The Treasury — Attraction in Maan

My experience from yesterday : indeed the place is amazing , beautiful, undoubtedly. However, the SECURITY is very LOW and I felt UNSAFE there. Although there is machine for control at the entrance of the reception, I hardly saw 2-3 policemen maximum at 5.5 km way ,(in total 1.5 hours walking without stops ).

PETRA BY NIGHT: Better AVOID it! it costs 17 dinars (20 euros), not covered by the Jordan pass, and there is no show. They just light the candles and the building, and they play a music for 1 hour. No special effects.

Suddenly around 21.35 we started to leave, because it was not interesting to see more. I heard a « paf «  like a firework , saw smoke everywhere , people started running in every direction, screaming and trying to hide in the caves because we didn’t know what it is, I lost completely my friends that were in two meters and there was chaos for 20 Minutes. Police men and authorized armed people were arriving after 15 minutes to the Treasury and nobody told us what it was finally and no cover by the news 12 hours later. No tourist has interest to cause this, and they cannot pass fireworks from the entrance ´control’ system. Imagine we were gathered 1000 people (one day after Easter) in a narrow passage at night with no security at all. We didn’t know if the guys in black clothes were good or bad, they were all in black with torches looking around. We run straight away to the entrance when things calmed down.

Petra by DAY: Yesterday we finished the Daily tour at 19.00 and weren’t sure whether it was worth to go back To the reception to buy the extra night tickets (30 min walk) plus 30 min to go back to the Treasury. We were idiots that we believed a bédouine that we can buy tickets there when the ceremony starts at 21.00 and invited us at his shop for a tea until it starts. He wanted us in the end to pay the ticket to some of his friends so I’m not sure if these people were indeed security or guides, because they re all dressed in black and they look alike, and the bédouines are many more. These people live in the mountains and they can easily pass any « equipment » from above as they wish. And many speak English and French.

On the way to the Petra during the day you see many of them offering you a ride with a camel, donkey or horse. I don’t support such things because they mistreat the animals all day and they make an extreme amount of money every day that could be more than a Portuguese monthly salary. They say 20 dinars (approx 25 euros ) for a small 20 min ride , that you can definitely drop to 5 dinars if you negotiate. You should always negotiate for buying souvenirs at shops and drop the price by half at least if you show you re not interested.

Apart from that annoying part with the locals, the bazaars and the darkness, the discovery passages, the caves during the day is an experience. But you need to be very well informed , go as early as possible in the morning , avoid summer period and stick to...

We did the back door hike on Feb 20, 2024. We arrived at 7:30am on a Tuesday and got our Jordan pass scanned to retrieve our ticket. Then we went to get a free shuttle van to Little Petra behind the Petra Museum. The shuttle has free WiFi. The driver waited till we had 7 people in the van before leaving. That took about 30 minutes and the free shuttle driver expected tips upon arrival. If you don’t want to wait you could negotiate with a driver outside and get a ride up to Little Petra entrance. We were offered 15 JD for 2 persons but declined. We later regretted it because of the 30 minutes wait to fill up the van. Once we got to Little Petra entrance we bought a 4X4 Jeep ticket for 5 JD per person. If you use a credit card to purchase there is an extra fee. There are also shops and a free restroom. The 4X4 jeep took another 45 minutes to pick us up and to fill up the 20 seats. This wasted so much time. If you didn’t want to wait you could start your hike up to the Monastery. But know the 4X4 will pass you up if you hiked from the ticket booth.

Once we got up to the start of the Monastery hike it was about 9:45am. If it wasn’t for my bad knee we wouldn’t have done this but we hired a donkey. We negotiated and got it down to 25 JD for 2 persons to ride for 30 minutes to the “station”. Originally we were quoted 25 JD for each person. We would 100% do this again. At times it felt unsafe but we made it in one piece and it saved so much walking. The hike up is very steep. Then it was another 30 minutes hike to arrive at the Monastery. Although the kid that guided our donkeys told us it would only be 7 minutes. So from the 4x4 shuttle drop off, it took us an hour to arrive to the Monastery. You can’t get lost.

Once there, you will find shops, food and a rest stop with benches. There are also several areas to hike up for higher views and to enjoy tea with the Beduoins. Just look for the signs. It took us 1.5 hours from the Monastery to arrive to the Treasury without any stops for lunch. You will come across some Beduoins offering mule rides. We bargained down to 4 JD per person to ride for 15 minutes but decided against it. We had to meet our private driver by 1pm so unfortunately we didn’t have enough time to explore the Royal Tombs. We were sad to hear that no Beduoins were taking tourists up to the famous instagram photo spot looking down at the Treasury. When asked why, they said it was not allowed. We did notice there were tourist police at the site. One regret we had was not to get a golf cart for 15 JD each person from the Treasury to the exit. It was a lot of walking in the heat.

Petra is truly beautiful and amazing. We recommend spending more time here if it allows.

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The Treasury or Al-Khazneh as it is called in Arabic or as by Trip Advisor. You have your first glimpse of the treasury at the last turn on the Siq when through the narrow vertical gap you see extreme right hand pillar and right side portion of Treasury. You are overwhelmed by the clean straight lines, the symmytry and the excellent proportions the huge building carved out of the rock face. All you can do is silently admire the craftsmanship of Nabateans who created this almost 3500 years back. I always make it a point to go through the information signboards put up by the authorities regarding that attraction. It enriches your personal knowledge and thereby enhances your enjoyment in appreciating the beauty of attraction. At the treasury also came across information put up by Petra Archaeological Park authorities. May be sponsored by Hyundai as their name and logo also appears alongside Petra Archaeological Park. This is what I learned firsthand. Al-Khazneh ( Treasury) 60 BC – 50 AD. Treasury, or Al-Khazneh in Arabic is the most spectacular monument carved by the Nabataeans. It stands an imposing 39.5 meters high and is impressively carved out of a single block. The monuments name comes from a local Bedouin legend that pharaoh hid a treasure in the urn at the top, and you can see bullets from the shooting at the urn to try to retrieve this treasure. In reality it is a mausoleum and would have been used for funeury purposes; many archaeologists believe it is the mausoleum of King Aretas IV(9 BC – 40 AD). The Nabatieans decorated the facades of their tombs with fenurary designs symbols related to after life and death. The façade of the treasury reveals a Hellenistic influence, with six cornethenian capitals topped by a frieze of winged griffins and vases among scrolls. In the center of the façade is the Goddess Isis, and she is surrounded by dancing Amazons(female warriors) with axes over their heads. At the top of the steps just before you enter th chamber, there are circular holes which were most probably used for sacrifices. Priests would enter the chamber and conduct rituals. In 2004 three Nabataeans tombs were uncovered below the Khazana which date back to the first century BC and have been identified as...