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Site Map
Petra :
Petra was lost for hundreds of years and rediscovered in 1812. The site was designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1985 when it was described as "one of the most precious cultural properties of man's cultural heritage." The temples and caves of Petra with its huge white rocks forming the gate and the narrow entrance which towers over 21m high rest up on the slope of Mount Hor. It is only possible to reach Petra on horseback and you should pass through the main gate called Bab Asiq. At the end of the Siq, Petra's most marvelous gravestone, the Treasury, appears it is the Pharoah's treasure. The rock caves were still recently inhabited by Bedouins. Most of this unique city was built by the Nabatean Arabs in the fifth and sixth centuries BC. The Romans carved out a huge theater. Its true value lies in its ancient civilization; Petra had a population of over 30000 inhabitants. It is all craved in its rocky nature; the Nabataeans carved their temples and tombs into the pale yellow to dark brown rock. A variety of hotels offer accommodation for a memorable visit. On July 7, 2007, Petra was named one of New Open World Corporation's New Seven Wonders of the World. So no matter how much we describe Petra and its supremacy, a true visit will show its worthiness to the naked eye and thus you'll believe it's a miraculous place with astonishing history that will last forever in your mind.
Petra Map
Petra
The Monastery :
The Monastery is similar to design to the Treasury, but it is much larger (50 m high x 45m wide) and much less decorated. The facade is flat on the lower level and deeply carved on the upper level, with engaged columns and two half-pediments flanking a central urn (10m high).
The flat plaza in front was carved out of the rock, perhaps to accommodate crowds at religious ceremonies. It was originally surrounded by a colonnade. The interior consists of a single room with double staircases leading up to a niche (the same layout as in the Qasr al-Bint and the Temple of the Winged Lions).
On the left side of the facade, there is a very steep path that tourists are generally not permitted to climb, both for the safety of the monument and the visitors. It leads up to the urn on top of the facade. Local kids like to show off by playing on the urn, some even climbing it all the way to the top.
A cave located directly opposite the Monastery houses a small café offering refreshments and a shady place to sit and admire the monument. Other monuments in the area include a stone circle and a cave, and marvelous views can be had by a few minutes' climb up the rocks behind the café.
The Monastery is an hour's climb northwest of the city center on an ancient rock-cut path of about 800 steps. The path begins behind the Basin Restaurant and Nabatean Museum.
It may sound daunting, but there are plenty of places to rest, and donkeys available to rent. Two-thirds up is a peaceful spring, and there are various other minor points of interest along the way, such as the Lion Triclinium.
The best time to climb to the monastery is in the afternoon, when the path is mostly in shade and the sun is shining on the Monastery's facade.
