Urn tomb (Petra)
The urn tomb is a rock facade of the Nabatean city of Petra in Jordan . The facade belongs to the so-called king wall. Its name is based on the assumption that these particularly large and magnificent rock facades must be the tombs of kings. This has not been proven - not even in the case of the urn grave. The client is still unknown today. The urn grave got its name from the urn that rises on top of the facade.
Construction
The urn grave is the most conspicuous facade in the King's Wall, as it jumps very far back in contrast to other facades in Petra. This gives space to a 21 m wide forecourt. Low rows of columns were carved out of the rock on both sides. The arched, arched arcades are also striking . A platform above used to extend the forecourt here.
The facade itself is designed like the front of a temple with two corner pillars and two semicircular columns flanking the entrance. A small gable rises above a ledge supported by the column capitals. There are three small burial niches below this gable. The middle grave niche is still partially covered by a locking plate with a damaged bust of a man. The urn that gives the urn grave its name rises a little further up on the final large gable.
The façade's chamber, carved into the rock, measures 19 by 17 meters. Rock banks on the walls suggest that the room was previously used as a triclinium for funeral meals. In 447 the urn grave was converted into a church. The rock banks were destroyed and a large rock window was created over the door. At the same time, the side doors were hewn out of the rock.
literature
- Fabio Bourbon: Petra, the mysterious rock city . Müller, Cologne 2004, ISBN 3-89893-564-7 .
- Frank Rainer Scheck: Jordan. Peoples and cultures between the Jordan and the Red Sea. 6th edition. DuMont Reiseverlag, Ostfildern 2011, ISBN 3-7701-3979-8 .
Web links
Coordinates: 30 ° 19 ′ 41.1 ″ N , 35 ° 26 ′ 57.3 ″ E