Petra by Morning
The Siq and
Al-Khazneh
The Siq
(Shaft)
The Siq
through which we dramatically entered the ancient city of Petra is a natural wonder. It is a labyrinthine gorge, 1.2 km long which ends at Al-Khazneh or the
Treasury.
Tourists
approach the Siq through the east. It is dark and narrow and in some places it
is only 3-4 m (10-13 ft.) wide. This geological
wonder is formed by a deep cleft in the sandstone rock, starting right from the
top through to the bottom. It serves as a waterway to Wadi Musa.
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| The Journey through the Siq Has Just Begun |
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| The Tapering of the Rocks |
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| The Cleft becomes Slimmer |
In ancient times,the caravan drivers knew of their close proximity to Petra city as soon as they entered the slim,curvy Siq; its walls made up of rough,sharp, protruding rocks,rock-cut water channels and clay pipes.Through these channels and pipes the Nabataeans used to control the flow of water in and out of the city.
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| 2000-year-Old Clay Pipes Etched on the Cliff |
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| Water Channels Cut against the Rock |
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| A Platform Carved on the Cliff for the Weary |
Al-Khazneh (The Treasury)
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| A Slight Sighting of the Treasury |
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| A Broader Glimpse of Al-Khazneh through the Split |
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| The Within-Reach Treasury |
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| Finally,Magnificent Al-Khazneh |
We again went to the same place the next morning (starting point of our Petra by Night walk) and set out for a view of Al-Khazneh in battery-operated vehicles (6 persons per vehicle). The driver of our cart was very friendly and talked about India. There were camel and mule rides .Camels,donkeys and humans thronged the area. The roadside,dark,deserted sheds of the previous night were now transformed into colorful shops selling Jordanian souvenirs. The huge, shadowy mountains the night before were in reality towering rocks glowing in the afternoon light to a vivid garnet.
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| The Mountain-like Rocks on the Way |
The
path did not seem treacherous as we struggled to maintain our balance (in the
cart) on the bumpy road. When we started off the pinkish-brown rocks were a
little far but as we neared the Treasury, the mountain-like rocks closed in on
us until we could just view a glimpse of Al-Khazneh from a fissure in the huge
rocks.
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| Elephant Faces Carved on the Cliff |
Legends
The monument came
to be known as Al-Khazneh in the early 19th century by the local
residents, the Bedouins, who believed that it contained treasures. The rumor
was due to the Funerary Urn which crowned the monument.
The reason
for this belief is some legends. According to one local legend this urn
contained Pharaoh’s treasure and that it functioned as Pharaoh’s treasury
during the time of Moses. It is said that while chasing Moses, Pharaoh and some
of his soldiers escaped from the wrath of the Red Sea. The Pharaoh created the monument
by magic and hid his treasures there and again set forth to pursue Moses. So it
came to be known as Khaznet el-Far’oun or Treasury of the Pharaoh.
Another
legend says that pirates hid their stolen wealth in the urn. The Bedouins
believed such folklore and shot at the urn in the early 20th
century with the hope that the urn would break open and treasures would spill
out and they would capture the wealth. But the effort was futile because
the urn is built of solid sandstone. In reality, the urn represented a royal
memorial. The downside of the Bedouins’ misadventure was the façade of
Al-Khazneh is defaced by numerous bullet holes.
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| The Urn Defaced by Bullets photo:David Bjorgen commons.wikimedia,org |
Description
Petra is
famous for its rock-cut architecture and the crowning glory is Al Khazneh.
In the first
century AD, Petra’s population was the highest at 20,000.It was at that time
that the Al-Khazneh structure was constructed. It is believed to be the
Mausoleum of Nabataean King, Aretas IV. In 2007, Al Khazneh was voted as one of
the New Seven Wonders of the World.
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| The Six Columns and the Door of the Central Chamber |
The monument is 39.1 meters high and 25.30 meters wide. It is a living proof of the craftsmanship of the Nabataeans and speaks volumes about their engineering prowess. They had carved the monument on the sandstone rock and embellished it with Corinthian columns which are topped with elaborate capitals, friezes and figures. The entire monument is supported by the cliff from which it was carved.Out of the six columns, the outer four are implanted in the rock while the two central columns are freestanding (not attached to a supporting background). The Treasury consists of two floors and three chambers. The middle chamber is flanked by two antechambers on either side. Some archaeologists believed it to be a temple because archaeologists have found bowls with incense sticks and offering to Gods which suggest that it was a place of worship; while another section conjectured it to be a store house for documents.But the most recent excavation has unearthed a graveyard beneath the treasury.
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| A Peek at the Door of the Antechamber |
Opposite to
the Treasury, there was a rock mountain on which about 50 steps were carved,
which enabled intrepid tourists to climb up them and reach its pinnacle.
The mountains in Petra were of red sandstone and when the setting sun fell on
it, they turned rosy. So Petra is called the Rose City/Rose-Red city. The rocks changes color
according to the movement of the sun. It’s indeed astounding to imagine the
skillfulness of the ancient Nabataeans who carved such monuments on the pink-hued
rock mountains 2000 years ago.
That the
Treasury was a Mausoleum and a crypt is evident from the carvings done on the
façade. These sculptures are mythological figures associated with life and
death. One among them is the carving of four eagles on the top facade which
signifies that they would carry away the souls of the departed.
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| Carving on the Frontage of Al-Khazneh Photo:Bernard Gagnon Commons. wikimedia.org |
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| A Chamber Just Adjacent to the Treasury |
The interior
of the Treasury was guarded off, preventing the visitors from entering it
because the tourists had earlier defaced the interiors with graffiti. Inside the
Treasury is a large chamber with a high ceiling with two smaller rooms and
massive steps.
There were shops galore in the complex of Al-Khazneh, run by Bedouins who sold jewelry, magnets,lamps and the usual souvenirs. By the side of the Treasury there was a narrow lane which led to the Monastery and other thousand -year- old archaeological/historical sites.
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| The Slender Lane leading to More Archaeological Wonders |
Due to the pandemic, Covid 19, tourism has stopped. Taking advantage of the isolation, the Jordanian government has authorized excavations in front of the Treasury because according to sources only five percent has been excavated so far and there are many more wonders still to be unearthed.
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| Rose-Red Rocks in the Setting Sun |
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