, by the Phoenicians. The paths crossed in the Petra area, which only made the city richer every year. But with the discovery of the sea route to the East by the Romans, everything ended. The city and the city treasury were empty, the buildings fell into disrepair, and then were completely lost.

Desert ships

It’s interesting that during the Israeli War of Independence the song “Red Rock” was popular among the people and young Israeli fighters considered it daring to ride to Petra and back. In most cases, daring ended in death, but those who returned alive gained almost eternal “glory.” The management, understandably, was extremely dissatisfied with such antics and categorically did not encourage the song.

Excursion to Petra

You can easily get to Petra on your own. The most convenient way is a car. Whether to rent a car and drive it yourself or to leave it in the hands of the driver is a controversial question. On the one hand, if you are driving, you are responsible for safe driving. On the other hand, probably only local drivers have built-in sensors that allow them to quickly respond in emergency situations, of which there may be several at once during your trip.

Important! If you are in Jordan for more than one day, then a ticket to Petra magically turns from 90 Jordanian dinars into 50. And don’t forget to take a map at the entrance to the tourist center - it’s calmer and clearer with it.

1. Genie tanks

The first thing you will encounter on your way is several square stone blocks, which the Bedouins who lived here nicknamed “Tanks of the Djinns,” naively believing in the demonic origin of the stones. By the way, most of the modern names of Petra came to us from the Bedouins, who gave names to certain monuments to the best of their understanding.

Genie tanks

On the road to the gorge on your right there will be a “Bedouin highway” - be careful - this road is for Bedouin carts boldly pretending to be chariots. They rush along it at an insane speed, often turning over and scaring tourists to death.

"Bedouin high way" :)

Typical carts with tourists in Petra

2. "Obelisk" and Triclinium Bar As-Sik

Almost opposite the “Gin Tanks” there is a mysterious building - the “Obelisk” and the Bar Al-Sik triclinium. It consists of two levels: the upper one is an early Nabothaean burial, marked by four obelisks, and the lower one is a triclinium or, in our case, a funeral hall. In the Roman tradition, the triclinium consisted of a table and three benches surrounding it in the shape of the letter "P". The dishes were served from the fourth side. This hall has suffered significantly in recent centuries from countless attempts to find Nabothaean treasures.

Obelisk Tomb

3. As-Sik Gorge

After walking another 400 meters, we will approach the ancient entrance to the As-Sik gorge. It is also the entrance to the Nabataean city of Petra. The length of the gorge is 1200m, and the bizarre natural coloring of the rocks is due to the local rock - red sandstone.

Siq Gorge

The play of sunlight gives an additional “zest” to the unusual coloring of the gorge

To the right of the entrance is a dam. It was built to turn around a mountain river and save the city from spring “floods”. As you enter the gorge, pay attention to the drainage on the right side. The peculiarity of these places is that since ancient times the question of water here was “to be or not to be.” At best, 15 cm of precipitation fell per year in these parts. But the Nabataeans were very inventive and created an entire drainage system, collecting rainwater within a radius of 25 km. Along the entire gorge on both sides of the road there is a drain for fresh water. Whether this water was intended for animals, ablution, or drinking water is now impossible to know.

Drain in the As-Sik gorge

4. Al-Khazneh

Or the “vault” was built by the Nabataeans in the 1st century. AD. The purpose of the complex is still unclear. There is an assumption that the temple was dedicated to the Egyptian goddess Isis, whose bas-relief was barely preserved in the pier between the columns in the central part of the facade. The two-level facade is entirely carved from rock. On both sides there are steps - these are what the ancient builders used. The lower tier of the six-column Hellenistic façade is crowned by an atypical portico, seemingly divided into three parts. In the spaces between the columns there were bas-reliefs of gods and goddesses. A round urn is visible at the top center. In the 19th century, the Bedouins, thinking that all the treasures of the temple were stored in it, tried to shoot it down with guns.

Al-Khazneh Treasury in Petra

The temple became a global celebrity thanks to Steven Spielberg's film Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, where the hero was looking for the Holy Grail. And that’s why there are always a lot of tourists here too. You have virtually no chance of taking a photo alone with Petra in the background. But opposite the façade there is a small cafe whose benches you can use as a photo podium. This way you will get good pictures, and the crowds of tourists in the background will only add color, and will not spoil the frame with their curious pugs :)

The majestic façade of Al Khazneh

5. Street of facades

Upon exiting the gorge, on the right side there will be the so-called “Street of Facades” - these are the tombs of noble and wealthy Nabateans. History has not left us any more significant details.

Street of facades

From the “street of facades” we climb up to the royal tombs, reach the remains of a Byzantine church and through the “street of colonnades” and the ancient theater we return again to the “street of facades”.

6. Royal Tombs

The first three tombs you will encounter on your way are the Urn Tomb, the Silk Tomb and the Corinthian Tomb. The “Tomb of the Urn” was supposedly created in the 70s AD, and in the mid-15th century. was converted into a Byzantine church.

Royal Tomb

The scale of construction in Petra is truly amazing!

By the way, if you deviate from the route and go towards the ancient theater, which was clearly visible from the “street of facades,” then you will have a stunning view of the gorge and the road. This is where rare photographic ecstasy occurs. The main thing is that the sun does not let us down.

7. Palace Tomb

You and I move on and go to the Palace Tomb. You will recognize it by its wide facade. It is believed that this facade resembled Roman palaces, hence the assumption that only royal or especially noble persons could be buried in such a grandiose building. Which, however, is not confirmed by written sources.

Palace Tomb

8. Tomb of Sextius of Florence

Behind the Palace Tomb is the only building for which scientists know for certain for whom and when it was built. Sextius was the Roman governor of Arabia and, as sources tell us, he wanted to be buried in Petra, for which purpose in 126-130. and this tomb was hollowed out.

Ad-Deir Monastery

Camels are the safest way to get around Petra. They are difficult to disperse on the local highway.

11. Colonnade Street

Along the Roman street of colonnades we return back to the gorge. On your right side there will be the remains of a temple complex, which without undue modesty is called the Great Temple. Pay attention to the columns lying on the ground in a beautifully sliced ​​sausage - this is the result of a powerful earthquake in the 8th century. Next we go to the ancient theater, now we have a chance to look at it up close.

Among the rocks that are truly valuable, it’s easy to find mountains of Bedouin “remake” :)

12. Ancient theater

The theater was carved out of the rock in the 1st century AD and originally seated 3,000 spectators. Later it was expanded by the Romans to 7000. If you look closely, you will see three tiers of spectator seats, divided into sectors by stairs. The front façade of the theater once faced the road. On its sides there were still black eye sockets of the entrances through which spectators entered the building. Only a few columns have survived from the portico, but at the time of its greatness the stage was decorated with a row of seven small Ionic porticoes.

Ancient theater in Petra

Having completed your tour of the theater, you have a long way back. Of course, you can take the Bedouin Highway and even take part in the Chariot Races. But is it worth it? Take care and have a nice trip!