The Treasury at Petra

Al-Khazneh a.k.a. "The Treasury" is a breathtaking sight as you emerge from the rocky canyon and into ancient Petra’s Main Street.

Despite what you may have seen in “Indiana Jones,” The Treasury does not house the Holy Grail!

Instead, it’s believed to be a mausoleum for the Nabatean King Aretas IV and was carved in the first century AD.

The mausoleum contains three burial chambers, but visitors are not allowed inside, and the bodies which were once housed there are long since gone.

So why is it called “The Treasury,” when it’s actually a tomb? Over the millennia, even locals forgot its true origins.

In the 1800s, local Bedouins thought the urn you see at the top of the structure contained treasures, so they shot at “The Treasury” until they realized it was merely solid stone.

Let’s talk about the carvings on The Treasury and what they mean:

The urn at the top, symbolizes a funeral urn. Ancient Greek soldiers were cremated with their ashes placed in urns. (Victorians also borrowed the urn from the ancient Greeks as a cemetery symbol, but that is another story.)

The female figure below the urn is the goddess Isis, meant to symbolize fertility.

Directly beside and behind her are winged Amazon warriors, 6 in total.

In the niches to the left and right of her are Nikes, which are victory goddesses.

Below this top section, the building looks like a Greek temple. There are roses and wine glasses engraved here.

The wine is believed to represent wealth and celebration. Our guide wasn’t sure what the roses stand for.

On either side of this lower section are two figures on horseback. These are Castor and Pollux (aka the Gemini twins and children of Zeus.)

Castor and Pollux are also said to protect those who travel, which makes sense here since so many traveled through Petra in its heyday.

This was my third visit and I hope to return yet again!Read more