How to Experience Petra Beyond the Treasury

Past the Treasury, the canyon opens into the outer Siq and the facades of the Royal Tombs appear across the valley — the Urn, the Silk, the Corinthian and the Palace tombs, each a statement of a wealthy family’s ambition. Climb up to them; the interiors are plain but the carved facades and the views back over the city are the reward. From here the colonnaded street runs to the heart of the Roman city.

The Great Temple, on the south side of the colonnaded street, is one of the largest freestanding structures in Petra — a complex of terraces, columns and a theatron that shows how monumental the city became. At the far end stands Qasr al-Bint, the most important temple in Petra and one of the few buildings not carved into rock. These are where Petra was a city, not just a necropolis. Most day-trippers never reach them.

The Monastery (ad-Deir) is bigger than the Treasury and far less crowded, because it takes 800 steps to reach. Go in the afternoon, when the facade catches the western light, and take the Back Trail if you are steady on your feet — it is the most beautiful approach, away from the steps. Read our piece on approaching the Monastery for the timing and mindset.

One day forces you to race. Two days let you give the back valleys — the High Place of Sacrifice, Wadi Farasa, the trails — a proper morning, and the main city a relaxed afternoon. Almost everyone who does two days says the second was the better one. See how to spend two days in Petra.