High Place of Sacrifice Petra

About High Place of Sacrifice Petra

The High Place of Sacrifice is a Nabataean open-air sanctuary cut into the summit of Jabal al-Madbah above the heart of Petra, the best known of the hilltop "high places" where the Nabataeans held their rites in the open. On top is a levelled court hewn from the rock with a stepped altar, a second platform beside it, and basins and channels for draining liquids; offerings, incense and animal sacrifices were made here, and Wikipedia notes that for centuries local people kept sacrificing goats in Petra each year in the belief that the tomb of the Prophet Aaron lies in these mountains, on Jabal Harun, visible from the summit. On the way up stand two huge obelisks, carved by cutting away the rock around them, known as the Zibb Atuf obelisks. The climb starts on the left of the main trail at the Street of Facades near the Theatre, on an ancient Nabataean staircase that switches from side to side of Wadi al-Mahfur; it takes about 30 to 40 minutes and ends with a view over the valley, the Royal Tombs and the Theatre from above. From the top you can return the same way or descend the back of the mountain through Wadi Farasa on a longer loop past the Lion Monument, the Garden Temple, the Roman Soldier Tomb and the Renaissance Tomb, arriving after about two and a half hours near Qasr al-Bint. Allow one and a half to two and a half hours for the whole circuit depending on the route.

Where:

Petra, Jordan