Petra Tour: Al-Khazneh
The most famous monument in Petra, the 39-meters-high mausoleum for a Nabataean king or queen, carved deep into the rock face during the first half of the 1st century AD.
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When the number of visitors dropped sharply in 2003 due to the war in Iraq, the opportunity was taken to carry out a major archaeological excavation in the otherwise overcrowded forecourt. The older graves below the Khazneh were uncovered as far as possible. One could be dated 25/20 to 10 BC on the basis of ceramic sherds. Probably four of the five graves were of the Hegra type, i.e. step tombs with a high facade and large half merlons. When the Khazneh was built later, the upper parts of the older facade tombs had to be knocked down. Some remained in use. (see also the drawings on the previous image page)
Since the Khazneh is numbered BD 62, the five lower graves were given the numbers 62A to 62E. The oldest is 62A.
Step Tomb 62E
The second photo above shows the so-called Step Tomb 62E of the type Hegra, whose remaining facade is about 6 m wide and 7 m high. From the plaza 11 steps lead down to the entrance 5 m below. There are indications that the stairs and the facade were hidden under one roof after the construction of the Khazneh so that they did not disturb the design of the large tomb and the plaza.
The staggered entrance is framed by two pilasters with quarter columns and Nabataean horn capitals on a fluted frieze. The capitals are cut off at the top, and under each "horn" there is a "tongue". During the construction of the Khazneh, the triangular pediment was partially demolished and, together with other fragments of the facade, was used as filling material under the stairs and on the forecourt.
The chamber in this tomb is unfinished. Through a side door in the interior one could enter tomb 62D, which had been built a little earlier on the right side, but whose entrance was closed by the monumental staircase in front of Al-Khazneh.
(Source: S. Farajat & S. Nawafleh)
© Photo, text: Haupt & Binder, Universes in Universe
The most famous monument in Petra, the 39-meters-high mausoleum for a Nabataean king or queen, carved deep into the rock face during the first half of the 1st century AD.
Two sets of five steps over a cavetto (concave moulding) cornice, and fascia (horizontal mouldings). A non-decorative attic above the classical entablature, supported by the pilasters. "Hegra" refers to the second largest Nabataean settlement on the southern border of the kingdom, today's Mada'in Salih in Saudi Arabia.
Rudolf-Ernst Brünnow and Alfred von Domaszewski: Die Provincia Arabia, Volume 1.
Verlag Karl J. Trübner, Strasbourg 1904.
The catalogue of grave facades and other monuments in Petra, compiled by the researchers during their travels in 1897 and 1898, still serves as a reference today - abbreviated BD or Br. with the respective number.
Report on the Al-Khazna countryard excavation at Petra (2003 season)
In: Annual of the Department of Antiquities of Jordan 49
Department of Antiquities of Jordan, Amman 2005, pp. 373-393
Download (checked Jan. 2020)