Petra is not just the Treasury. It’s actually 263 square kilometers – the size of 50,000 football fields. And amazingly, archaeologists have only uncovered about 18% of it so far.
As the Treasury is so well-known to the world, and the Monastery isn’t, I think this will be the memory that will most live with me from my Petra excursion.
If you are exploring Petra beyond the Treasury, you may hear of the 1,000 steps up from the lower road in the city center. It’s worth it – just take it slow.
It was built as a dedication to the Nabataean gods, stood at 23 m high, and was elaborately decorated with marble, columns, raised places for worship, and a large sacrificial altar in the front courtyard.
You can almost imagine the hustle and bustle of what would have been one of the ancient city’s busiest areas. It was once lined with shops and columns of marble clad sandstone.