Es-Siq

Having passed the dam, almost immediately, we see the remains of the ceremonial arch which seems to have been intact until 1896 when it was seen and reported by a visitor, now remains very little of the much worn abutments of it.

Followed by a mere natural cleft created by a seismic upheaval in the rocky mountain to produce one of the most exciting geological spectacles in the world; es-Siq. It is over 1200 meters long and 3-6 meters wide flanked by 100-metres a high canyon walls that follows the torrent bed.

During the Nabataean times, the Siq was the only way to enter the Nabataean city of Petra. It permitted the Nabataean to see who was entering the city without being seen. On the left-hand side of the Siq channels that once ran all along the Siq and carried water to the Nabataean city from the springs of Mousa can be seen in several places a long the cliff. Near the tunnel one can, with some difficulty, find the square panel called the eagle monument for the eagle which looks down from it. Votive niches appear at irregular intervals giving the impression that we are following a processional path.

Some are rectangular blocks or obelisks carved from the cliff, others are low relief representations. A few are framed by Hellenistic columns and pediments. One especially fine example has a stylized face of a Nabataean goddess. Another has a central god block and six smaller ones over the top. Yet another niche shows the figure of a goddess between two leopards and has a Greek inscription.

The Siq is narrow in many places especially at the beginning and at the end. Where it becomes narrow and the cliffs overhang, the half light, the gloom and the cool become oppressive. The towering walls of rock glow with bands of color ranging from pearly white to softest yellow, gold to madder, red, carmine, and mauve. Every now and then, however, the Siq opens out and vivid green of fig trees, oleander, and the splashes of colorful flowers compete with the multicolored rocks which change their hues according to the position of the sun and adds a brilliant touch of capricious gaiety to the scene. Sometimes the opens reveal stairways in the rock that leads to side valleys which end in places of worship or forgotten houses.

Just walking through the Siq is an experience in itself; you can hear the sound of small pebbles underneath the horses' hooves and the echo of the visitors' steps. Toward the end of the Siq a then, vertical strip of contorting day light is seen a head. Framed by the black walls of the Siq visitors can get their first glimpse of Petra's most fabled achievement, El Khazneh.