Petra,Al Khazneh,The Siq jordan

 If Petra is anything to judge by, the ancient Nabataean Empire must have been the stuff dreams are made of, especially if you’re an archaeologist or history buff. The rose-red city, half as old as time, actually dates back to the 6th century BC, but considering its age, Petra is a wonder of architecture and engineering. It’s no wonder that the city still stands even today, and its rock cut buildings have stood the test of time. Petra is the symbol of Jordan and its most popular tourist attraction, as well as one of the few remaining Nabataean sites in the Middle East (the others being in Israel, Syria, and the inaccessible Saudi Arabia). Here’s a traveler’s guide to Petra, Jordan, one of the most magnificent ancient cities today.

Fees and getting around
Seeing as the archaeological park is the foremost attraction in Jordan, entry fees are quite steep compared to other tourist sights. You might also want to hire a local guide who can tell you interesting bits of info about the place, or rent a electronic audio guide from a hotel. Petra is not too large to be explored on foot, but if you are not a fan of walking, you can get around the ruins on camelback, donkey or horse. You can arrange for rides when entering Petra, or around major sights, and there will be plenty of offers to choose from. Bargaining for a camel or a donkey and then negotiating with the animal to go your way is part of the Petra experience, and quite fun! If you don’t want a donkey ride solely for the experience, you should still consider it if you don’t want to hike up the more difficult slopes leading to several sights.
Things to see and things to do

 

The first thing you see when entering the archaeological park is the Siq, a narrow and winding canyon with the occasional sculpture, which is more notable for its impressive natural features. Petra is famous not only for its carvings, but also for its water conduit system, and while traversing the Siq you might notice and exposed pipe or two. The Treasury, or Al Khazneh, is probably the most well known and most photographed sight in Petra. The building has a very elaborate facade carved into the rock face, and contrary to its name it wasn’t used as a treasury, and its real purpose is still a mystery. The Street of Facades, the continuation of the Siq, is littered with various beautiful facades leading to tombs, and leads to the Roman Theater. The nearby Royal Tombs are very impressive as well, hence their name – whether or not they sheltered the remains of royalty is not known. Another very popular sight in Petra is the Monastery, Ad Deir, the largest building in the archaeological park.




Al Khazneh ("The Treasury"‎) is one of the most elaborate buildings in the ancient Jordanian city of Petra. Al Khazneh was originally built, probably between 100 BC and AD 200. As with most of the other buildings in this ancient town, including the Monastery (Arabic: Ad Deir), this structure was also carved out of a sandstone rock face. It has classical Greek-influenced architecture, and it is a popular tourist attraction.

Petra, meaning stone; is a historical and archaeological city in the Jordanian governorate of Ma'an that is famous for its rock cut architecture and water conduit system. Established sometime around the 6th century BC as the capital city of the Nabataeans, it is a symbol of Jordan as well as its most visited tourist attraction. It lies on the slope of Mount Hor in a basin among the mountains which form the eastern flank of Arabah (Wadi Araba), the large valley running from the Dead Sea to the Gulf of Aqaba. Petra has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1985.
 

 The site remained unknown to the Western world until 1812, when it was introduced by Swiss explorer Johann Ludwig Burckhardt. It was described as "a rose-red city half as old as time" in a Newdigate Prize-winning poem by John William Burgon. UNESCO has described it as "one of the most precious cultural properties of man's cultural heritage". Petra was chosen by the BBC as one of "the 40 places you have to see before you die"..

The Siq, which is the main road leading to the city of Petra, starts at the Dam and ends at the opposite side of the vault, a split rock with length of about 1200 m and a width of 3-12 m, and height up to about 80 m; most of the rock is natural and another part was sculptured by the Nabataeans. The Siq, the main road that leads to the city, it starts from the Dam and ends at the Treasury. It is a rock canal that measures 160 meters in length, 3-12 meters in width and reaches up to 80 meters in height. The main part of the Siq is created by natural rock formation and the rest is carved by the Nabataens.

 

At the beginning of the Siq, one can still view the remains of the city’s gate. On both sides of the Siq, there are channels to draw water from Wadi Musa (the Valley of Moses), from outside the city to the inside.

From the right, it is evident that the water flows through pipes of pottery but on the left channel, rock is carved and covered with panels of stone, and there are spaces in place to filter water. At the dam side, one can see the place of the original Nabataean dams, which were intended to prevent the flow of water to the Siq, and seize and use the water. The Siq ground paved with stone slabs, part of which can be viewed in its original location.

Aspects of the Siq were decorated with Nabataean sculptures, mostly representing the gods. It is believed that the statues of gods and their sculptures were situated very close and even adjacent to the channels due to the Nabataeans’ beliefs and faith in that sacred water. In addition, on the left side there are idols called Sabinos Statues.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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