The Treasury, Petra

The canyon walls press in on me like a vice. As I walk deeper into the dark and narrow corridor, I can see less and less sky. It gets darker a I wind my way further along the twisting path. I break into a run. The light gets brighter and brighter. At last, the dark canyon opens up, and I see it. “The Treasury,” I say breathlessly.  It was magnificent.

A few minutes later, we are seated at a table with our guide. He is no stranger to tourists, and he has positioned himself deliberately so that we can gaze at the Treasury over his head. “We are in Petra, the ancient capital of the Nabateans,” he says, even though we aren’t paying attention. “It is one of the most famous sites in Jordan.” We could tell, because the Treasury was mobbed with tourists. Other historical sites in Jordan could be practically empty, with just you and the wind. But I’m not thinking about any of this. I’m just gawking at the Treasury.

               The Treasury is carved into the side of a cliff. Light dances along its face like leaves rustling in the wind. The multicolored stone almost makes it blend in with the rock around.  It looks like a palace, even though it is merely a box on the inside.

               Camels are arrayed out in front of the Treasury, waiting to give eager tourists a ride. The sight of them in front the Treasury makes this place all the more Middle Eastern.

It is quite an amazing experience to see the Treasury for the first time. The ancients deliberately positioned it at the end of the Siq, a long canyon, to look even more impressive. After you come out of the winding, narrow, chasm, and see the Treasury in all of its glory, it looks almost magical.

               We get up and walk over to the Treasury. I want to go inside, but it is blocked off by fence. “Archaeological work by my former colleagues,” explains our guide, as if anticipating my question. I walk up to the fence and take a look beyond.

               On the other side of the fence, there is a pit that is around 10 feet deep. At the bottom is what looks like doors. “They could be part of the Treasury!” I say to myself, excitedly. Perhaps it is even bigger than it looks.

               I think through what I know about its history. No one knows why it was built, with the main theories being either a temple or a tomb.  It is, however, agreed that the Treasury is not a treasury. That name comes from the Bedouin mythology about the site, which states that it was where the pharaoh hid his wealth. Tiny bullet holes pock-mark the Treasury’s façade where locals tried to shoot it open and access its wealth.

               It also appeared in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. If you can all recall, this was where Indiana Jones rode at the end of the movie in search of the Holy Grail. There, he was met by challenges to protect it, and finally confronted an old knight. In real life, though, it is just a box on the inside (I know, I’m disappointed too). But the movie was filmed here, and that gives Petra at least some credit.

 

               Finally, it is time to go. I am sad to leave the Treasury, but I know that I still have all of Petra ahead of me. As I turn a corner, I take one last look at the Treasury. Then it is gone.