The Monastery (Ad-Deir)

About The Monastery (Ad-Deir)

Ad-Deir, the Monastery, is the largest carved facade in Petra and its second most famous monument after the Treasury, set high in the mountains west of the city, far from the crowds. The facade is about 47 m high and 48 m wide; it echoes the Treasury's design but is plainer and far bigger, and is crowned by a huge urn. It was probably carved in the mid-1st century AD. Its purpose is still debated: most likely it was not a royal tomb but a place of worship and religious gatherings, perhaps linked to the cult of the deified Nabataean king Obodas I. In the Byzantine period the inner hall was used as a church or hermitage, and the crosses cut into its walls gave the monument its name. The route to Ad-Deir starts at the Basin area near Qasr al-Bint in the city centre: an ancient Nabataean staircase of roughly 800 steps climbs Wadi Kharrubeh, passing the Lion Triclinium and several rock-cut dining rooms before opening onto a wide plateau facing the facade. Allow 40 minutes to an hour for the ascent depending on fitness, and about half an hour down. Short viewpoint paths above the plateau look out over Wadi Araba and the mountains around Petra, some of the finest views in the whole site.

Where:

Petra, Jordan