MONUMENTS
There are some 800 monuments in Petra as listed by UNESCO in 1994. More recent surveys indicate that the number is far greater than this.
Detailed publications on all monuments in Petra can be found in:
- Brünnow, Rudolf-Ernst, and Alfred von Domaszewski. 1904-1909. Die Provincia Arabia auf Grund Zweier in Den Jahren 1897 und 1898 Unternommenen Reisen und der Berichte Früherer Reisender. Strassburg: K.J. Trübner. [1.35, 2.010, 2.063, 5.01, 13.21]
- Dalman, Gustaf. 1908. Petra und seine Felsheiligtümer. Leipzig: J.C. Hinrichs. [1.10, 2.063, 5.01, 5.13, 5.151, 19.0]
For a detailed bibliography on Petra and the Nabataeans:
- Crawford, Gregory A. Petra and the Nabataeans, a Bibliography. 2003. The Scarecrow Press, Inc.
Listed below are monuments that are frequently visited by tourists. For Visitor itineraries please click here
Where applicable monuments are listed in both their Arabic and English names for easy reference
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
A
Aaron’s Tomb (Maqam al-Nabi Haroun)
At 1,350 metres above sea level and five kilometres west of Petra, Jabal Haroun is the highest peak amongst the mountains in the area. It is a site of major religious significance to Jews, Christians, and Muslims who all share the belief that this is the burial place of Moses’ brother, Haroun (Aaron). A 14th century mosque is located on the summit of Jabal Haroun and houses the shrine of Aaron. On a platform adjacent to the shrine, the Finnish Archaeological Project in Petra has revealed a Byzantine monastery dedicated to Aaron that was inhabited between the 5th and 8th centuries, the monastery included a church, a chapel and rooms and courtyards.
B
Ba
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Bab al-Siq Triclinium
Located half way between the entrance of Petra National Park and the Siq, the Bab al-Siq Triclinium is the lower part of the obelisk tomb and is one of approximately 100 such monuments throughout the Park. It is dated to between the 1st century B.C. and the 1st century A.D. Situated near tombs, triclinia served as dining rooms for funerary banquets, which were an essential ritual in burying and commemorating the dead.
Neolithic Site of Ba`ja
Located 14 kilometres north of Petra, the Neolithic site of Ba`ja is a village that was inhabited by the earliest sedentary societies in the Near East dating to around 7,000 B.C. Excavations were made by the German Protestant Institute of Archaeology in Amman (Hans Bienert), in cooperation with Ex Oriente, Freie University, Berlin (Hans Gebel). The village is one of four Neolithic sites excavated thus far in the Petra Region, and is located in a naturally fortified setting making it the only early village found in such a protected setting that was difficult to access.
Its dense terraced stone houses are well preserved and protected from all sides by high rock formations and a deep gorge.
Neolithic Site of Basta
In early 1986 the DoA , the Institute of Archaeology and Anthropology of Yarmouk University, and the Institute of Near Eastern Archaeology of the Freie University of Berlin conducted an excavation in the Neolithic Site of Basta. Located approximately 12 kilometres southeast of Petra, Basta is among the largest Pre-Pottery Neolithic (7th to 6th millennia B.C.) sites encountered so far in the southern Levant. Clusters of well-preserved stone houses, some with their windows still intact, are laid along narrow alleyways and offer a glimpse into village life almost 9,000 years ago. Today, a modern village is built on top of parts of the Neolithic settlement.
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Neolithic Village of
Beidha
Excavated in the 1950’s and 1960’s by Diane Kirkbride, the Neolithic village of Beidha is approximately five kilometers north of Petra, and is located within the protected area of the Petra Archaeological Park. This site, dating between 10,000 and 13,000 B.C., holds one of the oldest settlements in Jordan. During this period hunters and gatherers lived seasonally in this fertile and sheltered area. During the Neolithic period, between 8,330 and 7,000 B.C., a permanent village of farmers occupied Beidha and began the practice of agricultural and herding of domesticated goats and sheep. Many of the concepts and practices that we use today in agrarian societies started in small settlements such as these. The settlers lived in round houses that although easy to construct, had a serious drawback - it was difficult to add a room to a round structure and a struggle for a solution is visible.
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Blue Chapel
Excavated in 2000-2001 by the American Centre of Oriental Research, (ACOR) under the direction of Patricia M. Bikai, the Blue Chapel is situated between the Petra Church and the Ridge Church and is named after the four Turkish blue granite columns that were moved to Petra in the Nabataean era. Sometime in the 5th or 6th century A.D., when the monument was converted to accommodate a residence and chapel for the Bishop of Petra, the columns with their bases and Nabataean capitals were moved to their present location. The columns collapsed in the 748/749 A.D. earthquake.
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Broken Pediment Tomb
The Broken Pediment Tomb is another of the many tombs that mark the landscape of Wadi Farasa on the southeastern periphery of the ancient city of Petra. Named for the broken roofline over the cornice, it is thought that this Tomb was carved in the time of King Malichus II (1st century A.D.).
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