HIGH PLACE OF SACRIFICE TRAIL
How to get there. The hiking trail starts from Qasr al-Bint, on the right, and goes around it from the back, then climbs towards the southeast.
Visit. The High-Place of Sacrifice Trail leads up Wadi Farasa to the High-Place of Sacrifice. It is punctuated by ancient tombs, in a setting as stunning as ever, alternating sun and shade. It takes between 2 hours 30 and 3 hours of visit, with some difficult passages. If you are not afraid of heights, you can return to Wadi Musa at the foot of the amphitheater. If not, you will have to count 2 hours by turning back to the treasure.
The staircase tombs of the jebel al-Madhbah. A dozen tombs of the "hegra" type with the upper attic with double stairs were carved on the northern point of the jebel al-Madhbah. This is where the original path to the High Place of Sacrifice started. Rockslides caused by the earthquake of 363 blocked the access. From here you have a beautiful view of the Royal Tombs.
The collapsed fronton. About 100 m after the path started to go along the mountain. A "hegra" type pediment lies wobbly on the left of the path. To the right, you can see a tomb without a façade in which three loculi have been built.
The Tomb with broken pediment. About 70 m after the collapsed pediment, on the left. This tomb, raised on a podium and preceded by a staircase cut into the rock, is a fine example of a broken pediment. This popular element of Ptolemaic architecture from Alexandria was adopted by the Nabataeans at the expense of the "hegra" style. The pediment rests on a cornice, but it lacks its central point. A window opened above the door, a lintel separating the two, while two vertical slits pierced between the semi-columns let in light. A burial chamber was added to the right of the main tomb.
The Renaissance Tomb. The doorway of this beautiful, slender façade is crowned by a circular pediment, a popular feature of European architecture during the Renaissance period. No entablature or tympanum is inserted in the arch. Instead, the arch is crowned with urns at its lowest and highest points. The lower entablature is traversed by two high semi-columns with Nabatean capitals. A triangular pediment caps the whole, decorated with an urn at each corner. The difference in level in front of the entrance shows that the tomb is unfinished. Fourteen tombs were uncovered during the 2003 excavations, at least twelve of which date from the Nabataean period.
The Soldier's Tomb. At the top of the stairs, after the Renaissance Tomb. This tomb belonged to an imposing complex that required the widening of the canyon by several meters. It was accessed through a hall leading to a peristyle lined with porticoes on three of its sides. This courtyard with columns allowed access to the tomb on one side and to the triclinium on the other. On the right of the tomb stood a two-story building, some of whose rooms were heated. This was the entrance hall to the complex. It was richly decorated with painted plasterwork and patterns carved into the floor. The façade is entirely carved in the rock, except for the three statues inserted in the niches. The central niche housed the representation of the deceased recipient of the tomb, the one who was honored during the celebrations taking place in the triclinium. The statue represents a man covered with a cuirass, as worn by Nabatean soldiers. Although the façade is very eroded, the triglyph-metaphor frieze and the pediment over the entrance are still clearly visible. One can also see two windows on either side of the façade, which provided light for the interior of the tomb. The soldier was probably buried in the central loculus located high up. Excavations have made it possible to date the tomb between 50 and 75. The triclinium is one of the most beautiful in Petra. Three doors allowed to enter the banqueting hall. The benches were carved into the stone, starting from the ground, away from the walls.
The Triclinium of the Garden. After the Tomb of the Soldier, at the top of the steps on the left. The building with its columned porch rests on a stone terrace. Archaeologists thought at first that it was a tomb, then a temple. But in the absence of evidence, they now opt for a dwelling. The building consists of two adjoining rooms, and it is likely that it had a second floor that was accessed from the outside. On the right side of the building is an 8-meter high brick wall. It is one of the largest reservoirs in Petra, possibly connected with the Soldier's Tomb.
The Lion Fountain. This monumental sculpture carved in the rock overhung a basin. The erosion and the damage caused by the earthquakes hardly allow to distinguish the lion. If the body and the 4 legs are well visible, the head turned towards you is hardly noticeable. A pipe whose mouth can be seen above what was the head carried water via an aqueduct from the south of the city.