Palace Tomb facade in Petra, Jordan.

© Dietmar Rauscher/Getty Images/iStockphoto

Royal Tombs

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Downhill from the Theatre, the wadi widens to create a larger thoroughfare. To the right, the great massif of Jebel Al Khubtha looms over the valley. Within its west-facing cliffs are burrowed some of the most impressive burial places in Petra, known collectively as the ‘Royal Tombs’. They look particularly stunning bathed in the golden light of sunset.

The Royal Tombs are reached via a set of steps that ascends from the valley floor, near the Theatre. A worthwhile hike from the Royal Tombs leads up to the numerous places of worship on the flattened High Place of Jebel Khubtha, together with a spectacular view of the Treasury. The steps are easily visible between the Palace Tomb and the Sextius Florentinus Tomb. The Royal Tombs can also be reached via the adventurous hike through Wadi Muthlim.


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1. Street of Facades

0.09 MILES

From the Treasury, the passage broadens into what is commonly referred to as the Outer Siq. Riddling the walls of the Outer Siq are more than 40 tombs and…

2. Urn Tomb

0.12 MILES

The most distinctive of the Royal Tombs is the Urn Tomb, recognisable by the enormous urn on top of the pediment. It was built in about AD 70 for King…

3. Theatre

0.13 MILES

Originally built by the Nabataeans (not the Romans) more than 2000 years ago, the Theatre was chiselled out of rock, slicing through many caves and tombs…

4. Cistern

0.16 MILES

Hilltop Nabataean cistern with wonderful views of the Theatre.

5. Sacred Hall

0.17 MILES

The Sacred Hall may have had ritual connections with the Treasury, diagonally opposite.

6. Silk Tomb

0.18 MILES

Next to the distinctive Urn Tomb in the Royal Tomb group is the so-called Silk Tomb, noteworthy for the stunning swirls of pink-, white- and yellow-veined…

7. High Place of Sacrifice

0.21 MILES

The most accessible of Petra’s High Places, this well-preserved site was built atop Jebel Madbah with drains to channel the blood of sacrificial animals…

8. Corinthian Tomb

0.22 MILES

The badly damaged Corinthian Tomb is something of a hybrid, with Hellenistic decorative features on the upper level and a Nabataean portico on the lower…