The Treasury, Petra
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Things to Do in Petra: The Treasury tips and photos posted by real travelers and Petra locals.
The Treasury
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• 52 Reviews
on August 24, 2005
The date of the Treasury is unclear. Some scholars suggest around 25 AD, under Aretas IV who initiated much construction and urban planning, and who may have brought craftsmen from Alexandria. The consensus now favors the reign of Aretas III Philhellene (86-62 BC), a time of great expansion and exposure to Hellenistic ideas.
The truth is that Al-Khazneh is not a treasury at all as there is no treasure. The inside of the Treasury is actually empty. An ancient myth that treasure had been concealed here by a powerful black magician, popularly identified as a fabulously wealthy Pharaoh.
Not this monument alone, but the whole of Petra, was believed to be a storehouse of Pharaoh's wealth, deposited here by deep magic. The urn at the top was deemed the most likely repository, and every Bedouin who owned a gun would take a shot at it as he passed. The hope was that if he hit the right spot all the treasures of Pharaoh would cascade down upon him. The result is a battered urn and not a whiff of treasure.
The bottom monument was damaged by repeated flooding in the last millennium and the plaza in front of the Treasury has been covered with tons of debris. In fact, sand that has eroded from the surrounding walls over the past 4000 years has built up to a depth of at least 15 feet. The Jordanian Ministry of Antiquites are excavating the Plaza area in front of the Treasury Monument. They have found the remains of what are believed to be fountains or basins of water.
on May 20, 2005
