A Cliff-Cut City : Little Petra, Jordan

A Sphinx-Like Structure on the Way to Little Petra

The way to Little Petra was through buff yellow-colored mountains with deep valleys in-between. There were strange shapes on the mountain facades which were perhaps carving done by the Nabataeans. Frequently, mirages in the sandy desert were also visible.

Mountains and Valleys on the Way to Little Petra

Carving on the Cliffs

Siq al-Barid is just a 10 minutes’ drive northwards from Petra. It was an important suburb to the original site of ancient Petra. It is called Little Petra because of its similarities to Petra. The site includes tombs, temple, water channels and cisterns carved out of the rock, as well as remains of frescoes on plaster.

Structures on Mountain Tops

Distinctive Geological Features of the Cliffs 

Great Antiquity

Little Petra is one of the most important places of Beidha Neolithic village and it is presumed to have been occupied from 7200 BC to 6500 BC which makes it one of the first settled villages in human history.

In the site of Little Petra many religious activities were held during classical antiquity, including The Feast of Drink when the king of the Nabataeans hosted celebrations and provided drinks for his guests.

Siq al-Barid also showcases the highly sophisticated and modern technology of Hydraulics during ancient times. There are cisterns to be seen at Little Petra and also a pipeline system to transport water. The pipes were made of clay and the pipeline system ensured a constant water supply. The well-constructed underground cisterns are still in use and they were hidden underground away from the evil eyes of invaders and strangers. So, in spite of the fact that Petra lay in a dry canyon, there was a constant water supply because the Nabataeans ensured that there was  maximum flow rates and minimum leakage. This system also utilized particle-settling basins to purify their potable water. They created an oasis in the dry canyon and there is no archaeological evidence of any drought in the area.

Cisterns of Great Antiquity in The Governor's House

Salient Features

At Petra, in order to reach Al-Khazneh, we had to walk the entire length of the Siq but at Little Petra there is hardly any walking. The parking place of the vehicles is just opposite to this archaeological site. 

The Parking Area between Ancient Cliffs 

The Many Facets of the Cliffs

In ancient times, on a given day, a caravan of 2,500 camels, forming a line of 5 miles long across the desert, carried heavy load of incense, spices and perfumes to trade in Petra. The Nabataeans passed with their camel trains through the Spice Route which stretched from Persian Gulf(Arabia), to the ports of Gaza, passing through Petra, their capital,(which was also used as a stopover) and Avdat (Ancient Nabataean city in Israel).         

The Ancient Tax Collecting Office  in Little Petra Archaeological Courtyard

The camels used to report to the king with treasures at Al-Khazneh/The Treasury. Since the Siq was very narrow, the camels could pass only one at a time and there would be a huge line. Hence, it was decided that only the king’s camels could pass through it and the rest of the camels would be lodged elsewhere. So Little Petra was allocated to be a resting place for camels. It is also entered through an opening like the Siq but here the distance is minimal and the opening is a bit wider and on a smaller scale. 

The Entrance to the Ancient Complex

A Side View of the Opening

 

An Aerial View of the Opening

There is a structure carved from the rock which has a window-like counter. During Nabataean era this was the office where the entry and exit of the camels were registered and taxes were collected. Opposite to this office-building, there is a tall structure also carved from the cliff, looking somewhat like the Treasury (Al-Khazneh) but smaller. This was the residence of the governor/ in-charge of the area. Below this edifice is a dark and cavernous, large cave. This was supposedly the hidden cistern in the governor's house. Another source says it might have been the kitchen.  This basement has three, gaping door-like holes which perhaps served as entry points from outside. The governor’s house upstairs could be reached by a flight of steps sculpted out from the rocks.

The Ancient Registration And Tax Collecting Office

A Close-up View of the Tax Collecting Office

The Governor's House 

The Steps Leading to The Governor's House

Little Petra Now

By the middle of the 7^th century, Petra was largely abandoned and the local Bedouins encroached upon the area and set up their colony until it was rediscovered by a Swiss explorer, Johann Ludwig Burckhardt in 1812. The government realized its archaeological and tourism value and decided to develop it but the Bedouins refused to leave. So the government offered each family a free house, free water and free electricity and set up their habitation in Little Petra. The Bedouins left the area of Ancient Petra and settled down in Little Petra, with the stipulation that the entire commercial activities in Petra Archaeological Park will be done by the Bedouins. So all the shops on the road to the Treasury, in the Treasury and in Little Petra are run by them. The horse carriages (where only 2 can sit), the battery-operated vehicles are also operated by them.

The town of Little Petra is characterless with single-storied tenements, a few double-storied buildings and shops by the side of the road .Donkeys or mules were perhaps revered as cows in India because I saw some food was left on the porch of a shop and a mule was feeding on it. The natural beauty with mountains and valleys is spectacular but other than that there is hardly any greenery. The trees on the dividers were dusty and not too eye catching.

Souvenir Shops operated by Bedouins in Little Petra

    Photographs: Bulbul Sur

Tags: Little Petra, Siq al-Barid ,Governor's House, Tax Collection Office, Bedouins