Siq el-Barid
The Siq el-Barid ( Arabic السيق البارد, DMG as-Sīq al-Bārid 'the cold shaft'), also called Little Petra , is located a few kilometers north of the Nabatean city of Petra . The former caravan resting place can be considered a suburb of Petra.
meaning
Although el-Barid is significantly smaller than Petra and has less splendid facades, the original meaning was great: Little Petra was an important caravan resting place on the trade route between the Mediterranean and the Red Sea - and also the largest transhipment point in Petra. The narrow gorge at the entrance was to be closed by a door and offered great security due to its inaccessibility.
Buildings and special features
The actual accommodations are located in the narrow valley of the Siq el-Barid. There are numerous caves, niches, facades, canals and cisterns throughout the gorge. Numerous stairs lead up - presumably to high-altitude sacrificial sites where cult acts were carried out. The caves are mainly living rooms and (cult) dining rooms ( tricelines ) - there are few grave sites. A facade with two slender columns, behind which there is a large cavity, is interpreted as a temple. In a biklinium in Siq el-Barid there is a ceiling fresco with grapes, flowers, birds, vines and putti - one of the few remaining wall paintings by the Nabataeans. It is dated to the 2nd half of the 1st century AD.
Biclinium with fresco
Niche with ceiling fresco
Painted ceiling
Web links
A vine arbor in the desert (2006 - 40 years of the Gerda Henkel Foundation)
literature
- Fabio Bourbon: Petra, the mysterious rock city . Müller, Cologne 2004, ISBN 3-89893-564-7 , pp. 140-141
Coordinates: 30 ° 22 ′ 31 ″ N , 35 ° 27 ′ 5 ″ E