Petra Things to Do Tips by leffe3

There is one main entrance to the site, found on the outskirts of the modern town of Wadi Musa. There are many other entrance points spread in the mountains, but they're not so easy to find, and even if found, the route to Petra is not so easy (why do you think it remained lost for so long?LOL).

A long dusty track takes from the gate house into the mountains that hide the city.

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The first tomb - outside the official 'site' is the Obelisk Tomb along with the Bab es Siq Triclinium (dining/entertaining room). The tomb is the higher level of the structure, with the four obelisks standing guard over the tomb itself. The Triclinium follows the Nabatean custom of a dining room where the dead were honoured.

The region is semi-arid, the sandstone friable, hence Petra is not a city of buildings but carvings. The facades are just that - facades carved into the rock, the rooms behind hewn into the soft rock.

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Other than the Obelisk Tomb, outside the Siq entrance are three huge blocks (approx 8metres high), believed to be plinths upon which the Gods could stand and watch over the water supply. The middle of the three, with its carvings, was also believed to a funerary monument.

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Some 500 metres from the Gate House entrance, you reach the entry to the Siq - the 'official' entry into Petra.

The path through the Siq is the floor of the fissure and was the water channel of the Wadi. The Nabataeans built a dam at the Siq entrance to control the water flow.

Excitement levels rise palpably, along with the sheersidedness of the Siq - as narrow as 5 metres at some points, and sheer walls of 30-40 metres rising above you.

The Siq is a superb preparation - take your time as the ground level drops the equivalent of an incredible 31 storey building (you don't notice it now, but believe me, if you walk round the site for the whole, you will notice it at the end of the day when you leave by the same route LOL).

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The Siq itself is incredible and the 1200 metre journey leaves you overwhelmed and overawed - its a mix of nature and human engineering, with the occasional carving or rest block to break the 'monotony' and a water channel also carved into the rock running along the edges of the walkway.

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It may seem to take an eternity from the beginning of the Siq to the first glimpse of the Treasury, and, even though expectations are high, you've seen images countless times, that first glimpse is completely awe -inspiring.

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The first glimpse and it is the most famous image of all the facades in Petra - Khaznat el-Faroun (Treasury of the Pharoah). Not just because it graces the pages/postcards etc of Jordanian tourist literature, but because yer man Indiana Jones alias Harrison Ford battled for the Holy Grail in the Indiana Jones & the Last Crusade' on this very spot.

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As its the Treasury, its appropriate that a member of the Royal Jordanian Police Force stands guard at the entrance -:)

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The Khaznat is 40 metres high! It is believed that it is such good condition due to the relatively protected space it stands in - a relatively small open plaza surrounded on three sides by 50 metre+ cliffs protected it from the worse excesses of erosion.

Although known as the Treasury, it is believed that, due to the distinctive features, it was more likely to be a shrine or temple rather than a tomb. But others believe it to be a Royal Tomb (as are most of the facades left standing). It gained its name 'The Treasury of the Pharoah' as a result of the local legend that the urn at the top of the facade contains treasure left by a Pharoah. This idea continues with another, slightly more contemporary legend that the same urn contains pirates treasure.

In typical Nabataean style, it is the facade that is elaborated carved - the interior rooms or chambers are no more than carved out of the rock and very plain squares.

The age is disputed, but is believed to be from the late Hellenistic period (First Century BC).

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Leave the Khazneh area by following the path to the right (as you look at the facade) - this is the main pathway to the city. Around you are more tombs (less elaborate than the Khazneh) carved into the sheer cliff-faces. Gradually the landscape changes around you, with the gorge opening out to a relatively flat(ish) plateau, interspersed with rocky outcrops. Ahead of you is a rock-face of terraced tombs, 3-4 levels. Smallish, these were likely to be the tombs of the 'middle classes'.

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