Taproom Artifacts: Petra

To the left of our bar televisions, hangs a large picture what looks like a Greek building carved into a

sandstone cliff. This is Al-Khazneh, the most photographed structure from the Lost City of Petra in

Jordan. Over 2000 years ago, a nomadic culture called the Nabateans opted to strategically locate their

city at the crossroads of not only several main trading routes, but also at the center of several major

wadis (a path for rainwater in a dry region). In the center city, Al- Khazneh, also known as the Treasury,

was carved out of an 80 meters high cliff without the benefit of scaffolds due to the limited amount of

wood in the vicinity. Instead, stairs and other structures were chiseled out of the rock to allow access to

the top of the structure. It was built in a top-down manner – removing or chiseling out the support

structures as the building unfolded. Contrary to being labeled the Treasury, Al-Khazneh is believed to be

a tomb for an unknown leader. Through its grand entrance can be found an expansive hall with three

large rooms. In contrast to the ornate exterior, the walls of the interior are bare.

Often photographed and appearing in movies including Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, Al-Klazneh is

one of roughly 2700 carved monuments and structures in the ancient city. The city included an extensive

water supply system which directed the water from the wadis through carved cliffside channels and clay

pipes into large collection basins. A series of cascading basins down slopes filtered sediment and other

impurities out of the drinking water before it was routed through clay pipes into cisterns around the

city. This system allowed a city of 20-30 thousand citizens to subsist in this dry country. The city was

occupied for close to 700 years at which point it collapsed and was largely forgotten by the western

world until the 1800’s. Today it is a popular tourist destination.