Petra Tour: Bab as-Siq
In the necropolis along the path from the Visitor Centre to the deep gorge of the Siq, one can see remarkably unusual burial sites, including some of Petra's oldest.
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The monolithic monument was carved out of the rock together with the platform on which it stands. With its triple stepped pedestal, it is almost 7 metres high. The sides of the block are 4.5 m wide. The large step at the top was probably chiseled out later, which is why the usual crenellated frieze of this type of tomb is missing.
On the east side there is the access to a square chamber (2.6 m x 2.6 m) with two grave pits. Archaeologists discovered five round libation wells in front of the entrance.
On the top of the boulder from which the block monument was carved out, there is a burial pit (see photo above), accessible via steps hewn into the rock.
(Information from Mouton & Renel)
© Photos, text: Haupt & Binder
In the necropolis along the path from the Visitor Centre to the deep gorge of the Siq, one can see remarkably unusual burial sites, including some of Petra's oldest.
The early Petra monolithic funerary blocks at Ras Sulayman and Bab as-Siq.
In: Men on the Rocks. The Formation of Nabataean Petra
Proceedings of a conference held in Berlin, 2-4 December 2011
Michel Mouton, Stephan G. Schmid (ed.)
Logos Verlag Berlin, 2013
ISBN 978-3-8325-3313-7
pp. 135 - 162