In 1973 Dr Kenneth W. Russell, an American archaeologist, saw the outline of an apse on a slope north of the Colonnaded Street. In 1990, he concluded that it was a large Byzantine church of considerable importance and must have been richly decorated with wall and ceiling mosaics. Excavation of the site began in May 1992 and continued until 1996. It has revealed a triple-apsed church, probably built in the mid-to-late fifth century as the cathedral of Petra. Handsome mosaic floors cover both side aisles with depictions of human figures, birds and animals in a geometric frame. Each of the side aisles of Petra Church is paved with 70 square meters of remarkably preserved mosaics, depicting native as well as exotic or mythological animals, as well as personifications of the Seasons, Ocean, Earth and Wisdom. Also surviving are significant remains of the naves paving in marble and stone in geometric designs.
From the theater a stairway leads to the Royal Tombs set into the rock-face of the Jabal Al-Khubtha. These tombs, thought to be those of several Nabataean kings, are certainly amongst the most impressive of the 500 tombs to be found in Petra. The Urn Tomb was probably constructed around 70 AD. It is preceded by a deep courtyard with colonnades on two sides. High up in the facade there are 3 niches which give on to small burial chambers. Their inaccessibility would have made them relatively safe from tomb robbers. Inside there is a massive single chamber which may originally have served as a triclinium for funerary banquets, but which was adapted in 446 AD to serve as a Byzantine church, the vaults of which can still be seen below the tombs. The small Silk Tomb is remarkable for the swirls of different colored rock which make up its facade. Then comes the Corinthian Tomb, which combines various elements of both the Nabataean and the classical architectural styles. Next to it is the broad, 3-storey high Palace Tomb, interesting in that its lower part was cut from the rock, while some of its upper storey was constructed with masonry when the cliff itself proved to be too low.
In Arabic the Treasury is called El-Khazneh. It is justly the most famous monument in Petra, perhaps from the impact of the first or last glimpse of that luminous strip at the end of the towering penumbra of the Siq. You either walk, take a donkey or carriage ride back through the al Siq. You may remember the first image of The Treasury from the movie “Indiana Jones and the Lost Arc of the Covenant.”
***** End of visit to City of Petra
The ancient city of Petra. This is truly a magical place. I have divided the visit and photos of Petra to highlight the different areas of Petra. No photos can adequately convey the wonder of visiting Petra. You have to personally experience the Petra magic.
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