Petra - Jordan - page 356

A stone altar diagonally opposite suggests the fountain had some religious function. The
steps wind further down the side of the cliff to the Garden Tomb Offline map (more
likely to have been a temple) and the remains of a giant water cistern.
A little further down, on the left, is the elegant Roman Soldier's Tomb Offline map ,
named after the statue over the door. Almost opposite is the Garden Triclinium
Offline map , a hall used for annual feasts to honour the dead placed in the Soldier's
Tomb. The hall is unique in Petra because it has carved decoration on the interior walls.
The tomb and triclinium were once linked by a colonnaded courtyard.
Hereafter, the trail branches to the right, above the dry wadi floor. A teashop here sells
handmade strings of cloves, a good sniff of which is surprisingly reviving. The path forks
at the ridge ahead. The right fork leads past some outrageously colourful but dilapidated
tombs and descends eventually to the Colonnaded Street. The left fork passes Az-Zantur
Offline map , a 1st century AD palace that's still under excavation. Nearby is a collection
of ruined Nabataean and Roman houses , one of the few traces of habitations so far dis-
covered in Petra. The trail continues west along the ridge to the Pharaun Column , the
lone surviving column of another Nabataean temple. From here you can turn left to Snake
Monument for a longer hike or go straight on for Qasr al-Bint and Al-Habis. If you're dis-
oriented, look for Petra Church, north of the Colonnaded Street: its pale green awning
makes a good landmark.
ABOVE THE TREASURY
There are two vantage points that have for many years been used to admire the Treasury.
The first is a steep 20-minute hike and scramble with a trailhead to the left of the Treas-
ury. This trail is now closed to visitors as the handkerchief-sized lookout above the vertic-
al cliff is extremely dangerous.
For a similarly dramatic and unusual view of the Treasury, however, make the follow-
ing 1½-hour return hike from the Palace Tomb, with the option of returning via the Urn
Tomb. Start this hike in the early morning to catch the Treasury in sunlight. A recently
renovated set of processional steps leads steeply uphill from about 150m northeast of the
Palace Tomb (they are signposted). The stiff climb takes about 20 minutes and flattens out
at a hilltop Nabataean cistern. Along the way there are wonderful views of the Roman
Theatre.
Continue south from the cistern (currently occupied by a helpful Bedouin teashop own-
er) along a less obvious dirt path. Descend through the dry wadi for about 15 minutes and
then pass into a small ravine; suddenly you will reach a dramatic lookout about 200m
above the Treasury, with fantastic views of the mighty edifice. Watch your step and look