Petra Tour: Wadi Farasa East
Coming from Jabal al-Madhbah, the tour continues through the idyllic valley. Highlights are the Garden Triclinium, the Soldier Tomb complex, with the large colourful triclinium, and the Renaissance Tomb.
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The 8 m high stone wall is the containment of a huge uncovered cistern, 28 m long and 5 to 6 m wide (1). Rainwater and spring water flowing down from the rock massif and fed through channels was collected in it. A series of steps led into the cistern for its maintenance.
The constructed retaining wall (2) was made waterproof by a thick layer of hydraulic mortar on both sides. To improve the quality of the mortar, it had to be mixed with volcanic rock or crushed bricks and ceramic shards. On the basis of such shards, the wall could be dated to the second to third quarter of the 1st century AD.
At the foot of the wall the water flowed through two drainage holes at different heights (3 - see the second photo above) first into a larger and then into a smaller basin. This reduced the pressure, and sand and other impurities were deposited before the water was channelled into the cistern of the Garden Triclinium.
This 4 x 4.20 m large and 2.40 m deep cistern (4) was hewn out of the rocky ground of the former courtyard and plastered smooth. It was closed with cover slabs which lay on three massive arches (see the 3rd photo above), whereby bacteria contained in the water died in complete darkness. The clean drinking water was drawn from a smaller, 1.45 x 1 m overflow basin (5) next to the cistern, which was just as deep.
Behind the large cistern are the outer walls of a hall building (6) - see the next page.
© Photo, text: Haupt & Binder
Coming from Jabal al-Madhbah, the tour continues through the idyllic valley. Highlights are the Garden Triclinium, the Soldier Tomb complex, with the large colourful triclinium, and the Renaissance Tomb.