The Monastery, Petra

At the end of the canyon at Little Petra, I turned right to follow the path past Al-Beidha (translates as “the white one”), the remains of a Neolithic village from circa 7200-6500 BC. The excavation site is a series of leftover masonry showing that the houses were built round with underground floors. Since the village was established at the advent of agriculture evidence shows barley and emmer wheat were cultivated. At its height the village had a population between 125-235 people. The village was eventually abandoned until a Nabatean tribe settled in the area between 1-2 century BC.

The trail continued with subtle ups and downs until I found myself on the back trail known as The Monastery Route. The climb was a combination of rocky paths and shallow yet deep steps. The further up I went the closer I found myself hugging the mountain side aiming to avoid the sheer drop to the right of me. A good head for heights was most certainly welcome on this section of the trail but what was really breath-taking was the bird’s eye view of the rugged mountains with the unrelenting sun beating down upon it. Devoid of life and vegetation these mountains were almost stoic in their presence.

As I pushed on the trail became less discernible, a constant consideration of whether I was heading in the right direction, whether the rocks beneath my feet were loose and slippery, if the bend in the path ahead was open to the elements but all along the views were unyielding in their rose colour, their ruggedness and layers upon layers of ancient sedimentary rocks.

The path eventually opened up and led me into Ad-Deir, an iconic monastery built in the mid-1st century. Carved out of rock the monastery is 157ft (48m) tall and 154ft (47m) wide. It looks like a massive double storey building but it consists of only one huge chamber. The entryway is enormous in height that may have at one time had steps for access but it is no longer there. To enter I had to climb up about 6ft (2m) to get inside. The square chamber inside consisted of a recessed section on the back wall. On each side it had 4 steps, built-in pillars and an arched top. Whilst it is thought that the interior was once plastered and painted, no decoration has survived. 

Outside the architecture consists of numerous pillars on both ground and first level and half-pediments at the top. Classified as Nabatean architecture, it is also influenced by Hellenistic (c323BC+) and Mesopotamian (pre-332 BC) styles - essentially pre and post Alexander the Great period.

Nabatean refers to the nomadic people that occupied the region. Originally hailing from northern Arabia, they roamed the Arabian desert searching for pasture and water for their livestock. Moving into southern Jordan around 6thC BC, by the 3rdC BC the Nabatean Kingdom was established with Raqmu (present day Petra) as its capital city. 

Across from the monastery was a sheltered Bedouin café, where I rested with a cup of local tea whilst I admired the precise architectural features of the building. What further treasures will Petra hold?