When you talk about Petra, people think of the long canyon entrance called the Siq and the incredible facade of the Treasury. But in fact this is a huge site with many ruins to admire. The lower road has many of them: the Street of facades, Theater, Royal tombs, Colonnaded street …
INFO & PLANNING TIPS - PETRA LOWER ROAD
From the magnificent Treasury, the path continues along a narrow gorge before opening up to the valley.
TIPS FOR TRAVEL PLANNING ADDICTS - Petra Lower Road
What is the lower road?
I called the lower road, the whole path from the Treasury to the Museum which is at the foot of those cliffs. Many monuments are located on both sides including the theater, the street of facades, the colonnaded street.
Tips about the Petra lower road
- The walk from the Treasury to the museum is easy although longer than I thought it would be, especially in the sun
- You can find well maintained toilets along the way but not much shade apart from the cafes.
- More info and planning tips on my detailed guide to help you plan your visit to Petra
The rocks of Petra
The rocks in Petra are really of amazing colors which were attracting my eyes everywhere. I recommend you do not focus only on the monuments along the way and take the time to get closer to the rocks. Look at those colors:
The street of facades
Along the lower road of Petra you first admire the street of facades with many tombs lined up along the cliff. The second photo gives you an idea of the scale.
They are actually everywhere in Petra (as I realised later with my binoculars from the high place of sacrifice) but this is the best place to see them unclose without too much walking.
Some caves where also cut in the mountains for the family to stay when visiting the tombs.
The amphitheater
After the street of facades there is a theater. It is crazy, but apparently I did not take any photo of it which is so not like me. So please google it to see what it looks like (Nabatea has some details on it). Maybe it is because it was the 4th theater I saw in only a few days (one in Amman and two in Jerash).
I just have a photo from above while I was doing a detour from the Madras Trail.
The Royal Tombs
Then on the left you can see a little above the lower road the Royal tombs. They can be accessed via stairs on their right and via a path on their left. As my plan was to climb a lot of stairs to the Monastery, I decided that the view from the lower road was sufficient and continued
Colonnaded street
Then you start walking along the colonnaded street. And apparently I did not take pictures of it either. The sun must have been hitting hard
At the end of it I found one bench which had a little bit of shade at 10am and rested a little bit. It was really enjoyable, the sun can be very strong. A local walked buy and saluted me and I answered in Arabic. As I said good morning and not the typical welcome phrase that most tourist know he thought I was spaeaking Arabic and started telling me something…hummm…try again. So he switched of to English and within a few minutes he suggested he could find me a husband! Fun discussion. And considering I was doing this tour alone, I enjoyed this time.
At the end you find the museum, which I did not visit and some other ruins which I found less interesting. So I stopped at the bathroom next to the restaurant before starting my climb to the Monastery which I knew would be difficult considering my level of fitness…
Want to see MORE of JORDAN?
Discover more things to do with planning information and photos in my online Jordan Travel Guide.
Don’t you find those pink facades fascinating?
From the Treasury, the passage broadens into what is commonly referred to as the Outer Siq. Riddling the walls of the Outer Siq are over 40 tombs and houses built by the Nabataeans in a ‘crow step’ style reminiscent of Assyrian architecture. Amazing place.