Petra along the Entry Road

Petra is one of those places that is so large, it takes more than one post to capture just a portion of it. And it is so captivating that it takes more than one post, too. I've allocated 3.
The entry road is a portion of the caravan route (see the main Petra post). It not only served as an easily secured road, it also was a necropolis, part of the water collection and storage system, an art gallery and more.
The 1st picture shows carved niches that probably held statues of gods. The 2nd picture shows the deep canyon through which the road runs. The 3rd picture is some of the original paving stones from more the 2,000 years ago, still in situ.
The 4th picture is more of the canyon. You can make out carving on the right hand wall.
The 5th picture is a portion of the water channels that were built along both walls to channel water from the springs up above and from collected runoff from the side canyons to direct the water to large cisterns. Selling water to travelers was there 1st big business.
The last picture is just before the end of the road. The bright wall bid bike through the gap is the Treasury. All in all, a very impressive entry to the city.Read more