the massive Theatre was carved out of the sandstone rock, destroying several ancient tombs in the process
a sideways look of Al-Khazneh
Al-Khazneh, the supposed tomb of one of the Nabatean kings
at the end of the Siq the Treasury (Al-Khazneh) glows in the sunlight
but we chose to ride a camel
Jordan's main tourist attraction is the ancient town of
Petra, with buildings and tombs carved out reddish sandstone.
Its origins as the
Nabatean capital and center for the profitable
caravan trade go back to the 4th century BC .
Some scolars claim that Petra sits on the slopes of biblical Mount Hor where
Aaron was buried and Moses himself struck water with his rod for his thirsty people.
Earthquakes in 363 and 551 destroyed many
buildings and after the Moslim conquest of the Levant in 636 the city was abandoned.
Tourists enter Petra from
Wadi Musa through
the famous narrow gorge
Siq, that leads directly to
Al Khazneh, theTreasury.
Other main object of interest are the Theatre, the
Street of Facades and the Monastery.
We visited this amazing rose-red place in December 1998 as a daytrip from Eilat in Israel.
waiting at the border control, it takes hours to enter Jordan from Israel, and it s the same thing going back
entering the Siq
you can hire horses and donkeys for a ride