THE SIQ

How to get there. About 800 m after the Visitors' Center, a notch in the rock face opens in front of you. You are at the entrance of the Siq that leads to the Treasury (Al-Kazhneh).

Visit. All roads lead to Petra, but this one was the main access to the Nabatean capital. The narrow natural corridor stretches for 1.2 km and is framed by high walls of pink sandstone rising to 80 m in places. The rock not only takes on supernatural hues, but also strange shapes. Will you find the elephant? The Siq is crisscrossed with irrigation canals, religious testimonies and an ingenious system of dams to avoid destructive floods. The entrance to the Siq was crowned by a high brick arch, which collapsed in 1896. If you look up, on the left, you can see the beginning of the arch. Two votive niches had been dug under this arch. The one on the right is accompanied by a smaller niche. Three steps carved in the rock made it possible to deposit a betylus, incense or offerings. After a major flood around 20 B.C., heavy work was undertaken to secure the canyon. A regular gradient of 4.9% and a passage of at least 3 meters wide were built and the paved road is sometimes lined with sidewalks.

Dams. During rainy periods, water flowed from Wadi Musa into the Siq, causing devastating floods. A flash flood in the middle of the first century B.C. caused so much damage that the Nabataeans thought of a system to divert the water. They built a 13 m high dam on the edge of the canyon and dug a 90 m long tunnel to allow the water to bypass the mountain. A bridge over the dam provided access to the Siq. Crossing the gorge, you will see 5 dams placed at strategic places, where the torrents were formed. Retention basins were built upstream in the mountain. These dams have been restored, as they are still used to protect the access to Petra. Nevertheless, be aware that in case of heavy rains, and for safety reasons, the site is closed to visitors.

Pipes. The city of Petra was supplied with water by an ingenious system of pipes. Gutters were dug in the bottom of the rock on both sides of the road. These were used to bring drinking water to the city and to irrigate the crops. The left gully (going down towards the Treasury) was equipped with clay pipes. It collected and conveyed the water drained from the Moses spring, located on the heights of Wadi Musa. The water that passed through the right gully was used to irrigate the crops. It was covered with stone slabs. Sedimentation basins were built along the way to regulate the flow of water and store impurities.

Betyls and votive niches. 70 votive niches cut into the walls were listed in 1995. Some of them are betyls (polished stones used to mark the divine presence), others have been left empty, allowing visitors to put their own betyls there during the time of prayer. Some are simple rectangles of hollowed-out rock, others are decorated with pilasters, pediments and cornices, like temples. After the first curve, on the left and at man's height, one can see a large betyl in a niche. A cornice may have been inserted in the upper groove.

Continuing, in the left-hand curve, at about 2.5 m from the ground, another niche, more worked, presents the attributes of the temples. The pilasters and pediment usually framing the entrance are present. The six columns above the cornice are betyls. The betyl or rather the idol sculpted on a platform in the niche has been looted.

Further on, as the canyon widens for about fifteen meters, a large rock emerges in the middle of the passage. It is hardly believable to think that it was only cleared in 1977. It is to say if the bed of the canyon was obstructed by silt, rubble and plants. This space formed a rather complex sanctuary where the powers of rock and water came together. In the wall on the left, a flight of steps goes above the channel to lead to two small cave entrances. This was a temple where water flowed continuously. A votive niche was carved into the large rock at the foot of this shrine. Inside there are two betyls. The one on the left has eyes and would symbolize Dushara, while the one on the right would represent Al-Uzzara, the two most revered gods in Petra.

Two thirds of the way along the wall (paved section and sidewalk along the wall), a long series of niches adorn the wall. Inscriptions in Greek specify the names of the donors. They are thus known to date from after the Nabataean kingdom and from the second and third centuries. This series is named Sabinos Alexandrinos, after the donor of the first niche from the left.

Just beyond this section, the Siq forms a curve in which fragments of a monumental sculpture are inscribed. A caravaneer and his two camels face an identical group. Between them flowed a small stream that was active in case of rain, which signified a divine presence for the Nabateans. The lower part of the fresco as well as the paving and the canal were removed from a thick layer of alluvium in 1997, which explains their good state of preservation.