The Siq, Petra

Siq is the name of the last leg before approaching the famous Al Khazneh. It is in the lower part of the canyon and very narrow part of it, you will slowly proceed and then suddenly you will notice ahead of you the famous beautiful site.

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Walking down through the valley or rock with exciting anticipation of arriving at The Treasury - Petra!
Its about half an hour or so of gentle slope from the entrance through the Siq walkway down to the Treasury - with all sorts of interesting rock formations, carvings into the rocks, cut outs that look like they were places to keep lanterns to light the way at night - and even statues in the rocks

Have your camera ready for this part of course

- remember then that its another half an hour or so of uphill to get back out again!...in addition to the potential hours walking around the Petra site

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The Siq is the main entrance to the ancient city of Petra in Jordan. The dim, narrow gorge (in some points no more than 3 meters wide) winds its way approximately one mile and ends at Petra's most elaborate ruin, Al Khazneh (The Treasury).

The Siq is a natural geological fault produced by tectonic forces and worn smooth by water erosion. The walls that enclose the Siq stand between 300-600 feet in height.

Local people will offer horse-drawn carriage rides and camel rides for the one-mile trek thru the Siq. If you have difficulty walking, this might be the best option for you, but if possible, I recommend you walk it. There is much to see along the way (especially if you have a good guide) including sculptures, aquaducts, tombs, etc. But walking it makes so much sweeter that first glimpse of the Treasury through the last of the narrow gorge.

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This is a row of monumental Nabataean tombs carved in the southern cliff face of the Outer Siq. The facades are crowned with corner crow-steps, pilasters and cavettos.
As the Outer Siq opens out, the Street of Facades becomes visible. Whole streets, 4 rows, one above the other, of Assyrian type monuments with double bands of crow-step decoration run along the cliff face. It isn't known whether these served as houses or tombs but they appear to be of an early date.

You can watch my 3 min 34 sec HD Video Jordan Petra part 5 Facades street out of my Youtube channel.

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After entering the gate in Petra, and before you reach the Siq, you walk through an area called ‘Bab Al Siq’, Arabic for gateway to the ‘Siq’. There are several monuments of note along the way starting with three massive Djinn or god blocks, the Obelisk Tomb and the Triclinium below it with an ancient bilingual inscription.

While the horse riders and buggy riders go trotting past, those walking can stop and view the sites.

You can watch my 3 min 39 sec HD Video Jordan Petra part 2 out of my Youtube channel.

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The Siq is a meandering path between beautifully-colored sandstone cliffs about 150m high on each side. Occasionally the path widens enough to allow in warm sunlight and even a tree; other times it becomes so narrow (as little as 2 meters apart) that the stone seems to block out virtually all heat, light, and sound.
There are many things to see along the Siq. Take special note of how the water has eroded away the sandstone.
Along the way are some small niches, shrines and carvings to investigate, and running alongside the length of the Siq are water channels carved by the Nabateans to provide water to the city of Petra.
Check out some of the incredible colors in the red-rose rock mountains of Petra.

You can watch my 3 min 32 sec HD Video Jordan Petra part 3 Siq out of my Youtube channel.

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This is a narrow gorge which leads visitors into Petra. It’s more than a kilometer long and opening up at the Treasury. As well as presenting a dramatic entryway into Petra, many relics can be seen in the Siq including a paved road and Nabataean sacred stones.
The Siq itself begins where the path drops sharply down. The entrance to the Siq was originally marked by an ornamental arch; it collapsed in 1896, but its decorated abutments survive.

The Siq is not technically a gorge, as it was formed not by erosion but tectonic forces, which caused the rock to split dramatically in half. It was only then that the waters of the Wadi Musa flowed in and the winds blew through the newly-formed gap, gradually rounding the sharp edges into smooth curves.

The Bab Al-Siq Triclinium is the first of approximately 100 similar monuments to be found throughout the site. It was constructed at a later date and more classical in style.
There were rock-carved rooms with benches running around three sides of their interior, situated near tombs, so as to act as dining rooms for the funerary banquets which appear to have been an essential ritual in burying and commemorating the dead.