THE BLOCKS OF THE DJINNS

Getting there. About 400 meters after the Visitors' Center, on the right side of the main road, before entering the Siq.

Visit. Three monumental boulders carved into the rock seem to stand guard along the path. They are commonly called "blocks of the Djinns", a name left by the Bedouins. They believed that these stone towers served as a place of residence for evil spirits. The blocks are carved on all four sides and pierced with burial chambers. While it is impossible to date them precisely, they may be the oldest tombs in Petra, dating back to the third or second century B.C. There are three more such blocks that you will see as you continue along the path, the last of which is on the right, above the dry riverbed before entering the Siq. The blocks rise between 6 and 8 meters above the ground and their appearance has been modified in later periods.

The entrance to the first monolith is partially obstructed by a deposit of sand and gravel deposited during floods. The foot of the block and its cavity were originally two meters lower. One can still admire the corbelling in triangles which goes around the block on its high part. The base of the boulder to the right of the entrance was cut into two superimposed gullies. They allowed rainwater to flow to the site of Petra or to cisterns that were on the way. A small rock between the Djinns' block and the rock has an opening. Underneath was a cistern.

The second block is positioned on a triple platform that was also cut. The access to the chamber is through an entrance pierced to the east. It contains two tombs. The small platform that tops the block was probably carved at a later period, which would explain the absence of the frieze usually present on Nabatean tombs.

The third block is much more elaborate. Its sides are decorated with pilasters that were once decorated with capitals. The entablature above bears stone chisel marks, which suggest that the traditional corbelling was erased at a later period. During excavations in the 1970s, archaeologists were surprised to find pipe debris in place of bones and personal effects. It is quite possible that this tomb was used as a cistern in the Byzantine period. This would explain why the Bedouins also call these blocks as-Sahrij, which means "cistern" in Arabic.