Petra Tour: The Siq
The main access to Petra is a 1.2 km long gorge with steep walls up to 70 m high. Along the way there are remains of Nabataean water channels, cult niches and other interesting sights.
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The sliding images above show the original location of the dam and bridge in front of the Siq’s entrance, a drawn reconstruction of the ancient bridge and a view into the tunnel.
During heavy rainfall, water flows from a huge catchment area east of Petra into the otherwise dry bed of Wadi Musa, so that flash floods can quickly occur in Bab as-Siq. In the past, they used to pour through the Siq into the valley basin, from where they could drain through the Wadi Syagh into the Wadi Arabah.
When a severe flash flood swept through the Siq around the middle of the 1st century BC, or maybe a little later, it destroyed the first water pipeline, the gravel road and also buildings in the city area. The Nabataeans subsequently constructed a complex protective system, which was an essential prerequisite for further construction work in Petra.
The entrance to the Siq was sealed off by a 12.80 m high dam. In the ravine to the right of it, an almost 90 m long tunnel was cut through the rock to divert the water through the Wadi Muthlim and the Wadi Mataha to the north around the massif of Jabal al-Khubtha. On this detour the water returned to the original streambed of the Wadi Musa in the centre of Petra.
To access the Siq over the dam, the Nabataeans built an arched bridge to which an elevated road led from the Bab as-Siq. To the left of it, the wide and shallow right bend of the river bed in front of the rocky massif formed a large natural catchment basin that slowed down the strong current.
After archaeologists and engineers completely cleared the Wadi Muthlim Tunnel in the year 2000, the water can now flow unhindered again when it rains. Walking tours through the tunnel and the Wadi Muthlim are dangerous and therefore only allowed in the company of a local guide.
© Photos, text: Haupt & Binder
The main access to Petra is a 1.2 km long gorge with steep walls up to 70 m high. Along the way there are remains of Nabataean water channels, cult niches and other interesting sights.