Petra Tour: Great Temple
The largest freestanding architectural complex in Petra did not serve religious worship, but was built as a representative royal reception hall, up from the end of the 1st century BC or beginning of the 1st century AD.
For an optimal view of our website, please rotate your tablet horizontally.
From the Colonnaded Street, which runs parallel to the Wadi Musa, a staircase leads up to the large colonnaded courtyard (lower temenos) of the 'Great Temple'. On its east side (below it, on the photo) there was a luxurious garden with a water pool and island pavilion (paradeisos).
In the background, the Qasr al-Bint, the main temple of Petra, whose sacred precinct is accessed through the Temenos Gate.
At the bottom of the picture, next to the tree and the bridge over the Wadi Musa, the remains of the Nymphaeum, public fountain, can be seen.
© Photo, text: Haupt & Binder, Universes in Universe
The largest freestanding architectural complex in Petra did not serve religious worship, but was built as a representative royal reception hall, up from the end of the 1st century BC or beginning of the 1st century AD.