Petra
Petra
About this place
It is one of the largest monument in Petra, measuring 47m wide by 48.3m high. It was built on the model of the Khazna but here the bas-reliefs are replaced by niches to house sculptures. A columned portico extends in front of the facade. The interior is occupied by two side benches and an altar against the rear wall. It was used as a biclinium for the meetings of religious associations, and dates to the early 2nd century AD, during the reign of King Rabel II. In the Byzantine period, the wall was reused as Christian chapel and crosses were carved in the rear wall, thus the name "Monastery" (Dayr in Arabic).
Brief description
Source © UNESCO : http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/326
Inhabited since prehistoric times, this Nabataean caravan-city, situated between the Red Sea and the Dead Sea, was an important crossroads between Arabia, Egypt and Syria-Phoenicia. Petra is half-built, half-carved into the rock, and is surrounded by mountains riddled with passages and gorges. It is one of the world's most famous archaeological sites, where ancient Eastern traditions blend with Hellenistic architecture.