“The Nabateans used gold utensils as disposable items” declares Mueen, our Jordanian guide, as we journey to Petra, one of the seven wonders of the world. According to Mueen, the Nabateans achieved incredible wealth by collecting heavy taxes from merchants, in exchange for protection and access to the ancient city through the gorge. Their wealth lasted for a hundred years.
Like everything in life, however, it did not last forever.
With the merchants preferring the sea over the land route, Petra’s importance as a trading route decreased. This, coupled with massive earthquakes that rumbled through the area, the Nabatean’s wealth, power, and influence which they enjoyed for a century vanished.
The Treasury is perhaps the most popular landmark in Petra. It is the setting of blockbuster movies like, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, The Mummy Returns, Alladin, and Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. Contrary to its name, it is not a bank nor a palace but is actually a tomb reserved to the most powerful of the Nabateans.
The Treasury (Al-Khazneh) is one of the most elaborate structure in Petra, a city of the Nabatean Kingdom. This structure was carved out of a sandstone rock face.
The Treasury along with the other tombs in Petra like the Obelisk tomb is a reminder of the ephemeral nature of life. Status, wealth, power, and influence, notwithstanding.
Tourist and Pilgrimes passing by the Obelisk Tomb, one of the most recognizable tombs in Petra.
