The Siq

The Siq

Introduction The Siq (Al-Siq) is the gateway to Petra, essentially a 1-kilometer-long rock fissure reaching nearly 100 meters in height. Walking through it, one can't help but marvel at nature’s craftsmanship while envying the fortune of the people of Petra for finding such a natural sanctuary. During the Nabataean and Roman periods, the path was bustling with activity as merchants and travelers used Petra as a midway resting and trading spot. The passage varies in width and what was once a paved stone road is now covered with gravel, rough and uneven, with only fragments remaining. Towering cliffs on both sides almost meet overhead, giving the passage a dark and quiet atmosphere, far from its former glory. On the stone walls are remnants of two water channels, and in some places, sections of terracotta pipes still remain. The Nabataeans diverted spring water from outside the mountains through these channels to a reservoir above the “Treasury,” capable of holding 2,500 cubic meters of water for the residents of Petra.

Aqaba, Jordan