Between the Petra Visitor Centre and the entrance to the Siq (south side of the path), there is a fine tomb with four pyramidal obelisks, built as funerary symbols by the Nabataeans in the 1st century BC. The four obelisks, together with the eroded human figure in the centre, probably represent the five people buried in the tomb.
The obelisk tomb at first appears to be multistorey. In fact, it was built on top of a much earlier structure, with a Doric columned facade. This building is known as a triclinium (dining room), and is one of several in Petra. This is where annual feasts were held to commemorate the dead, although it’s hard to imagine the conviviality of a banquet in the silent hollow that remains.
If you miss it on the way down to the Ancient City (easily done if you're riding a horse to the Siq), look out for it on the way back: the monument comes into its own at sunset when the obelisks are thrown into relief.
Near the Obelisk Tomb, further down the track towards the Siq, a signposted detour to the right leads to several stepped tombs carved into the tops of domed hills. It’s a secret little place, missed by almost everyone in their rush to get to the Siq.
