The Museum

The museum is reached through climbing up steps that are steep in some places. It is considered an important, façadeless monument distinguished by a series of five windows. It is unique in the fact that, of all the monuments of Petra, its interior is lighted by an organized and properly articulated series of windows instead of the usual reliance on such light as might penetrate through the doorway.

The lay-out of the interior consists of a high central hall, about 10 by 6.5 meters, flanked by side bays approached through wide, doorless openings of monumental proportions. The upper part of the screen wall of the northern end has been built up of large granite blocks and not carved of the solid rock like the lower part.

The purpose of which this monument was carved is not known. It has no graves or cavities, and if it was a living place it must have been the residence of someone of great importance. It is used now to display a collection of pottery, jewellery and artifacts as well as some large sections of high relief decorative sculpture.

One of the most interesting is the collection of Nabataean earthenware water pipes which are all of a standard size and type, with connecting ends. Out side the door of the museum stands a headless statue of Hercules which came from the theatre. It is worth spending time looking at the exhibits for they give some idea of the reality of Petra.